Ever wondered what gear and tools other people are using? Well, you’re in luck – that’s what this Resource page is for.
Below you’ll find a list of some of the most common tools, gear, software, hardware, etc. that many artists + athletes alike need to do their art, showcase their work + run their businesses.
You can also check out:
- Resources by Occupation
(FYI these pages are a work in progress + we’ll be updating soon-ish!)
Photographers
Skiers + Snowboarders - Our Tools: a list of the resources + tools we use to run ArtisticAllies.com
Computers + Electronics
Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch* or 15-inch*
Apple iPad*
Microsoft Surface Pro*
Data + Project Management
Data Backups
To help prevent losing any documents, photos, etc., we highly recommend having a redundant backup system in place, with at least two backups, one of which lives offsite.
Crashplan – Online, offsite backup
Storage Drives – External storage device (like Western Digital* solid state or hard drives)
SyncBack Free Backup Software for Windows, Time Machine for Mac – use with external storage device
Data Security
If you do work online, you need to make sure you’re not leaving yourself vulnerable to attacks or data theft, and we wouldn’t recommend going online without these.
Antivirus: Avast
Password Manager: Roboform* – Create + safely save more secure, unique passwords.
VPN: Private Internet Access* – Encrypts your connection to the internet to protect your privacy and keep you safer when using public networks.
Collaboration + Communication
These tools make it easier to stay in touch with and collaborate with others, no matter where they are in the world.
Skype – Online calls and messaging
Slack – Online messaging and collaboration
Zoom – Online video conference calls
Dropbox – Share files online
Google Drive – Create and share documents online
For many, Gmail is the obvious choice. But if you’re looking for a more privacy-focused option (albeit without some useful features), Mailfence + Protonmail are great options.
Project Management
Keep ideas flowing and projects moving forward with these tools:
Trello* – Free collaborative project management tool
Asana – More feature-rich project management tool than Trello, but less intuitive.
Freemind – A free mind mapping tool that helps you organize and outline ideas and projects
Design
Graphic Design & Illustration
Adobe Creative Cloud*
Adobe Illustrator*
Clip Studio Paint
Procreate – digital illustration app available for iPad
For the do-it-yourselfer or those who can’t yet afford to pay a graphic designer, these tools make it a lot easier to put together your own designs:
Canva – Free, easy-to-use online graphic design tool
Pixlr – Free online photo editor
GIMP – Free, open source image and graphics editor
Stock Images + Graphics
If you’re not able to hire a photographer or create your own custom photos, these are great places to find free stock photos and graphics:
Creative Commons
Pixabay
Pexels
Unsplash
Fonts
These sites are good resources for finding just the right fonts for your project:
DaFont
Google Fonts
Font Squirrel
Design Inspiration
Whether you’re looking for design or color inspiration, these sites are a good place to start:
Design Seeds – A fun collection of color palettes
Adobe Color CC – Color codes and combinations
Dribbble – Design showcase
Behance – Creative galleries, portfolios, jobs and more
Pinterest – Photo-based sharing platform
Education + Events
Books*
The Artist’s Guide to Public Art: How to Find and Win Commissions by Lynn Basa – A comprehensive guide to the complex world of public art. Learn how to find, apply for, compete for and win a public art commission.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron – Julia Cameron takes readers on an amazing twelve-week journey to discover the inextricable link between their spiritual and creative selves.
Be the Artist: The Interactive Guide to Building a Solid Foundation for a Lasting Art Career by Thomas “Detour” Evans
War of Art by Steven Pressfield – A succinct, engaging and practical guide for succeeding in any creative sphere, The War of Art is nothing less than Sun-Tzu for the soul.
The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy – The purpose of this book is to give you a series of ideas, methods, strategies and techniques that you can use immediately to make more sales, faster and easier than ever before.
