Artrepreneurs

Send a text EP 85: We've all been told that doing the free job is destructive to our career and the industry we're in.  "Value yourself", "Know your worth", and "Set the bar high" are all narratives we've heard, and maybe even told ourselves, over the years.  I, myself, have bounced back and forth between the idea of saying no and yes to free work, whic...

Send a text EP 84:  Every once in a while, there pops up a fork in the road, where one side leads toward full-time employment and the other side leads to full-time self-employment.  Whether we're in college about to embark on the professional journey or currently in a stable 9-5, part of us is always curious about that other side.  In this episode, I'll give you my insight into 7 key dif...

Send a text EP 83: Instagram has long been the most preferred and efficient way for photographers to display their work to the masses.  However, the platform continues to evolve and favor video content over still photography, leaving many of us wondering, are we being alienated by our favorite marketing tool?  Does Instagram now hate photographers?   Let's discuss. Related articles: Petapixel...

Send a text EP 82:  For years, I have felt that the best lightroom updates went unnoticed, because the ones that were noticeable, were either disruptive or unnecessary to my workflow.  Recently though, we received a couple of features that I think have been beneficial to good post-processing.  In this episode, I'll talk about my favorite Lightroom upgrades and how it can help you.  What'...

Send a text EP 81: What do you send in when a new lead asks for your pricing?  Are you sending them an estimate or are you sending them a quote?   What are the differences, and does it really even matter?  In this episode, I'll break down my pricing process with a new lead.   This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab.  For all your professional photography printing services, go to...

Send a text EP 80: Building a recession-proof business is no easy task, but it might be near impossible to accomplish with a brittle mindset and spirit  The life of a freelancer can be filled with many pitfalls along the way, and the potential of a recession on the horizon can make even the strongest of will question their journey altogether.  In this episode, I'll talk about the pain points...

Send a text EP 79: As visual creatives, it's important to grasp the responsibilities and roles of your creative team for optimizing your projects as best you can.  As human beings, it's even more important to have empathy for the people you work with and try to understand where they are coming from and what motivates them.  In this episode, I sit down with male model, Jacob Basheer Anton...

Send a text EP 78:  Budgeting has a dirty feel to it doesn't it?  It makes you feel like you did something wrong or that you're in a timeout corner at school.  The reality is budgeting do not have to come with shame or embarrassment.  This simple skill set has the power to be a force multiplier in your debt-killing and savings-growing arsenal.  https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/...

Send a text EP 77:  DBA's, also known as Doing Business As, can be a brand-building decision for your business, but is it all that it's cracked up to be?  What is it and why do people get them?   This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab.  For all your professional photography printing services, go to bayphoto.com for 25% off your first time order! Support the show

Send a text EP 76: A bill has passed in the state of New York that impacts freelancers in a great way!  One of the struggles of being a freelancer is collecting timely payments from clients, and this Act aims to hold companies accountable for how they treat their growing freelance laborers.  In this episode, I break down my first reaction and what it could mean for future gig workers.  https://pet...

Send a text EP 75: Congratulations college graduates, it is your time to shine!  The road ahead promises many great adventures and obstacles that will both challenge and inspire you as you begin your autonomous lifestyle.  One such adventure is the ability to manage your financial goals such as paying down student loan debts, investing for retirement, and living within your means.  In this episode...

Send a text EP 74: One of the common traps I find freelancers fall into is they price themselves without taking into account the intellectual property they inherently possess.  In my opinion, this makes us laborers, not creatives, and it is up to us, not only to fight for these rights upfront but to include that value in our pricing.   Cradoc FotoSoftware ( www.cradocfotosoftware.com ) For any pur...

Send a text EP 73:  I'm not sure if there is an easy way to reconcile the conundrum of prioritizing both creativity and income.  If you ask 100 creatives, you may get 100 different answers.  Either way, it is a struggle for most creatives as they want to maintain artistic integrity but also make money.  In this episode, I talk about my own struggles in finding harmony between the two highly i...

Send a text EP 72:  The longer I've freelanced, the more common I've seen this occurrence among industry colleagues.   Their clients, my clients, your clients, have seemingly run into a snag, and payment for your services, low and behold, is going to be put on indefinite pause.  In this episode, I talk about these scenarios that so many freelancers find themselves facing.   This episode...

Send a text EP 71:  After working exclusively with DSLRs for the past decade, I've finally accommodated mirrorless camera bodies in my workflow.  Even though I may be late to the game on this, I'm providing my first impressions on the features I like and don't like in this new system.   This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab.  For all your professional photography prin...

Send a text EP 70:  Facing 8.5% inflation rates is no easy pill to swallow.  Regardless of how we got here, we have our own choices to make to combat these stealth taxes as best as we can.  In this episode, I'll talk about a few proactive measures that can at least put us in a better mental head space as freelancers and entrepreneurs.   This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab.  F...

Send a text EP 69:  We constantly fill out forms that require a Tax ID, whether it's for business, for banking, or for taxes.  The question is whether or not there is a better and safer alternative to putting our social security number out there in the world so frequently.  In this episode, I'll talk about the benefits of setting up an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for your busine...

Send a text EP 68: We are continuing our investigation on quarterly estimated payments for 1099 creatives, and in this episode, we break down simple ways to calculate what you owe in taxes, and how to pay. https://www.irs.gov/payments This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab.  For all your professional photography printing services, go to bayphoto.com for 25% off your first time order!...

Send a text EP 67:  Freelancing and full-time employment vary in a number of different ways, and one of the most important differences to note is how you manage your taxes.  While employees have taxes withheld, freelancers do not.  In this episode, I talk about what quarterly estimates are, who they are for, and when to pay them.  https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estim...

Send a text EP 66: The debate between prime lenses and zoom lenses can be both sensible and fickle at the same time.  Each photographer has his/her own vision, and not every scenario calls for a universal standard.  But it does seem as though each niche has its tendencies, and in this episode, I break down some reasons why wedding photographers prefer the benefits of the prime lenses over zooms.  ...

Send a text EP 65: We've all been told, that it takes money, to make money.  And while some facets of that may ring true, it might not be a universal truth, nor might it be a valid self-narrative for any entrepreneur to uphold.  In this episode, I'll explain why I think this casual phrase might do more harm than good.   This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab.  For all your...

Send a text EP 64: Copyright law is extensive and occasionally difficult to wrap one's head around.  There are progressively more and more scenarios that dilute the waters we swim in as creators in a digital sharing era.  But a basic grasp on the value of owning the copyright versus selling the copyright can help navigate creatives throughout their career.  In this episode, I talk about the v...

Send a text EP 63:  Identifying potential points of failure can be just as critical to success as developing great work.  It's not a matter of if, but when a mistake is made or a piece of gear is broken, and it is up to us as creative professionals to ensure that we can get the job done unequivocally for our clients.  In this episode, I'll list 7 areas of contingency planning to practice...

Send a text EP 62:  The benefits to owning gear are numerous, but it is not without challenges either.  Not every small business owner has the funds to drop down a large lump sum of money to acquire the tools needed to do the jobs.  With technology advancements improving at a rapid pace, is leasing a potential option to avoid having our money tied up in obsolete equipment?  In this episode, I give...

Send a text EP 61:  Conduct is just as important to your branding as your style, your creativity, and your hustle.  It is not about what you think your brand should be, but rather how the customer, client, or colleague experiences your brand based on your actions.  In this episode, I break down why integrity is so meaningful to your reputation and highlight the mistakes I've made that hurt my...