2 Best Laptops for Artists on a Budget
Restore Your Sanity and Self-Esteem with the Right Computer
By Thea Fiore Bloom, Ph.D
It’s Not You – It’s Your Computer
I’m writing this post because I’ve got a bee in my bonnet.
I’m tired of seeing so many beautiful, bright creatives:
- Believe they are terrible when it comes to technology.
- Think they will never be able to correct small problems on their own website.
- Or worry their brains didn’t come fully loaded.
I bet you the problem isn’t you.
The problem is your computer.
To find out if this computer dilemma applies to you, can you answer the following two questions for me?
- Are you an artist or a visual thinker?
- Are you working on a PC (personal computer)?
(A PC is a desktop or laptop computer made by, say… Toshiba, Asus, Acer, Samsung, HP, or Lenovo.)
If you answered yes to questions one and two and want a hit of self-esteem, read on.
Why Artists and PCs are a Bad Combination
I’ve coached artists for years, and you know what I think?
Artists and PCs are not meant for each other.
Why?
Because artists are like otters, we’re smart, playful, and need a watery habitat.
And when artists try to work on PCs, we are about as happy as an otter currently working at a McDonald’s in the High Desert.
What kind of laptop will support you becoming a freer, happier, WETTER otter?
A Mac.
When I started working on a Mac computer, I felt I could breathe again.
I felt how I feel near a river or an ocean.
And you know what?
I’ve witnessed countless artist-otters get back into their own lush proverbial stream by selling or donating their PC and breaking down and buying a Mac.
Of course, the transition didn’t happen overnight; there was a slight learning curve.
But now, like me, these artists:
- Don’t stress half as much over their websites and newsletters.
- Have more fun making videos and doing other creative things online.
- Produce more art.
- And because they are having more fun and making more of their art, they usually sell more of it.
“But Thea,” you might rightly say, “Have you been hitting the crack pipe again? I can’t afford a Mac.”
I hear you.
But a Mac is cheaper and better for you than a PC in the long run.
I’ll prove it to you if you come geek out with me and the Charmed Studio’s IT expert, Arthur Brecel, for a minute.
3 Reasons To Get One of the Two Best Laptops for Artists
1st Reason
In the End, Macs Are Cheaper Than PCs
2nd Reason To Get One of the Two Best Laptops for Artists
Macs are Better and Easier For Artists To Work On. Period.
“Because, as one successful artrepeneur told me, “Macs are easier for visual thinkers like us to work on.”
She then reminded me of that old David Allen quote:
“If the only tool you have is a hammer, it’s hard to eat spaghetti.”
– David Allen
You may ask, ‘Why does being on a Mac allow artists to stop metaphorically eating spaghetti with a hammer?’
“Many creatives might favor Macs because they are superior to other computers, AND Macs also have what’s known as an intuitive user interface,” said Brecel.
What’s a user interface?
A user interface is the system of buttons, graphics, and icons we artists click on in hopes of getting a computer to do what we want it to do.
What is an intuitive interface?
And what makes for an intuitive interface?
3rd Reason to Get One of the Two Best Laptops for Artists
Macs Are Beautiful. Artists Need Beauty to Stay Interested in Work.
“Beauty awakens the soul to act.”
-Dante Alighieri
Tech Guru’s Picks: The 2 Best Laptops for Artists On a Budget
Best Laptop for Artists on a Budget Pick #1
The Most Economical and Lightest Way to Go: MacBook Air
I’ve worked on MacBook Airs for years.
They are quick and gorgeous.
MacBook Airs now come with the all-important new M1 and M2 processors.
And they are relatively affordable, especially if you choose one with a smaller screen.
They also come in dreamy colors like … rose gold….sigh.
Check out a recommended MacBook Air here (affiliate link).
(If you can swing it, spring for the two-hundred-dollar Apple Care add-on.
The Apple Care helpline will make your flight from a PC to a Mac a first-class experience.
You can also go get help whenever you need it for free at The Genius Bar at an Apple Store if you live close to one.)
But back to the MacBook Air.