Magazines
Juxtapoz Magazine
Communication Arts
Hi-Fructose
Articles
1000 True Fans
Psychology of Colors in Logo Design (design)
Podcasts
Chase Jarvis
Design Matters by Debbie Millman
Tim Ferriss
Education Online
Lynda.com / LinkedIn Learning
Creative Live*
Udemy
Skillshare
Khan Academy
Alison
Ted Talks
99U
Small Business Administration
Events
Creative Mornings – Monthly in-person lecture series
Have a Conference, Retreat or Workshop we should add? Let us know.
Money + Legal
Accounting & Billing
FreshBooks – Accounting + invoicing
Quickbooks – Accounting + invoicing
Wave – Financial software
Toggl – Time tracking
Mint – Money and budget tracker
Accept Payments, Donations + Funding
PayPal
Square – Credit card processing
Stripe – Online payment processing
Kickstarter
Patreon – Membership platform for artists to get recurring money from supporters
Venmo – Make and receive payments
Investing
Vanguard – Low-fee investing
Checking & Savings
American Express Personal Savings – High yield online savings account
Charles Schwab High Yield Investor Checking – Reimburses ATM fees, interest-bearing checking account
Jobs + Hiring
If you’re looking to hire someone or want some extra cash to fund your creative pursuits, these sites are good places to start, especially if you want the flexibility to hire or work remotely:
Legal Forms + Documents
Docracy – Free + crowdsourced
LegalZoom
Nolo
Rocket Lawyer
TermsFeed – Customizable legal agreements
HelloSign – Sign documents electronically
Credit Reports + Scores
Even if you haven’t been the victim of identity theft, it’s a good idea to request your credit reports on a regular basis to make sure there isn’t any funny business going on without you knowing. It also isn’t a bad idea to keep an eye on your credit score (especially if you have a big purchase on the horizon).
Annual Credit Report – Official site authorized by the federal government
Credit Karma – Free credit scores
Money Blogs
Oblivious Investor by Mike Piper
Mr. Money Mustache
Photo + Video
Camera Gear
Canon DSLR Digital Cameras* + Canon Lenses*
Nikon DSLR Digital Cameras* + Nikon Lenses*
RED Digital Cameras
Sony Mirrorless Cameras* + Sony Lenses*
Photo Organization + Editing
Adobe Bridge
Adobe Lightroom*
Adobe Photoshop*
Capture One
Sales + Marketing
Email Newsletters
We highly recommend having an email newsletter. It’s the best, most direct and most personable way to stay in touch with your fans. Here are a few to check out:
MailChimp – Their free option is great if you’re just getting started
Aweber*
ConvertKit
Social Media Management
If you’re gonna be on social media, you may as well make it easier on yourself by using tools like the following to automate and simplify:
Travel
Laptop Stand: Roost* – Props up your laptop for better ergonomics
Website Platforms
Hosted Website Platforms
If you want your website up and running with less technical hassle, a hosted platform like one of these is a good way to go:
Self-hosted WordPress.org
If you want 100% control of your design, content, etc., WordPress.org (not wordpress.com) is a great option.
WordPress Hosting & Domain Registration
If you go with a self-hosted website like WordPress.org, you’ll also need to find a place to host your site (this is where your actual information – like documents, photos, videos, etc. – is stored online) and register your domain name (what you call your site and how people find you, like artisticallies.com). We like to keep our hosting and domain name registration separate.
Bluehost* – Web hosting for starter sites
Siteground* – Web hosting for more established sites or sites with a lot of traffic
Namecheap* – Domain name registration
WordPress Themes
You’ll find a ridiculous amount of sites offering WordPress themes, but be careful – free and cheap themes often give you what you pay for – poorly coded or hard-to-update files. Studiopress is what we use because it’s well-regarded and well-coded (and if you want to you customize it, you/your website developer will have an easier time).
