Tax Day!

"The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax" -Albert Einstein.

TODAY IS TAX DAY!!! DEADLINE IS HERE!!! UH OH!! Man, let me tell you I do not look forward to this time of year, and Mister Einstein said it right!! Taxes are soo overwhelming and intimidating, I don't care how organized I am when it comes to tax season, I never look forward to it. I sit on the edge of my seat as I turn all my paperwork into my accountant wondering if I'm going to have a refund or am I going to owe. I just cant take it!!

I submitted my taxes the other night but with today being the deadline, and some of yall filing extensions I thought I would share some resources that I found helpful so when next year comes around you and I are on top of our game.

Tax season is the only thing that keeps me on my game when it comes to collecting receipts and such, even if I dont use them for filing its always interesting to see how much I've spent on a single project. I'm still in a trial and error mode searching for a tracking system that is easy for me. Right now I have a simple excel spreadsheet that I'm checking into constantly and recording expenses. Its month 3 though, so Im praying that this is something I will keep consistent with, but so far so good. Let me tell you I will abandon a system in a second if its not working for me. Systems for record keeping really should be as easy as possible because otherwise you simply will not do it Its also smart to know how much money you are spending and what your spending it on. Personal Finance 101 right?!

So keeping along with this whole taxes thing, I simply wanted to share 2 podcasts about taxes I recently listened to. These podcasts are my one of my favorite podcasts on personal finance from Money Girl.

How to Pay Less in Taxes (Part 1)

How to Pay Less in Taxes (Part 2)

Hopefully you find these helpful, and cheers to a new year of consistent proper recordkeeping

If you have any tax tips or resources  I would love to hear about them in the comments

I'd Rather Be in the Studio!

This year I have made it a priority to work on personal projects. Ever since the Creative Capital workshop I went to a few months back I've really been rocking and rolling kicking my work into high gear. 

Per the suggestion of my twitter friend and artist consultant Kesha Bruce. I picked up a copy of Alyson Stanfield's book I’d Rather Be in the Studio, and HONEY! LET ME TELL YOU HOW GREAT THIS BOOK IS!

It's really easy to set goals for yourself, but then you have to have a plan to actually make that goal happen right?! This book is that plan. It's a straight how to resource guide, where I found myself rolling up my sleeves and getting right down to business. Its clear, actionable and to the point. Its exactly what I needed. I reference this book often. If your an artist finding yourself in a situation where you are stuck and need to move forward I would suggest you pick this one up.

(Voice of a random person) STEPHANIE SHUT UP, YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING YOUR JUST GETTING FOCUSED ON ALL OF THIS YOURSELF!
Well, I beg your pardon, first of all dont you speak to me like that... (ok even if you dont laugh I just made myself chuckle) 

BUT,
If you don't want to make the jump yet, you should check out Alyson's Blog www.artbizcoach.com.  (I own the book, and I still read check out the blog often) There is a lot of great information there! It's actually because of a post I read on Alyson's blog (many years ago) where I acted on a suggestion Alyson made. Alyson's suggestion was that an artist should get involved in her community. It was that suggestion that lead me to find (an eventually serve on the board) of organizations such as ASMP and APA . In essence I owe a thank you to Alyson for my involvement with them, which has been an invaluable experience.  THANKS ALYSON GIRL!!! WOOT!

BTW,  I'm telling you about this book because I thought it was great and wanted to tell others I thought it was great. No one asked me or paid me to write this, besides I live in Illinois and Amazon doesn't support affiliate links for us Illinois folks so now you know I'm telling the truth. It really is a great book, check it out! 

Thanks for reading
 

Sorry, Exposure Doesn't Pay Bills

Fellow photographer, board member and most importantly my friend Ron Gould shared this video with me and the rest of the ASMP Midwest board the other week and I thought it was great. So of course I'm sharing it with you here. Working for myself as a photographer, as well as an advisor to photography students I could be a billionaire with all the "its good for the portfolio" requests I receive. I'm always blown away that people are still expecting something for nothing...I digress because that topic could run a blog on its own. So enjoy and let me know what you think.

