Starting My Art Business in My Tokyo Apartment ✿ 97 Orders in 3 Days!

Starting my small art business in my Tokyo apartment has been a whirlwind of emotions and learnings, from the therapeutic calm of hand-pouring paint into palettes, to the absolute chaos of shipping 97 boxes at the world’s most inefficient postal office. Today, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my first big shop update since quitting my job to pursue art full-time. This is the unfiltered reality of my new life as an artist. ✨ NEW ART BOOK: TOKYO HIDDEN GEMS My hand-illustrated guide to Tokyo's best-kept secrets is out now! : https://www.etsy.com/listing/4487914430/tokyo-hidden-gems-watercolor 📸 FOLLOW MY ART JOURNEY: http://instagram.com/bingying.art ✏️ MY ART SUPPLIES: ・Watercolor Palette: ⟡ I sell the exact palette I use with my choice of paint: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4469478223/mini-watercolor-travel-palette-with ⟡ Or, you can get a cheaper version (without paint) on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4tojyjI ・Fountain Pen: Kaweco Sport piston filler - https://amzn.to/4aty2al ・Waterproof ink: De Atramentis Document Ink Brown - https://amzn.to/4bD2e3R ・Water brush: Staedtler - https://amzn.to/3MfuS0x ・Pen case: Sonic SMA-STA - https://amzn.to/4a230GA Full gear breakdown in this video: https://youtu.be/F5jjG_Xf19c Disclosure: I earn a small commission from these links at no extra cost to you—thank you for supporting my work! ✨ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 It’s packing day! 01:16 Assembling and hand-pouring paint palettes (so therapeutic!) 02:26 Hand-writing thank you notes 02:42 How I store my merch in my tiny Tokyo apartment 04:09 Packing tales: wholesome stories behind my orders 05:59 Surprise interruption from an earthquake 06:46 Very sweet order from my ex-coworker 08:45 Shipping nightmare at JapanPost 10:57 Winding down with more work (but digital only) 11:50 Day 3: Packaging paint palettes & more packing 13:47 Software engineering to the rescue with custom tech 14:02 Big suitcase haul back to JapanPost 14:59 Reflections on the artist life 👋 ABOUT ME: Hi, I'm Bingying, a traveling watercolor painter based in Tokyo. I recently left my 12-year career as a UX designer at Google to focus on my art full-time. On this channel, I share the reality of building an art business, travel sketching tips, and the quiet moments of life in Japan. KEYWORDS: #SmallBusinessVlog #ArtistLife #PackWithMe #ArtBusiness #TokyoArtist #JapanArtist #FullTimeArtist #SelfEmployedArtist #WatercolorPainting #EtsySeller #ArtistDiary #ArtistVlog #SellingArt