The Studio Stack

The tools I actually use.

Everything I lean on to run the studio, from the design work to the invoices to the newsletter. Nothing borrowed to pad a list. If it is on this page, it is in my real week.

One honest note. A few of the links below are affiliate or referral links. If you sign up through one, I might get a small credit or commission, at no extra cost to you. I only put a tool here if I actually use it and would hand it to a client.

Design and creative

Where I design everything

Adobe Creative Cloud is the backbone. Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign are where every logo, layout, and brand system gets built. Years in these tools and they still earn their keep.

On-brand collateral, fast

Not everything needs Illustrator. When a client wants to make their own posts and stay on brand, I build them templates in Canva so they can run with it without me.

Proposals, payments, and bookings

Invoices, payments, and bookings

Invoicing, in-person payments, and photography bookings all run through Square. I invoice through it, take payment at shoots with Tap to Pay and the Terminal, and photography clients book their session on Square Appointments. One home for the money side.

Discovery calls

Every discovery call books through Calendly. No trading five emails to find a time. You pick a slot, it lands on my calendar, done.

Client files and galleries

Where client work lives

Every client gets a shared Dropbox. Photos, videos, and final files in one organized home instead of scattered across a phone and three apps. It is also how I hand off finished work.

Photography galleries and prints

Photography clients get their gallery in Pic-Time. Beautiful to scroll, easy to download, and set up so they can order prints right from it.

Content and the numbers

The running board for everything

This is the system I built over years of doing this myself. Every client’s content calendar, ideas, and prompts live on a Trello board, so nothing is guesswork and no week starts from zero.

What is actually working

Meta Business Suite is where I schedule posts and read the numbers on Instagram and Facebook. Not vanity metrics. The ones that tell me what to make more of.

Email and digital products

The newsletter

I am building the newsletter on Flodesk. The most design-friendly email tool I have found. Custom fonts, templates that look like your brand, and flat pricing no matter how big your list gets.

Where I sell my digital products

My freebies, guides, and passive products all live in one place on Stan Store. Link in bio and shop in one, so a follower can grab a resource or buy without leaving the tap.

Meetings and screen recording

Client meetings

Most of our calls happen on Zoom. Simple, reliable, and everyone already has it. No new download to join.

Quick walk-throughs

Sometimes a two-minute video beats a long email. I record my screen in Loom, talk you through what you are looking at, and you watch whenever it suits you.

Trying this one out

I am testing Tella for more polished screen recordings. Early days, but I like it so far.

Want the whole system built and run for you instead of bought piece by piece?

Start with a discovery call