Do I need to be technical?

Not at all. You never need to understand how it works, only that it does. We handle everything and explain it in plain language.

How long does the setup take?

Foundation goes live in one to two weeks. Each Motion automation takes two to three weeks. We start with a short call to scope it honestly before anything is built.

Will I own the site when it’s done?

Yes. Everything is in your name and your accounts: code, domain, hosting account, Google Analytics, the lead-tracking sheet. If you decide to walk away tomorrow, you take everything with you. No vendor lock-in, no hostage data.

Why not just build it myself on Squarespace?

Honestly? If you only need a one-page portfolio, go ahead. Squarespace is great. We come in when the site has to do real work: capture leads, route them somewhere useful, integrate with the tools you already use, look like nobody else’s. Foundation pays for itself the first time the site books a job while you’re at the studio.

What if something breaks?

Well-built sites and automations rarely break. But when they do, we honour our work. We ship the fix and learn from it. For ongoing peace of mind, ask us about an ongoing support arrangement after launch.

What if I already have a site?

Tell us about it. Sometimes Motion can plug straight into your current setup. Sometimes a small foundation check is worth the time first to clean up tracking, forms, or hosting. We’ll be honest about which one you need.

Squarespace, Shopify, or custom: which one fits your work?

Three platforms. Three honest verdicts. None of them are wrong. They just fit different work.

Squarespace: the right call most of the time

If you're a painter, a photographer, a textile designer, or anyone whose site is mostly a portfolio with a contact form, Squarespace is probably what you should use.

It's not glamorous. The templates have a familiar look. But it's fast to ship, easy to update from your phone at a market, and it gives you the five things from the what makes a website good piece without making you fight CMSes.

When to pick Squarespace:

You're not selling physical products in volume.
You want to update copy and images yourself, without calling anyone.
You value time-to-launch over uniqueness.
Budget is under $2,000.

When to skip it:

You're already selling products and need real e-commerce.
Your work has a strong visual identity that no template will honour.
You need integrations that Squarespace doesn't support natively.

Truth: most artists we meet would be perfectly served by Squarespace. The reason they're not is that the template looks too much like everyone else's. Fixable with good typography, restraint, and a strong hero image.

Shopify: the right call when you sell

If you're a ceramicist selling vases, a jeweller selling rings, a printmaker selling a series, Shopify is the answer. Not Etsy. Not Instagram DMs. Not send me a message and I'll PayPal you an invoice.

Shopify wins because:

Inventory, variants, shipping, and tax are solved.
Discount codes, pre-orders, gift cards work out of the box.
The payment flow is something buyers already trust.
Apps for newsletter capture, product reviews, and pre-launch waitlists exist and work.

When to pick Shopify:

You sell ten or more products.
You want to take pre-orders or run a drop.
You're tired of negotiating in DMs about shipping costs.

When to skip:

You've sold three pieces total. You don't have the volume yet.
The work doesn't really fit a transactional flow (commissions, large originals).
You also need a content site (statement, exhibitions, press) that Shopify's themes handle awkwardly.

In the third case, the answer is usually Shopify for the shop, and a separate small portfolio site for everything else, with the right cross-links. That's how a lot of working artists run it.

Custom (Next.js, Astro, hand-built): the right call when the work demands it

A custom build pays off when one of these is true:

Your visual identity is specific enough that no template will do it justice without fighting.
You have real traffic (say, 2,000+ monthly visitors) and conversion improvements matter.
You need integrations the no-code platforms can't handle.
You want to own every line of code and have someone shipping changes you ask for.

A custom build is a serious commitment of money and time. It only earns its keep when the audience and the offers are already there. We've written about the over-investment trap before.

When custom is worth it:

Budget $3,000 to $10,000+.
Traffic that justifies fine-tuning.
A long-term creative partnership with whoever builds it.

When custom is overkill:

Less than 500 visitors a month.
No active selling or lead capture.
You'd rather be making than briefing builds.

The decision tree

Three questions:

Are you actively selling products with inventory? Yes, Shopify. No, next.
Is your visual identity specific enough that no Squarespace template will honour it? No, Squarespace. Yes, next.
Do you have real traffic and active offers right now? No, Squarespace with custom design polish. Yes, custom is worth scoping.

The honest migration path

Most artists we work with end up on this trajectory.

Year 1: Squarespace, fast launch, focus on making and posting.

Year 2 to 3: Shopify added when product sales become routine.

Year 4+: Custom front end, sometimes keeping Shopify as the e-commerce back end, sometimes moving entirely.

Skipping ahead rarely works. Building a custom site before you have a Squarespace working is like commissioning a five-bedroom house when you've never lived alone.

If you want a real conversation about which of these fits your work right now, tell us about the project. We'll be honest if Squarespace is the answer, even though we don't sell Squarespace.