How to Budget, Collect, and Spend Money for Your Art Studio with Pool

Starting an art studio can feel a bit daunting. You might think you need to rent a huge space and spend a lot of money to make it successful. You've spent years improving your craft, and it's time to create the perfect art studio — and you can even do it on a budget.

However, before you go all in and start working on your art studio, it's important to break down the important steps you need to take to help budget, collect, and spend your funds wisely.

Keep reading, and you'll quickly find out exactly why Pool is the perfect tool to help you set up your new art studio on a budget.

In this article, you'll learn:

• What is Pool?
• How to plan your art studio on a budget
• Different ways you can fund your art studio
• What you can spend your money on for your art studio
• How to set up an art studio on a budget

What is Pool?

Pool is a designated place where you can collect, manage, and spend money for a specific goal or fund — in this case, your art studio fund. It's super easy to sign up at Poolmoney.com and start adding money to your Pool.

Keeping your art studio fund in a Pool means you can keep all of your savings and expenses in one organized place. You can manage the money contributed to the Pool as well as the money spent each month. It's easier than using your regular bank account or having to set up an entirely new bank account just for your art studio.

Because Pools are versatile, you can actually use them in various ways to help fund your art studio.

How to plan your art studio on a budget

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the things you should look into when setting up your studio, we need to tackle how you're going to plan your art studio.

1. Research

Make sure you do extensive research on all the different types of art studios you can create, such as:

• A rented office space in a building
• Taking over a whole room in your home
• Using a smaller space, like a closet, to turn into your tiny art studio
• Renting a co-working space you'd share with other artists

You can have a large space or a small closet in your home. Whatever it is, you need to decide what type of studio will work best for you.

2. Budget

Make a list of all the things you'd need to buy to make your art studio work. This will help you figure out a goal to complete your space — like renting a place, decorating, and buying supplies.

3. Funding

Before you actually start contributing money to your Pool, make a list of ways you'd like to receive funding for your art studio. Maybe it's just you saving up your own money. Perhaps you're selling art and adding all the profit to your Pool. You could choose to host classes, events, or charity fundraisers to help raise money if you have enough of a fan base to do so. Once you figure out what you want to use your Pool for exactly, it'll be much easier to start.

Different ways to fund your art studio

Contributing your own money to start the fund

Sign up at Poolmoney.com and contribute money to your own Pool, creating a nice fund to handle any future expenses or investments. Your Pool is completely free — no maintenance or monthly fees.

Host classes

You can use your Pool to manage your earnings from people who want to take one of your classes.

What to spend your money on for your art studio

The best part about using Pools is that you can spend the money easily by using the debit card that comes with your Pool. Here are 5 things you can spend your new fund on:

1. Materials — Such as brushes, paints, canvases, notebooks, pencils, organization tools, etc.
2. Marketing — Such as signs, online advertising, banners, and posters.
3. Fees — Such as venue fees to sell your art in person and continuing education fees for classes you want to take.
4. Rent & utilities — If you decided to rent a space for your art studio, you'll need to make sure rent is covered. Additionally, this can help cover a portion of your utility bills at your own apartment if that's where your art studio will reside.
5. Software programs & subscriptions — Like Adobe Creative Suite to hone in on your craft, or your yearly website hosting. Use your Pool to set aside money for recurring software and subscription expenses.

How to set up an art studio on a budget

You don't need to rent a large space just to start your own art studio. If you're working with a tight budget, you have to learn ways to be a bit more resourceful.

Picking a place

With Pool, you can set up a Pool to specifically fund your art studio space — separate from materials and marketing.

Alternatively, you can save money to redo a specific area in your home if you have the space. If you're really tight on space, consider converting a closet into a neat little art studio nook without having to deplete your Pool too quickly.

Getting organized

Having all of your supplies neatly organized in your space will make it easier to see everything you own and help you decide what you may need to buy. You can use your Pool funds to buy organizational products, such as baskets to store books, jars to store brushes, or full units where you can organize all of your paints in a clean, easy-to-see way. Don't forget to label everything!

Lighting

If you're lucky to have a space with natural lighting, you don't even need to worry about this part. But if you're trying to set up your art studio on a budget, lighting is a great investment.

You need to make sure you have the proper lighting for your art. Additionally, if you plan to host virtual classes as a way to generate more income, you'll want your students to see you and your work clearly.

According to Starter Story, the cost of starting an art studio in 2025 ranges from $200 to $150,000 — with a median around $1,500 for home-based setups. Renting a commercial space can push costs significantly higher, which is why starting small and building your fund with Pool makes sense.

Is functionality key?

When you're trying to set up an art studio on a budget, sometimes you won't have the luxury of being fully functional. For example, you may not have direct access to running water to quickly wash your brushes between your work or the class you're hosting.

While it would be ideal to have a sink in your studio, if you can set up your art studio near the kitchen or bathroom sink, that should work just as well.

It can feel very overwhelming when you're trying to start something completely from scratch, like your very own art studio. However, breaking it down into simpler, more manageable tasks will help you tackle each part of the project until you have your own studio to use.

Additionally, having a Pool allows you to continually fund your art studio, so you can make necessary updates as time goes on and you develop a larger customer base or are able to save more of your own money in your Pool.