Archive for February, 2009

Freelance Artist Tax Preparation Tips

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

When you’re starting out as a freelance artist, you might need to rethink how you handle your finances. By following a few basic tips, it will ease the stress of tax season and help you to feel more organized and in control of your funds.

When you start your new business:

1. Open up a separate bank account for business earnings. This will help you to keep track of what you’re making as a freelancer.

2. Make sure to set aside a regular percentage of state and federal taxes and don’t use it for anything else!

3. Open up a business credit card that you use for all of you business expenses and pay it out of your business bank account.

If you stay organized it makes tax preparation much easier. Don’t forget to take advantage of “write-offs” if you’re working from home. We’ll provide more tips on work at home write-offs in upcoming posts.

Greeting Card Trends – What Freelancers Need to Know

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Greeting cards are an important part of American culture. They are a way to reach out to our loved ones and express how we feel about them. But as American culture changes, so do the trends in the Greeting Card Industry. Here at the National Artists Counsel, we are researching what the market is looking for and where the trends are going.

Here a few of the top greeting card trends:

Going Green - With more and more people interested in our environment, cards are now being printed on recycled paper or low processed paper. This style is upscale, affordable, and trendy.
Lots of Details - Cards embellished with fabric, beads, ribbons, unique paper, add a special artistic feel.
A Touch of Technology - Light and music are now added to greeting cards, creating a fun and exciting look.

As a greeting card freelancer it’s good to stay on top of market trends. Please feel free to comment on any trends you’ve noticed.

Freelancers Should Consider the Benefits of Art Licensing

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

Art licensing has been a growing trend in the greeting card industry. What is art licensing? Art licensing is a legal agreement that allows an artist to grant partial use of his copyright to someone for a specific purpose, period of time and area. The artist then receives a flat fee or royalties for the use of their product.

There are many benefits to art licensing. This an easy way for an artist to receive extra income without spending a lot of time and money trying to produce their own product. It is also a great way to see your art used in a variety of ways.

If you are interested in learning more about art licensing, visit the Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association for more information. To find out how specific greeting card companies pay consider downloading your own copy of GREETING CARD COMPANIES THAT PAY YOU FOR YOUR WORK.