5 years of digital paintings lost when my hard drive just clicked and died

I had this folder of work I'd been building since 2019, over 200 finished pieces and hundreds of rough sketches. Last Tuesday I went to open a file and my external drive started making this clicking noise that I knew right away was bad. Took it to a repair shop in Austin and they told me the head had crashed, recovery would cost around $1,200 if it even worked. I lost every single before-and-after progression shot I had saved, stuff I used to show clients how my style changed over time. The really frustrating part is I ignored my buddy's advice about cloud backups for years because I figured "it won't happen to me." Now I'm starting from zero with a fresh folder and paying $15 a month for Google Drive storage. Has anyone else here had good luck with a specific backup setup that doesn't break the bank?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_alice2d ago

Sounds rough but those files weren't paying your bills.

the_oliver2d ago

I see it a little differently than you do, @the_alice, because those files were part of how they showed clients their growth over years. That progression stuff isn't just sentimental (though it is that too), it's a literal portfolio of improvement that builds trust with people hiring you. Losing that kind of reference material can set your marketing back way more than the $1,200 recovery cost, honestly. I get that art doesn't pay everyone's rent, but the work itself has value beyond just cash. That said, I'm with you on the backup thing - I do the same $15 Google Drive plan plus a cheap little external I swap out every few months, just in case.

williamhenderson2d ago

Screwed myself over the same way with photos of my kids, so I feel your pain big time.