For years, this community has grown through a shared love of watercolor painting. One of the ways I’ve been able to keep our channel and website running and keep the tutorials free is through affiliate links with Amazon. You click a link, you buy a product, and the retailer sends a small “thank you” commission my way at no extra cost to you.
However, a major change at Amazon has forced me to rethink how we do things here.
The Policy Shift: What’s Actually Happening?
Recently, Amazon updated its Associates policy with a change that fundamentally alters how creators are rewarded. In the past, if you clicked my link for a specific paintbrush but ended up buying a sketchbook and some pens instead, Amazon would recognize that I sent you to the store and provide a commission on the whole basket.
That has changed.
Under the new rules, Amazon is moving toward a “Direct Qualifying Purchase” model. In simple terms: if I link to a specific red tube of paint, I only earn a commission if you buy that exact tube. If you decide to stock up on other essentials during that same trip, or even just buy a variant of the same product, those sales are now “indirect,” and the commission to the creator is stripped away.
Why Did They Do This?
From a corporate perspective, Amazon’s goal is “efficiency.” They’ve reached a level of market dominance where they no longer feel the need to reward creators for bringing customers to their ecosystem as a whole. They are betting that you’ll keep shopping there out of habit, regardless of whether the creators you follow are being treated fairly.
Choosing Ethics Over Convenience
Because of this, I’ve made the decision to shift our primary promotions away from Amazon and toward companies that align more closely with our values.
I am thrilled to announce that we are moving our primary focus to Dick Blick Art Materials.*
Why Dick Blick?
• Supporting the Craft: Blick is deeply rooted in the creative community, supporting art educators and students.
• Transparent Rewards: Their affiliate program respects the creator’s role. They value the fact that I’m helping you find the right tools.
• Quality & Expertise: You aren’t sifting through “ghost brands.” You’re getting curated, high-quality supplies from experts.
What This Means for You
Soon you’ll see Dick Blick links in my materials lists for our tutorials. Amazon is betting that convenience will always win out over community support, but I believe we can show them that’s not the case. Let’s prove Amazon wrong.
While Blick will be our primary home for supplies in the US, we will also continue to share and support links to our other favorite smaller affiliate companies who treat their creators and customers with integrity. For my international followers, I’ll be primarily linking to Jackson’s Art. Based in the UK, they are experts at global shipping and provide a dedicated service to Australia and the US, ensuring you can get the best materials no matter where your studio is located. Plus, as a special welcome to their community, new customers who use my link will receive 10% off their very first order. So look out for these links in upcoming videos!
By intentionally choosing where we spend our money and who we support, we can ensure that the creative industry stays healthy, fair, and inspired.
Thank you for supporting this shift and for standing with me as we prioritize ethics over ease. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments!
* If you are in the USA Dick Blick will be our primary affiliate partner. If you are in the UK or Australia, it will be Jackson’s. But Jackson’s also ship worldwide and have a dedicated presence in the US, and Blick will ship most items worldwide, so it’s always worth checking both and comparing prices.