Technology/Equipment Grant for Individual Artist

This grant will allow me to purchase a larger hard drive, install upgraded software and ensure the long life of my computer which is instrumental in the documentation and creation of my work. As my work grows in complexity, the quality and size of the photos I use to document the space and paintings, require larger amounts of digital space. I use photos on my computer to create artist prints, maintain my website, apply for grants and calls for art and document the progress of my work as a whole. I also store thousands of photographs I have taken and found for use as reference for current and future paintings. Storing and accessing my photographs of and for my work has become increasingly important, as a means of income as well as an integral part of my process of creation. One of the measurable outcomes will be that my photo archives, documentary and reference photos, will be able to grow unabated. Keeping digital copies of my sales is also important as I manage my tax information. My computer is struggling, with only a small amount of digital space left to fill. Having a larger internal hard drive, will ensure that my computer will thrive for at least 5 more years, instead of overheating and crashing in 6 months. My sales of artist prints have begun to grow as well and sales happen quickly. Having an updated version of Photoshop will help me prepare them for printing, saving me processing fees at the print shop. Having photos ready to send to the printer immediately when I receive an email helps me keep up with sales as they happen. I keep a back-up of my hard drive, but accessing it takes time and energy which could be spent creating more artwork.