Podcast episode: Losses are normal, and debunking the itemizing vs business deductions misconception

Hard years can include—and almost universally DO include—year one. So, we expect you to have a loss year one. A lot of artists feel guilt and shame that they don’t make money at first. But, neither did Uber. Neither did that restaurant you ate dinner at last night. That’s normal.

-Hannah Cole

This week, Hannah talks about how losses are normal for art businesses, and why artists don’t need to feel so bad about them. Plus, an explanation of itemized deductions vs. business deductions (hint: don’t throw out those receipts!). All of this in part 2 of a 2 part podcast interview on The Passionate Painter podcast.

You can listen to episode 2 right here.

If you missed episode 1, listen to that first here.

Art and Fear (part one): Interview with Hannah on The Passionate Painter podcast

“I think artists make a mistake thinking that their work speaks for itself.

Your work is wonderful.

But your work needs a frame, and you are the frame. You can tell people what to think of your work. Because if you don't, they're going to pick it up from other stuff - like the fact that you seem really insecure.

And they're going to be like, "ok, I guess it's not good."

You know, you're telling them that when you say, "I guess...uh..."

If you talk like that, you're saying, this isn't very good."

Listen to a thought-provoking interview about my own insecurities as a painter, and how I've learned to manage them, and what I've learned from artists who do well. RIGHT HERE.

Two shifts to help you sell more without selling out.

By guest writer, Business Strategist Sarah M. Chappell

You make beautiful work. You provide a service that helps your customers. You craft gorgeous products. You teach people life-enriching skills. There’s only one problem:

You feel so gross when you have to sell.

Most artists and creative small business owners operate from the “sales are slimy” belief at some point in their journey to make sustainable incomes from their work. But being afraid to sell because you feel that it’s manipulative or unethical—or that if your work were any good people would just buy anyway—leads to the same result: low sales that prevent you from having the freedom to devote your time to your craft.

If you experience this tension between wanting to be financially fueled by your work but afraid to actually ask people to pay you, you’re not alone. The good news? There are two simple shifts that you can make in your relationship to sales that will help you to promote your work without feeling like you’re selling out.

1. Stop making sales about you

Have you ever started a newsletter or social media post with the words “I’m so excited to share…”?

Or maybe it’s “I love this new piece” or “I’ve worked so hard to make this.”

(You can raise your hand. No one can see you.)

What do all of these have in common?

“I.” The focus is firmly on your experience as the maker, creator, business owner. No wonder you feel gross asking people to buy things from you! It sounds like you’re asking for a favor rather than an appropriate exchange for your brilliance, labor, and what your work will bring to the customer. 

Instead of centering your experience when talking about your work, try focusing on the customer: what does your piece, product, or service make possible for them? What will they experience through their purchase? What do they get out of it? 

This simple shift can have a massive impact on your relationship to selling. Your potential customers are not doing you a favor, or buying to make you happy. They’re buying your work because they want to!

2. Start focusing on service

There’s a business idiom that states “selling is a service,” and for good reason. Selling is not about forcing someone to buy your thing or reaching through the computer screen or across the event booth to grab their credit card.

Selling is about helping your potential customer to make a decision.

If someone is following your social media, walking into your shop, on your mailing list, or visiting your website, there’s usually a pretty simple reason: they’re interested in your work. They are actively seeking you out and want to know what you have to offer.

This means that your job is not to convince a potential customer that they need what you make, but to ensure that they have all of the information to make a buying decision.

Purchasing is an exercise in prioritization. Do I need this thing now? Is this experience or outcome what is most important to me at this moment? Does this solve a problem that feels urgent or like I’m ready to tackle? Will it help me?

When a customer is exploring your work, they’re running through these kinds of questions in their minds, even if they’re not conscious of it. And now that you know this, you get to answer them! Your sales materials are not going to focus on why you love your work, but how your work helps your potential customer. What transformation it will facilitate. What values it will affirm. What beauty it will bring to their lives.

Your customer is looking to you to help them navigate your work, understand its impact, and ultimately decide whether or not they want to prioritize it. You don’t need to sell them on it. You just need to help them.

Want to learn more about how to sell without that slimy feeling in the pit of your stomach? Business strategist Sarah M. Chappell is leading a free live training just for the Sunlight Tax community all about attracting your ideal customers without doing all the things or feeling like you’re selling out. Learn more and reserve your spot HERE.

Your Superpower: Seeing What Others Don't, a podcast interview

A podcast episode about art + entrepreneurship on Brand New Women, hosted by Scarlet Batchelor

“I want to say to you if you’re a woman or are BIPOC or are from a historically marginalized group:

You have a superpower. If you have had to operate in a world that doesn’t always see you, or that underestimates you, then you see things that they don’t see. And there’s business opportunity in that.”

Fostering democracy in the art world: an interview on the Not Real Art podcast

In this episode, Hannah debunks the myth that artists are no good with numbers and shares some practical advice to help us impart our own ‘freaky flavor’ into our businesses while also taking money-making seriously. You’ll also gain some insight into her journey from punk-rock-loving anticapitalist to creative tax specialist and what she learned about the art world and her own practice along the way, plus so much more!

In all of my talks, I always end with an appreciation for what artists do in the world, which is [that] we are the empathy builders. We are the people bridging divides and showing the less creative part of the population that a better world is possible. I think it can be really hard when you are an artist. I want all artists to take the making-money part more seriously, treat themselves like they deserve it, and not think of all money as evil and all people with money as evil, because those are attitudes that shoot you in the foot. They stop you from having any financial security.

Listen to the episode here.