Pippa Toole is streaming The Clash while sketching her latest commission, occasionally breaking to post process videos that her 35,000 Instagram followers can engage with. This is what a successful art studio looks like in 2025 – and it's happening in her living room.
"You don't need to have an art studio. You don't need all this room to do it," says Pippa, whose tongue-in-cheek illustrations have earned her a devoted following. "You can make it work if you want it to work."
It's a sentiment that echoes throughout the creative industry. Consider Charli XCX's rise to fame – years of uploading tracks to MySpace before catching her big break. Or the countless artists who've found their audience through social media rather than traditional galleries. The democratisation of creativity through technology means that discipline and a strong internet connection can be just as valuable as any industry contact.
For Pippa, whose work draws heavily from music subcultures and DIY aesthetics, smart tech is the backbone of her creative practice. Here, she shares three ways that EE broadband helps fuel her artistic passion from home.
Three ways to enhance your creativity with technology
1. Curate your digital inspiration
For Pippa, creativity begins with immersion. Her home workspace is carefully curated with objects she loves, but the real magic happens when she combines physical inspiration with digital discovery.
"My space at home is really important to me. I fill it with stuff that I love. It has to be a place where I feel inspired to work, where I feel comfortable to work," she explains. But beyond the physical, Pippa relies on the endless inspiration available online.
"I'm always looking up images. I'm going down little rabbit holes of things that I've found and I want to find out more about," she says. Whether it's obscure gig posters from the 1970s punk scene or contemporary street art from around the world, having instant access to visual references shapes her distinctive style.
Music streaming plays an equally vital role: "I'm always streaming music when I work. It helps me focus. It's a big inspiration for what I do." For an artist whose work celebrates music subculture, the ability to seamlessly stream everything from vintage punk to contemporary underground bands while working is essential. "I just love that whole aesthetic where the images and the music combine – it creates the perfect atmosphere to create."
2. Build and nurture your creative community
Gone are the days when artists needed gallery representation to reach their audience. For Pippa, social media has become both her gallery and her community space.
"I've been quite lucky with social media in that I've met a lot of like-minded people. I've got a really nice fanbase that wants to buy my work," she shares. But it's not just about sales – it's about connection and validation that fuels further creativity.
"When I see a photo and someone's framed one of my prints in their home, it's so cool," Pippa enthuses. These digital interactions provide the encouragement and feedback loop that traditionally might have come from studio visits or gallery openings. Instead, her community exists online, accessible at any moment, providing instant motivation when creative blocks hit.
3. Optimise your connection for creative flow
"An internet connection is essential. Everything has to flow and work easy for me. I wouldn't be able to run my business without it," she explains. With EE's WiFi Enhancer, Pippa can prioritise her connection for whatever task is at hand. When she's on video calls with clients or collaborating via Teams, Work Mode gives her WiFi the boost it needs. Then when she's streaming reference material or watching visual inspiration online, she can switch to Stream Mode for buffer-free viewing.
"The ability to switch between modes is brilliant," she says. "Work Mode ensures my business calls never drop, and Stream Mode means I can watch reference videos without any frustrating pauses." This seamless switching between different creative modes – from client meetings to research to creation – is only possible with technology that adapts to her needs.
The ability to maintain multiple creative practices from one space exemplifies how modern artists work. No longer confined to a single medium or location, creatives like Pippa can explore different outlets for their creativity, all powered by a single strong connection.
The new creative reality
"All you really need is an internet connection and something that you're passionate about," Pippa concludes. It's a simple formula, but one that's revolutionising who gets to be creative and how they share their work with the world.
For aspiring artists feeling overwhelmed by the traditional routes to success, Pippa's approach offers an alternative path. Transform your home into a studio, your social media into a gallery, and your broadband connection into the most valuable tool in your creative arsenal. The art world isn't just for the well-connected anymore – it's for anyone with passion, discipline, and the right technology to bring their vision to life.
Visit EE for more information on how smart broadband can power your creative pursuits.
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