They are thinner and lighter than a MacBook Pro because they have less storage capacity, internal hardware, and external ports (the thingies you plug cables, etc., into on the side of a laptop.)
Now those bits of hardware and scads of ports and extra storage are things you might need if you are a musician, course creator, YouTuber, or podcaster.
If you do need more storage space, go for the Cadillac of MacBooks below.
The MacBook Pro.
Best Laptop for Artists on a Budget Pick #2
The MacBook Pro With an M2 or M4 Processor
If you want to create and edit music, podcasts, films, or videos, you might love the big guns the new MacBook Pro brings.
The quality of the screen is amazing.
So it will give you a more immersive experience than the MacBook Air.
It will most likely last you for ages, way longer than an Air, in my experience.
If you want to write a long book, a dissertation, or a bunch of screenplays, you may also want to get this MacBook.
Check out a recommended MacBook Pro here.
This is what I work on.
I love it.
And if you’re like me, you’ll be relieved.
You’ll also feel you no longer have to stress about power, performance, or storage capacity again. (Well, for a bouquet of years at least).
But keep in mind the newest MacBook Pros are heavier, boxier, and will have a learning curve.
Get the Apple Care for sure here, and shamelessly use the heck out of it.
I do.
Buy it, without remorse.
Because, as wise Warren Buffett says:
“The best investment you can make is in yourself.”
-Warren Buffett
PS: When you call Apple Care, ask whoever is helping you that day to “access your screen.”
This way, they can put a big, fat, red arrow on your display that delightfully shows you where to click as they talk to you. Genius!
But what if your dream is not to use your laptop to get the word out about your art, but to actually use it to make art?
If You Want to Play Around With Digital Art, Just Get an iPad
Need a New Printer Too? I Got Your Back
If your printer is as old as Madonna’s pointy bra, you deserve a new one.
Remember my point about us artists needing our technology to be beautiful and easy if we are going to go near it?
That’s why I use my HP Tango mini-printer every day.
Besides being cute, it’s smart, remote (wireless), and prints straight from my cell phone.
But I don’t want to say goodbye before I quickly help you see the surprising psychological and financial reasons to treat yourself to some new technology.
The 3 Best Reasons You Want To Treat Yourself To One Of The 2 Best Laptops for Artists
Reason #1: You Want to Get One of These Best Laptops for Artists
Working on a well-designed laptop will almost instantly raise your self-esteem.
“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.
You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.”
-Lucille Ball
Reason #2: You Want To Get One of These Best Laptops for Artists
When you slog away for years on an inferior computer with a bad user interface, you get progressively more stressed.
“It’s not what we do that makes us tired—it’s what we don’t do.” –Steve Chandler
- We aren’t able to accomplish simple tasks, never mind the more ambitious stuff we dream of.
- Not being able to tackle projects that will make us feel better about ourselves and advance our art career keeps us from stretching to our next level.
- And not being able to stretch to our next level equals less community connection, less emotional fulfillment, and less prosperity.
Reason #3 For Owning One of These Best Laptops for Artists
“The best investment is in the tools of one’s trade.” Benjamin Franklin.
As Brecel mentioned, buying a Mac will save you money in the long run.
But I would go further.
I argue that if you’re an artist, owning a Mac will help you make more money in the future.
Why?
Because a Mac will make it so much more pleasant to spend time on your art business that … you will spend more time on your art business.
And whatever we lavish our time and attention on eventually expands and prospers.
You really are a smart cookie and a budding genius artist who deserves to have the right tool for the right job.
Go make it happen for yourself.
Doors will open as a result.
And odds are, the computer will soon pay for itself. 🩵
You might enjoy these other Charmed Studio Posts:
This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. This means if you buy books or stuff via my blog I may receive a tiny commission and do a happy dance. There is no extra fee for you. I only link to items I personally use and love; products that I think help heart-centered artists.
Hi again, Thea. I sooooo agree with you in re the Apple Corps; after years of PC and Android which engendered lots of aggravation, I purchased an iPhone XR, refurbished, by the best company (French) I find deals with refurbished.
