By now, everyone knows that once you get to the capital, you can exchange tokens for inspiration. That said, this method loses you valuable passive income, not to mention, for most playthroughs, it's too little too late. Once you're there, you're probably already making most of your money through real estate, not selling in E.P..

Still, if you're going to do it that way, some tips!
- Tinto trades still get you tokens, so if you combine luck items, the luck buff from Refrain (you can get it easily behind your shop after unlocking it!), and big orders, you can rack up 500-1k tokens pretty quick.
- The 100 token accessory helps you get more tokens on critical sales, it's definitely worth saving for
- If you're nice to the artist, he'll eventually unlock an accessory that gives him a chance to make two art for one inspiration. It seems to be a fairly decent chance too, so that can speed up art grinding a good bit.

You know that locked up house by the west side of the lake? The one with the cute dog in front?
I know you technically don't see the dog at first, but look at him, he's so cute

Examine the barrier, go to the inn in E.P., talk to the barkeep there. He'll let you hang out and pet his dog, and less importantly, do some fishing. The minigame is intuitive enough, just move the cursor up and down to hover over a fish, and it'll auto-scan. You can get an apple chest, a trinket, and a TON of free booze, which is great on its own! But if that wasn't enough, this is also how you unlock one of the most convenient teleport networks in the game (second consolation prize). AND, how you get your artist buddy to get off his ass and into your sweatshop!

When you're bringing him out to inspire him, take a minute to do some fishing. You get 1 inspiration for every 5kg in your fish, with a minimum of 1 (a 15kg fish gives 3 bonus inspiration, a 25 gives 5). And if, by some miracle, you're able to scan the elusive 30kg fish, you get 30 bonus inspiration, each time.
woag

Not to mention, you make enough booze to fund the fishing and then some. It's pure profit, and SO much faster. Enjoy!