interview

Imagine (Sneha Shrestha): Street Art, Authenticity, and Connecting Savings to Creative Freedom

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Imagine (Sneha Shrestha): Street Art, Authenticity, and Connecting Savings to Creative Freedom

Imagine (Sneha Shrestha) is an artist, educator and social entrepreneur from Kathmandu, Nepal. She established Nepal’s first Children’s Art Museum and worked at Artists for Humanity. Sneha recently graduated from Harvard Graduate School of Education with a Master’s degree in Education.

Sneha is also known as IMAGINE in the art world and has established herself as Nepali street artist meshing the Nepali alphabet and the Boston graffiti scene. Imagine has redefined the Nepali alphabet and given it a new identity through graffiti. Being the first to mesh American Graffiti with Nepali Alphabets, she has shown her work in several exhibitions, commissioned works and public walls around the world including Boston, San Francisco, Bali, Istanbul, Geneva and Copenhagen.

On today’s episode, Imagine joins me to talk about her art and her entrepreneurial journey including managing her money as an artist and creative entrepreneur. We talk about being real, what savings opens up for your creativity, and what success actually looks like.

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Paddy Johnson: Real Talk on How to Succeed in the Arts

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Paddy Johnson: Real Talk on How to Succeed in the Arts

Can you solve the art world’s problem’s for us in one sentence, Paddy?

“Ask for more.”

Paddy Johnson is a writer, educator and the founder of VVrkshop, an online platform designed to help artists and art professionals connect with other artists, get more shows, residencies and grants.

In today’s episode, Paddy and I talk about some of the inherent problems facing professional artists today and why it’s so important to build a strong network and community when working as a career artist. Paddy unlocks the real reason you should be sending a weekly newsletter, makes a startling confession, talks about her “24 hour fix,” and even makes me cry.

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Why the PPP Loan is Good for Artists

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This Q & A between Paddy Johnson of VVrkshop and tax expert Hannah Cole on the Payroll Protection Program loan (PPP loan) explains how it can help artists. You don’t have to run an incorporated business to qualify. This money is a stimulus for you. ⁠⁠

Paddy and Hannah talk about loan terms, and our take home message: this is a forgivable loan that could help you. For many people, that could mean more time in the studio, a new body of work, or simply some extra peace of mind. Read the Q & A. Look into the loan if you haven't already. It's an easier application than almost any grant you'll apply for and might be more money too. ⁠⁠

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Money Management for Creative Professionals

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Nerissa Street of Ten Thousand Women Ten Thousand Stages Podcast interviews art-centric tax expert Hannah Cole about her influences as an artist and as a tax expert for creative freelancers. This interview is available as both a podcast and a video, so you can choose the medium that you prefer.

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Startist Interview: Profit Motive, Marketing, and Tax Tips for Artists

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Startist Interview: Profit Motive, Marketing, and Tax Tips for Artists

Hannah talks with Laura Griffin and Nikki May of Startist Society about her roots as an artist and about establishing a profit motive for your art business. She chats about empowerment for artists and how she got started in accounting after some bad experiences she had as an artist.

What should you use to track expenses? How and what expenses are deductible? Can donated artwork be deducted? Do I need to collect sales tax?

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ArtWitch Podcast: Permission to Thrive + Money Mindsets

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ArtWitch Podcast: Permission to Thrive + Money Mindsets

Tax expert and artist Hannah Cole discusses all things money with Art Witch Podcast host Zaneta of Brooklyn, New York. They also talk about mindfulness in this nearly hour-long podcast interview.

Hannah speaks about empowerment for creative people (especially for BIPOC people and women) and they talk about smashing the patriarchy. They discuss issues people have with earning and having money and how to change your attitude. What can you accomplish when you are not trying to run from money issues and fear of the IRS?

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How Can Freelancers Benefit from New Tax Laws?

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How Can Freelancers Benefit from New Tax Laws?

Hannah Cole had an interview with Matt Peiken of Blue Ridge Public Radio in North Carolina last week. She discussed the new tax laws and some of the areas where artists and other freelancers can benefit from them, like sick and family leave credits.

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The Insidious Role of Gender Bias in How Artists Grapple with Personal Finances

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The Insidious Role of Gender Bias in How Artists Grapple with Personal Finances

When I met Dr. Katherine de Vos Devine at a business retreat we bonded immediately. Both I (an artist and tax expert) and de Vos Devine, an intellectual property expert, art historian, and lawyer who works with artists, counsel clients struggling with the same money issues. Though neither of us is a personal finance expert, we address personal finance issues as professionals who help artists manage their businesses. I see artists repeatedly making the same expensive mistakes that could be avoided with some basic knowledge of personal finance. Furthermore, de Vos Devine and I both encounter women artists who lack confidence due to the pressure of harmful art and gender myths about money.

visual guide to tax deductions for creators