It made life so much easier and because I am on a budget, purchased both a refurbished MacBook Air and an iPad 6th Gen, because it’s easier than carting round a laptop. Sold my red Acer Aspire to a med student and haven’t looked back – the Mac (named after my fave apple) is like creating inthe happiest environment imaginable.
Plus Scrivener works so much better with a Mac than PC. I can even use Scrivener iOS to write on my phone rather than sit somewhere – dentist, shop queue – twiddling my thumbs.
I look forward to and thoroughly enjoy working on my MacAir rather than dreading having to navigate the ten minutes of popups or clearing cache of PC/android. Even better is Safari since Google snuck in AI-assisted search results.
Wow Marni,The fact that you can navigate the chthonic depths of Scrivener at all, never mind on BOTH Mac and PC, is stunning! Kudos to you! And so cool that you use Scrivner on your phone as well. It is not a very user friendly application.
Did you teach yourself Scrivener?
I love Scrivner, and I hate it. I find many of my writing clients have difficulty with it. I’m always hoping to meet a computer tutor of sorts who will screen share with my artist clients from afar and show them how to use Scrivner to write their novels and non-fiction books. I use it, but it was a huge learning curve for me. I ended up watching a ton of those Scrivener instructional British videos -while riding my exercise bike to stay awake. Not many folks will do that.I wouldnt do it twice that is for sure. Thanks for your comment Marni, and let me know what advice you would give to visual thinker like artists, who are now writing a book and want to use Scrivner.
I have the same love and hate affair with Scrivener, but I like it a lot better than what I call Weird (Word), which now has the grammar police to make it even more annoying.
I did teach myself Scrivener – it wasn’t an overnight process. I use Scrivener 3 on my “MacAir” and Scrivener iOS on my phone. I think where the ‘hate’ bit with Scrivener comes in is the Compile feature, which appears a nightmare but with continued application can be tamed.
The outlining feature is brilliant as is the corkboard.
I would recommend the Literature and Latte Forum where lots of friendly folk and some of the developers, specialists in coffee and tautologies, are always willing to help. That is where I go when I’m stumped.
https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/
As for writing on my phone, it’s dead easy because they have kept Scrivener iOS no frills so you can’t procrastinate with changing icons, etc. I don’t bother with compile there, I just write, which can be typing or dictation, then transfer the file to Dropbox, and open from there on my MacAir to compile. This means, as I often have very little energy, I can write in bed and don’t have to drag myself to my desk.
I also recommend the books Scrivener for Dummies by Gwen Hernandez (it says throughout which features are PC or Mac) and The Everyday Guide to Scrivener for Windows or Mac by Mary Crawford (who explains how to use images in your typescript). (I *have* thrown the first one against the wall from time to time if I’m honest, but that’s me, not the book 🙂
And this guy is great:
Learn Scrivener in 20 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO2t33J22yY
Also really helpful things you might not know about Scrivener like Linguistic Focus:
Top Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D3G5SCyhWo
There’s also an interactive manual that comes with the software, and I put the most-helpful YouTube Scrivener vids into easily-found playlists – I now mostly love Scrivener 3. Though I still have to refer to guides and the forum from time to time, because like the Tarot, Scrivener learning is never finished. I have to use Weird from time to time but only when I must…
If I can help with anything else please let me know. Artists rock, and artists-writers are my very favourite people of all!
Marni you are amazing. Thank you for including all those excellent resources. The forum is a fantastic idea! I know you are an accomplished writer and probably dont have the time but If you ever want me to refer struggling artists to you to help them with Scrivener let me know. It is a necessary niche.
Dearest Thea,
You drove your pitch for Mac laptops straight home to me. I was so impressed with your convincing presentation that I actually purchased a Macbook Pro through Amazon within an hour of reading your post. You are quite the salesperson! For the past twenty-five years I’ve been cursing my laptop every time I try to use it for anything art related, and had resigned myself to accepting the fact that I am simply a technological moron. Thanks to your sage advice, I believe that a bright new day awaits me when my new Apple arrives.
Blessings on your head!