5 Awesome Alternative Locations to Meet a Client

I thought I would share a list of unique places that are great to conduct a client meeting. This list was inspired by my need for a more creative and relaxing place to meet with a client and my desire to maintain a healthy lifestyle and not be tempted to overeat when having dinners and meeting people for lunches over and over again.

So here is my list of some of my favorite places to have client meetings:

1. The Art Institute of Chicago (or any art museum for that matter).
This is one of my favorite places because you are surrounded by inspiration. My client and I walk through checking out the exhibit and we talk about their image needs. Its a very laid back way to get to know them for who they are, know their business and you get to know their tastes from the art in the museum. You can stop off in the cafe to wrap up the meeting with action points and follow ups or sit on the steps and hang. Meetings like these not only lead to awesome client relationships but good friendships too. PLUS you are walking and getting cardio and, if you stop at the café, a simple tea and banana are an easy snack. POW!

Thursdays are free at  The Art Institute of Chicago

2. Nail Salon.  
If you are as busy as I am multitasking is the name of the game, which is why client lunches and dinners are so great, but what about manicures and pedicures. Yep! There is no shame in my game getting my hands and feet together while taking notes and presenting images to a client. Make an appointment beforehand and make sure that you stress to the receptionist that services must be done at the same time and you are golden. Plus, what client doesn’t want to be treated to a pedicure? When they look at their freshly painted nails, they will think of you PERFECTION!

Also, This works for men too TRUST ME! I really love the No-Chip Manicure. It last for 2 weeks and sometimes you can squeeze another week out of it. A photographers dream!!

3. Come on by the house.

Sometimes if I have a busy day and I cant pull myself away from the studio or office, I love to invite clients by my house. They get a chance to check out my home studio and if we get hungry during our meeting/brainstorming or editing session. I whip up a quick snack for us to eat. My fav is spinach quesadillas. Thanks Assata!!

If I can just give some advice, this is something that I do if I have met with clients more than once or we have worked together. I wouldn't necessarily suggest this for a first meeting.

4. Playground/Parks.
Lisbeth Tanz over at Savvy Freelance Writers suggested this to me, and I think it’s a great idea.  A simple walk around the park and sitting at a bench or watching and hanging out with the kids on the playground is a great relationship builder. I am not a working mom, so I cant imagine how hard it is to have a hustle or 9-5 job then try to find the time to hang out with your children! So this is a great way to spend some time with your kids and maybe your kids can make some new friends. PLAYDATE!!!

Psst. I will tell you a secret, If you really want to be jazzy (and I know you do) why not try Chicago Botanic Garden. Kid or no kids, this place is gorgeous! They have a fountain in the warmer months, why not put the kids in their swimsuits and let them hang out while you sit in the grass and take care of business.

FYI I am sure a quick Google Search will find you a Botanic Garden in your state somewhere.

5. The Zoo. 

When was the last time you went to the zoo? I rarely get the opportunity to go. I forget about it honestly.  So why not meet your client at the zoo?The Lincoln Park Zoo is free. They also have a café , its perfect for children, and its fun! Most of all its gets both you and your client out of your offices for a little bit. Yeah!! Sunlight!

These are a few ideas that I know I recommend, but I know there are tons. What are your favorite locations for meeting clients?

who would have thought

The night of the Merriwether/Haddon Fight, Toya and I made a quick stop to TresBelle Vintage.I ran into Stephani Supastar. We use to be pretty tight in the 7th Grade. She's a stylist now. It was so random, I just walked into this stylists showroom and there she was. I worked with her sister Serenity who is a model a while ago, but it was good to see her. I like how we both were so nerdy and random back in the day, and now we are both working in "the business" together. I hope that we get the opportunity to work together real soon. Haha it was fun to reminisce about just how easily amused and corny we were, but you know.... What else are we suppose to be in 7th grade. We were corny, amused, secretly fierce!