Join Tamara Bates for a Live Q&A on creating a long-term financial vision. Artists never fully retire, but long-term careers require long-term planning. It is never too early to care for your future self!

While you may have tackled the urgent, day-to-day necessities of your creative endeavor such as taxes, pricing work, and negotiating contracts, how do you know whether your current financial decisions are creating a strong foundation for the future? This Q&A will delve into the fundamentals of retirement accounts for different income levels (the earlier you think about this, the better!), understanding social security, and how to handle a lump sum of money like a large grant or inheritance. You will also learn how to use a financial calculator to see if you are making the right choices now to carry you forward with strength.

During this Q&A, bring questions about investing on your own, life insurance, what to ask a financial advisor, and how strategies might change based on age and career path. Creatives at all stages of their careers are welcome (students included!).

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Tamara Bates is the daughter of two artists. The information she shares is built on her experience working as a financial advisor, extensive training in financial planning, and the past four years working with hundreds of artists across the country. She is able to deliver this information in an accessible, lively manner that is relevant to creatives from any medium and career stage.

Currently, Tamara is the Executive Director of Searchlight New Mexico, a nonprofit journalism organization. She has worked as a financial advisor for UBS and Raymond James, along with two decades of nonprofit experience in philanthropy and fundraising. In 2020, Tamara founded a financial coaching program for artists called the dots between, that has served creatives across the country. She has been an Arts Commissioner for the City of Santa Fe and is a former board member of Creative Capital.

Join artist Alex Paik for a Live Q&A on artist-led gallery models and the journey he has taken to arrive at Tiger Strikes Asteroid’s cooperative structure.

Significantly different business models emerge when a gallery is commercial, nonprofit, artist-centered, or artist-run. Alex Paik understands the overlap and key distinctions. He’s also lived the challenges and successes of artist-led galleries first hand. When he co-founded Tiger Strikes Asteroid with a group of friends in Philadelphia in 2009, they had no idea it would grow to be an expansive network of spaces with locations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Greenville, SC. To date, they have organized over 450 projects and have exhibited over 2,000 artists. That trajectory involved years of research, trial and error, flexibility, creativity, and a whole lot of teamwork.   

During this Q&A, Alex will share his experience and the gallery models he’s seen flourishing and floundering. He will answer questions about collective decision making and the pros and cons of being an artist-led initiative. Whether you run a gallery, are considering opening a gallery, work with a gallery, or hope to work with a gallery, this Q&A is for you!

Watching CreativeStudy courses on the Solidarity Economy may aid in your understanding of the subject either in advance of the Q&A or after you hear Alex speak.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Alex Paik is an artist, community builder, curator, and writer based in Los Angeles. Paik is Founder and Director of Tiger Strikes Asteroid, a non-profit network of artist-run spaces and serves on the Steering Committee at GYOPO, a collective of diasporic Korean cultural producers and arts professionals. https://www.alexpaik.com/ / https://www.tigerstrikesasteroid.com/

Join Arts Lawyer Sammetria Goodson for a Live Q&A on working with commercial galleries.

Drawing from her experience representing both artists and galleries, Sammetria Goodson will discuss the concepts, best practices, and mindsets that empower artists in their relationships with commercial galleries. Whether you are currently represented by a gallery, or aspire to have representation in the future, this session will address the key things you need to know as you manage relationships and grow your career in a healthy way.

During this Q&A Sammetria will discuss how to begin working with a commercial gallery on fair and equitable terms. She will point out the common mistakes made by artists when agreeing to representation. Sammetria will also highlight some of the red flags to look out for, and give examples of what you can do if your relationship with a gallery takes a turn for the worse.

This event will not be recorded and Sammetria will provide a  disclaimer regarding legal advice at the beginning of the meeting.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Sammetria Goodson is an Attorney who focuses her practice on Art Law and Intellectual Property. Sammetria works with a wide range of art industry clients including artists, art agencies, collectors, consultants, cultural organizations, dealers, galleries, and independent curators. She also works with multi-hyphenate creatives in Fashion, Entertainment, Design, and the Nonprofit sector.

Sammetria holds a BBA in Marketing from the McCombs School of Business and a BA in Art History from the College of Fine Arts–both from The University of Texas at Austin. She’s also a proud graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law in Philadelphia.

Sammetria enjoys talking about the intersection of law, art, and design. She’s a frequent lecturer on the topics of Art Law, and best business practices for creatives, artists, and designers. She is thrilled to resume her teaching of an “anti-starving artist” course at UT Austin, College of Fine Arts this fall. Sammetria has been awarded an Arts Education Award from the Dallas Business Council for the Arts for her community arts education work. She is licensed to practice law in Texas, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. https://goodsonlaw.co/

Join Margarita Lila Rosa for a Live Q&A on creating impactful social media content on Instagram.