Susan
Dear Susan,
I am so happy for you. You are NOT a technological moron!!!! You are so damn intelligent. It shows in your work and your words always. You are exactly the type of big brained lovely soul I wrote this piece for. I sincerely hope things will become as easy for you as they have become for me and a bunch of my subscribers and writing clients. One thing Susan, I didn’t put in article that I will ad in now, buy the Apple Care. In most countries you can buy it within 60 days of purchasing the computer. (It’s just under 200 dollars which aint cheap.) ButThen use the heck out of their help line, it is the best!! They will answer all your questions. Ask them to set up a “screen share” with you so they can “see” your screen and show you exactly what to do when you are the least bit confused. This is a huge! I have used it so much, I have lost all shame and I hope you do the same.
I’m also here if I can ever help you. 🙂
After working for decades in IT, which was always the land of IBM and PC, my first home computer was a Mac. I had it out of the box and printing a thank you note to my granny for helping me pay for it within 10 minutes. It was AMAZING, and such an unexpected pleasure to have something so intuitive, friendly, and bug-free.
Now, many years later, and a few Macs further along, I wouldn’t dream of going back to a PC. But here is one caveat for anyone making the switch, especially if you are upgrading from an older model.. there are apps and files that might not easily make the jump from your PC, or from older chips to the M1 or M2 (the new whiz-bang Mac processing chips). So if you have old Word PC files, for instance, you might need to switch to Word for Mac, and then make sure they still work beyond, say, the older Intel processors.
I know, I know, it gives me the heebie-jeebies just to have to sling such terms around. When in doubt, find a savvy middle school kid to help you. Because it is, in my experience, absolutely worth it, so you can spend less time fiddling with (and even hating on) technology, and more time creating.
ps: maybe hold off on file conversions until after Sept.15, because we are in Mercury retrograde, which loves to eat all our tech and data.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your IT wisdom with us Beth. After giving it some thought I wonder if the best thing for artists (who are not-former IT specialists- such as your savvy self) to do is to purchase Apple Care (the warranty/IT help package that you can buy with your laptop)? Thats what I did. And I use the holy heck out of it! They are losing money on me, because I call them a ton, for free. And they do that screen share thingy with me and just show me what buttons to press with a big red arrow on my screen. That is how I initially got through the conversion I think from PC to Mac without pulling my ear hair out.
omg I LOVE LOVE LOVE my MacBook Air. My first Mac was ten years ago…I so loved everything about it after a lifetime of PCs that I actually had dreams about it every night for the first week or so. It is so much easier, more creative-friendly, less tech-y. Thank you for this super insightful gleaning of information! And a confirmation of my Mac-bias.
I love that you had dreams of your MacBook Air after you got it, that is so cool Lola. And its notable that you remember that passage of time and the dreams. I wonder if your unconscious mind was doing a happy dance and sharing it with you, because you were supporting such an important, vital, creative aspect of yourself? Thanks for taking the time to share this, it gives me food for thought. And i love MacBook Airs! They are dreamy.
Thea, howdy! Thanks once again for your generosity of information and readability of same. Enjoyed this post.
And found my shoulders relaxing away from my ears at the reminder that we are all just walking each other home.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Dotty. I appreciate you and your kind words. And you are such a good writer.
I have been a PC user since forever. I have an iPhone and iPad, but instinctively reach for my PC laptop when writing or compiling documents. I’ve worked with them since learning how to use a computer as a secretary a few decades ago. My laptop is pretty old, a little unreliable (the screen has to be in a specific position now) and I know I need something else. Thanks for sharing this info Thea, I’m going to investigate Macs 😊.
Hi Lynne, you are such a doll to comment. Thanks. If you have been able to successfully navigate PCs for work AND you already speak APPLE from your other devices…..you will be able to make the switch with ease. I am so happy for you that you will be able to have a computer that supports you and your blossoming creative practice better. It’s amazing how we just adjust to something functioning less and less (like your screen.) Personal example of the same thing here: We recently got all the rusted hardware in the 25 year old windows in our house fixed so that they now do this crazy thing-called OPENING and even….wait for it…CLOSING. LOL. Now that they work again and we have ventilation again, I can’t believe how long I just worked around having no air flow. Oy Vey.
Have you ever worked on a PC?
Or a Mac?
Let me know.