Ecommerce Platforms
If you plan to sell your work online and want your own site (versus selling on a Marketplace with other artists), platforms like these already have shopping cart features in place:
Shopify*
Big Cartel
Etsy
SmugMug* – Sell + showcase your photos. Sign up FREE* + get 15% off if you decide to continue
Ecommerce Marketplaces
If you don’t need a dedicated site for selling your work, you can use a marketplace that showcases your work alongside other artists:
Zazzle*
RedBubble
Society6
Threadless
Cafepress
Gumroad – For digital products
Our Tools
Here’s a peek at the specific gear we use to run Artistic Allies (these are in addition to the above General items).
Computers + Electronics
Computers
Laptop: Apple Macbook Pro 13*
Laptop: Dell XPS 13*
Tablet: Apple iPad*
Accessories
Bag: WaterField Designs Bolt Briefcase
Bag: Dakine Backpacks* – small and medium sizes – both come in handy
Headphones: Apple EarPods*
Laptop Stand: Roost* – Props up your laptop for better ergonomics
Keyboard: Goldtouch* – folds in half for easier traveling
Keyboard: Havit Mechanical HV-KB390L* – corded, but lightweight and I <3 the mechanical keys
Mouse: Evoluent* – bulky, but good if you have repetitive strain
Mouse: Microsoft Wireless* – cheap, super tiny and easy to travel with
USB hubs* – additional USB ports for our laptops, especially handy when doing data backups
Sony Digital Voice Recorder, ICDUX560BLK* – for recording in-person interviews
Mobile Phones
Apple iPhone*
Google Pixel 2
Data + Project Management
Data Backups
Crashplan
Western Digital Hard Drives* – essential for data backups, but also for storing photos since most laptops don’t have the capacity on their internal drives – we have mostly 1TB and 2TB
SmugMug* – Not technically a backup, but useful as an offsite copy and offers safe, secure + unlimited photo storage. FREE trial* + Get 15% off if you decide to continue
Data Security
VPN: Private Internet Access*
Avast Antivirus
Roboform*
Project Management
Photo + Video
Cameras + Lenses
Canon 6D Mark II Camera*
Canon 35mm f/2.0 USM lens*
Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM lens*
Canon 85mm f/1.8 USM lens*
Fuji XT Mirrorless Camera*
Fuji 50mm f/2.0 lens*
Accessories
Bag: Dakine Backpacks* (small + large) + Shoulder bags* (Kim’s weakness is too many bags – ha!)
UV Lens Filters*: We use Hoya and B+W UV filters which help protect against scratches and breakage.
Padded Insert*: A partitioned, removable insert protects gear and fits into most of our Dakine bags
Software + Tools
Adobe Lightroom* – This is basically the only software we use for our photos, primarily to lightly touch up and organize them.
Sales + Marketing
Email Newsletters
Travel
Bags
Dakine 40L rolling suitcases*
Arc’teryx Carrier Duffle 40*
Auto
Thule Car Roof Top Cargo Box / Carrier*: Sonic XL Roof Box
Computers, Photography, etc.
Our set up at home vs. on the road doesn’t really differ, so basically everything in the Computers + Electronics and Photo + Video categories above we bring with us when we travel.
Miscellaneous
Ironing Board – So we don’t actually bring an ironing board, but if a place we’re staying has one, Kim sometimes uses this as a makeshift “desk” that easily adjusts for standing or sitting.
Website
Website
WordPress.org
SmugMug* – Website for showcasing (+ selling + storing) photos. FREE trial + Get 15% off if you sign up here*
WordPress Hosting & Domain Registration
Bluehost* – Hosting (for other websites we have)
Siteground* – Hosting (for this website)
Namecheap* – Domain name registration
WordPress Themes
*ArtisticAllies.com is free resource we love creating, but one way to help us keep the site going is to use links on this Resources page if you need to buy something. Links with an asterisk denote referral programs we belong to, which means if you use the link to buy something you need, your price is either the same (or cheaper) and it’s a no-cost way for you to support the site as we may earn a referral for purchases. We really appreciate it + thank you! : )