Social media algorithms are constantly changing and formats are forever shifting. Is it possible to create authentic content and still garner the likes, comments, and follows demanded by greedy algorithms? What does it mean to be authentic anyway? Margarita Rosa will share Instagram insights she learned while creating content for herself and others. What does “success” on social media mean to her and what could it mean for you? How can you use the structure of the platform to your advantage?

During this Q&A, Margarita will outline what she knows about the inner workings of Instagram and discuss best practices. She’ll answer questions related to timing, format, education, audience, and impact along with whatever questions you bring. She’ll also address AI’s impact on your feed. Whether you have a robust social media presence or your last post was last year, this Q&A is for you.  

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Margarita Lila Rosa is a Harlem-based historian and curator specializing in Black Atlantic history and contemporary art. Dr. Rosa uses Instagram (@margaritalilarosa) as a tool for public history, creating viral videos on Caribbean history, languages, and archival research. Several of her videos have garnered more than a million views, with one of them surpassing three million. Dr. Rosa has taught history to hundreds of people through digital education. www.margaritalilarosa.com / @margaritalilarosa

Join Maura Cuffie-Peterson from Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY) and Eshe Shukura from the Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund (the GRO Fund) to discuss the power of securing an income floor for creative workers.

There are hundreds of Guaranteed Income (GI) demonstrations in the US right now, built on a foundation of previous pilots, historic governmental cash payments, and grassroots activism for financial justice. Two such programs are: Creatives Rebuild New York’s GI initiative that distributed funds to 2,400 artists in New York State from 2022 to 2024 and the GRO Fund's In Her Hands GI Initiative that puts a solution to financial insecurity in the hands of Black women in Georgia.

During this Q&A, Maura and Eshe will discuss some of the reasons why creatives might be in need of guaranteed income, the history of cash payment systems in the US, and GI's role as a piece in a larger, nationwide project to make our economic system more just.All are welcome. We recommend watching the GI course on CreativeStudy in advance to build a foundation of knowledge, but no prior experience is necessary to attend. Maura and Eshe will answer questions based on their direct experience, with an eye to their larger context and the future potential of GI.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:

Maura Cuffe-Peterson (she/her) is a facilitator and strategist working at the intersections of economic justice and arts & culture. Currently, she serves as the Director of Strategic Initiatives for Guaranteed Income at Creatives Rebuild New York, stewarding one of the largest guaranteed income demonstrations in the nation. Previously, she was the Senior Program Officer for ArtPlace America. During that time, she conceived and executed the Local Control, Local Field(s) initiative, a novel approach to trust-based philanthropy, which placed over $12.5M directly under the control of practitioners across the country. She has held a variety of positions in arts, culture, and organizational change. As a co-founder of the collective, the Free Breakfast Program, she participated as a Create Change Fellow with the Laundromat Project in 2015 and in the inaugural cohort for leaders of color in EmcArts’ Arts Leaders as Cultural Innovators Fellowship in 2016. Currently she is a fellow of the Just Economy Institute. CreativesRebuildNY.org / @creativesrebuildny

Eshe Shukura (they/them) is the Narrative & Cultural Strategist with the Georgia Resilience & Opportunity Fund, where they co-architect the story of the movement through narrative building, storytelling, art activations, community centered events, and building authentic relationships. Eshe spent five years working in the field of Reproductive Justice, furthering the vision of its Black Feminist foremothers.In Eshe's personal life, they are a performance artist and non-linear poet/storyteller/playwright. They went to Hampshire College for theater, where they wrote, starred in, and co-directed their original play, Fat.Black.& Ugly. They are currently rediscovering performance and make work on their Instagram page, producing a series of captioned stories during the pandemic called, #welcomefromthefuture, telling stories that captured a new world after lockdown. thegrofund.org

Join Daniel Sharp of DSCS for a discussion on how to surpass your fundraising goal through crowdfunding.

All creative workers need funding. Sometimes sales, day jobs, gigs, or grants fill that need. Other times it’s not enough or the strings attached to the funding source prove too difficult to bear. Which projects are best suited to crowdfund? Which artists are best suited to crowdfund? How do creators surpass those goals on Kickstarter? And is Kickstarter the only way?

