Taxes....

 

I have spent the last couple of days doing a necessary task: my annual taxes. I don't mind it as much as many people do. I keep receipts in an orderly way throughout the year and when the time comes, I get out this lovely old ledger book and, month by month, analyze my finances for the past year. I also have this snazzy jazz era pencil, with a lovely floating swim-suited girl inside. I only use it to write in my ledger book.

 

The past year was not a big financial year for me. Art is one of the first things people leave out of their budgets in slow times, I know. So I am grateful that it was at least a good enough year that I don't have to grovel to justify my existence as a small business! I made less than usual, but I also spent less, though I did my bit to help out art suppliers as much as I could. I am quite thankful for those who supported my work this past year, whether it was in buying a painting, a card, or in supporting art exhibits with monetary awards.

The tax task is done for another year. I can put my heavy ledger back on the shelf and heave a sigh of relief. This is also the time I start thinking in earnest of new ways to market my work. I haven't yet tested the selling tools of eBay or etsy, but I am thinking of dipping my toe into those markets and seeing if it gets bitten at all. In the meantime, I must get back to my loom! I do not really weave to make money; I weave to make tapestries.