Getting Your Resolutions Done Cheaply

Hey guys- as everyone is freaking out about the holidays and getting gifts together for family and friends I am taking a moment to think about goals for the new year- mine usually involve learning more, getting business stuff done that I need to do, Getting cooler jobs, trying to buy equipment that would make my life easier, and trying to do things to keep my life enriched because that stuff feeds the creativity.

So for a moment screw others lets think about ourselves as artists shall we <3

Ok, or be a better person and also consider your friends for these too :P

Groupon contacted me because they exist for people like us, so I went looking to see what they have that would be useful for animators. And omg I found about a thousand things from art supplies to cheap tickets to art museums to affordable website building (and coupons for toys, ahem- I mean collectibles). I narrowed it down a lot, it's easy to get sucked into their site. Here's what I found

Resolution1: Improve your craft

$10 -will get you $20 in art supplies from Plaza Art Supplies for the next 5 days. Dude.  Get that sketchbook. Fill it up, start another. Try new erasers, replace those pencil nubs, replenish paper, get books or cases for existing supplies then use them all up again with practice.

$29 - There is a huge discount on a Dynamic E-Course online drawing class, I haven't taken it personally but it is worth looking into.

Resolution 2: Get Technologically Current

Genius image from Linda Laforge-Author.com

$39- Learn new software with 12 months of access to Adobe-Library Web Training for programs like InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro.

Best Buy has a ton of coupons that can be used on everything from DVDs to a new laptop to video games, check it out- sales on Apple Products, coupons for video games, $300 off of big brands, coupons just for college students (luckies).

If you're a Microsoft person there are a ton of coupons for money off of their products, including up to $500 off of computers and $300 off of Surface Pro 3. There are also some coupons specifically for students (luckiessss!)

Resolution 3: See Great Art

Image by Wayne White

$10- Buy admission !!!for 2¡¡¡ to the Taft Art Museum and study those masters. I haven't been there myself because its usually so expensive, but $5 is great!

$52- A 3-day pass to the Cincinnati Comic Expo which lets face it, why would you not go to that?  That price is a 47% discount from the normal price.  You also get early entry, a swag bag of free stuff, and first seating at panels with this discount so that is also awesome.

Resolution 4: Get Jobs

$5- get double sided business cards printed from Ink Garden

$39- Take a Make Your Own Website Class, which you have lifetime access to from Startup Saturdays Online because YOU NEED A WEBSITE.

Here are a bunch of coupons for Target for clothing and accessories to impress (ok also there are some pretty cool Star Wars toys there... I saw a giant Darth Vader recently >.< )

$79- Get help with your resume to make you sound as good as you are, and stomp the other applicants into the ground with your stupendous professionalism- this package from Reszoome offers you a resume, cover letter, and follow up thank you letter so you are all set in those departments.

Resolution 5: Be A Well Rounded Human Person

$11 Ukelele lessons?
$20 Urban Scavenger Race for 2?
$99 Drive Luxury cars on a racetrack aka Lamborghinis and Ferraris?

This is gonna be a good year.

Stay tuned because I also want to start a new exchange program for the Cincinnati Animators Network, more details about that soon!

Happy Holidays everyone!