During this Q&A, Daniel will answer questions about the best uses of crowdfunding platforms, best practices to get people engaged, and how to meet and exceed expectations. Daniel is an experienced consultant and former Kickstarter Arts employee who can answer questions about when to engage in crowdfunding and when to avoid it.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Daniel Sharp (they/them) is the Principal of DSCS, a community strategy consultancy that builds sustainable relationships and financial systems for artists, institutions, and creative tech companies. With a background in crowdfunding, public art, and publications, they help you craft your story, grow your platform, secure funding, and claim agency. Past and current clients include For Freedoms, The Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact, Amplifier, Digital Counsel, Chitra Ganesh, NDN Collective, People for the American Way, and the Four Day Week Global Foundation. 

Sharp is a NEW INC Mentor and the host of Practices After Capitalism with Anticapitalism for Artists. Sharp's previous work as the Arts Outreach Lead at Kickstarter collectively raised $4,500,000+ for over 500 projects by artists, museums, and activists.

They have spoken widely about their work, including with the Kresge Foundation; Creative Capital; Chautauqua Visual Arts; Rhode Island School of Design; The Dutch Art Institute; University of California, Berkeley; Maryland Institute College of Art; Art World Conference; College Art Association; and the Institute for Nonprofit News. Their writing has been published on NYFA, Koda Lab, The Creative Independent, Public Parking, Testudo, the Agora Journal of Urban Planning and Design, Hyundai Artlab, and Kickstarter.In the evenings, Sharp is an artist, musician, and writer making work about systems of capital, suburbia, and techno.

Join author and educator Yanely Espinal, Director of Education Outreach at Next Gen Personal Finance, for a Q&A on budgeting tactics and tools for creatives. 

She will cover:

• Why better budgeting is a key component to building your creative career
• The best tools for managing the finances of your studio
• What can you do right now to break an ongoing cycle of debt
• The most important money rules visual artists need to know

While we separated credit and debt into two separate courses on CreativeStudy, the two are inextricably linked and often combine to hinder creative careers. Without the freedom to invest (both time and money) in an art career and the confidence that long-term financial stability is achievable, many artists and designers change course toward more lucrative day jobs. Yanely is in a position to offer non-judgemental, expert advice to creative workers based on years of experience working in financial education, writing the new book Mind Your Money, and getting out of substantial debt herself.

This Q&A is open to all questions on personal budgeting, debt, credit, and the general financial precarity of creative workers. While her answers will not constitute financial advice, she will provide recommendations and best practices to the group. 

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER:
Yanely Espinal is the Director of Education Outreach at Next Gen Personal Finance and the Creator of the MissBeHelpful YouTube channel, where she posts weekly videos about money. Born and raised by Dominican, immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York, Yanely is a proud product of NYC public schools. She majored in Art at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School before going on to receive her bachelor's degree inHistory of Art/Architecture and Visual Art at Brown University. She later earned her master's degree in teaching and after struggling with credit card debt, became passionate about personal finance education. When she isn't working, she sews, paints, listens to podcasts, and babysits her 8 nieces and nephews. MissBeHelpful / Next Gen Personal Finance / @missbehelpful

Join Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax for a Live Q&A on taxes for creatives.

April 15 will be here before you know it! Tax expert Hannah Cole will get you ready for the upcoming tax deadline by answering all of your tax-related questions whether you are freelance, W-2’d, or a combination of the two. Based on her years of experience working with creative individuals and being a creative herself, she understands the unique circumstances surrounding creatives’ taxable income, budgets, expenses, Schedule Cs, and yearly versus quarterly filings.

During this Q&A, Hannah can translate basic tax terms, explain self-employment tax and the estimated quarterly tax system, and discuss adjusting your estimated tax payments. Whatever is stressing you out is fair game for questions. While her answers will not constitute tax advice, she will provide recommendations and best practices to the group. 

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Hannah Cole (she/her) is a tax expert who specializes in working with creative people and their businesses. Though she’s worked at tax firms in New York, she loves bringing her tax skills to the aid of the creative world. Her passion for helping creative businesses began when she was an Account Executive and Interactive Producer for a New York interactive design agency, where she saw the struggles and triumphs from the inside. As a long-time working artist with a high-level exhibition history, Hannah finds the financial challenges of freelancers and small creative businesses to be both relevant and personal. She is an Enrolled Agent and the founder of Sunlight Tax. sunlighttax.com / @sunlighttax

Join Daniel Park, Artist and Worker-Owner of Obvious Agency, for a live Q&A on Cooperatives For Creatives.

To get creative projects done, many artists and creative workers instinctively pool resources and labor to accomplish everything from community murals and mutual aid projects to magical works of visual and performing art, writing, and music. They share risk, profits, recognition, and opportunities. Though many do this work without giving it a name, others formalize their intuitive, values-driven, people-centered structures into cooperatives (co-ops), which are businesses like any other (minus oppressive hierarchies and capitalist drive which results in one person making all of the profit while paying workers as little as possible). In their module on CreativeStudy, worker-owned, performance-based cooperative Obvious Agency (Joseph Ahmed, Arianna Gass, Daniel Park, and Cat Ramirez) introduce us to their work and the trust, motivation, and structure required of a co-op.

During this Q&A, Daniel Park will tell us more about the founding and operation of Philadelphia-based Obvious Agency and answer questions from those involved in cooperative work or considering the formalization of their cooperative work. Daniel is especially interested in the intersection of cooperatives and the arts and he is considered a thought leader on local and national levels. Though none of his advice will be seen as legal or financial advice, he can speak to his experience in the sector and the business strategies of many cooperative creative businesses.

ABOUT THE TEACHER
Daniel Park (he/him) is a queer, bi-racial, theatre and performance artist, movement facilitator, and organizer for racial and labor justice in the cultural sector. Through all of the above, his work brings people together to understand and experiment with their individual and mutual roles in bringing about the liberation of all people. Since moving to Philadelphia in 2014, Daniel has become a leader for radical thought in the local creative ecosystem and a trusted national source for guidance on the intersection between cooperatives and the arts. Daniel has self-produced multiple major works, co-founded the worker cooperative Obvious Agency, created commissions for institutions such as the Barnes Foundation and Moore College of Art and Design, and taught anti-oppressive creation methodology at the University of the Arts. He was a recipient of the 2022 Art Works Grant from the Philadelphia Foundation and Forman Arts Initiative. Daniel has provided his services as a facilitator and consultant nationally with organizations such as Creatives Rebuild New York, The PA Governor’s Commission on Asian American Affairs, ArtPlace America, and many others. Daniel was also instrumental as an organizer and recruiter for Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists, a community group that brings together folks of pan-Asian descent involved in the performing arts. obvious-agency.com

Join Mike Strode, Founding Coordinator of the Kola Nut Collaborative, for a live Q&A on Timeanking, a Solidarity Economy practice of identifying, celebrating, and trading time as a valued resource.

The Solidarity Economy is recognized internationally as a way to value people and the planet over profits and to unite grassroots practices of cooperative work. Most neighborhoods contain examples of the Solidarity Economy. In fact, you might already practice solidarity work – say, when you and your neighbors form a clothing swap or a lending library – without ever giving it that name. In the Timebanking module on CreativeStudy, we discuss the non-monetary exchange of time, a precious resource, in communities of color and beyond and encourage viewers to get involved.

During this Q&A, Mike Strode will tell us more about the Chicago-based Kola Nut Collaborative and how they operate a time-based service- and skills-trading platform, otherwise known as a Timebank. He’ll be able to answer questions about how it got its start, the successes and challenges of running such a platform, how you might get involved in what they are doing, and how you might start a Timebank in your community. If you are already in a Timebank, this is a great opportunity to connect with others.

ABOUT THE TEACHER
Mike Strode is a writer, cyclist, IT consultant, facilitator, and Solidarity Economy organizer residing in southeast Chicago whose community engagement work has included ride leadership with the Chicago chapter of Red, Bike & Green; editorial and archival oversight for Fultonia; and co-facilitation of Cooperation for Liberation Study & Working Group. He is founding coordinator of the Kola Nut Collaborative, a time-based service and skills trading platform which promotes timebanking throughout Chicago. He also serves as a current board member for Dill Pickle Food Co-op. kolanutcollab.org / @kolabutcollab

Join Amani Olu, the founder of Olu & Company for this live Q&A on Protecting Your Storytelling Power: Strategies For Black Artists.

More than ever, contemporary art galleries, museums, and other cultural venues are rushing to associate themselves with the work of Black artists. While taking a step in the right direction, these institutions—primarily led by white individuals—do not always have the patience, language, and lived experience to contextualize the work as intended. As a result, many Black artists find that the people representing them often misrepresent or silence their ideas to move a sale forward, placate leadership, or make the viewing experience comfortable for white audiences.

In his video on CreativeStudy, Amani Olu introduces initial steps for Black artists to safeguard their stories, beginning with identifying core values.

While Amani is directly addressing Black artists with advice gained from his lived experience, BIPOC creatives will likely find the videos helpful. White administrators are also encouraged to join to evaluate and update language and editorial processes they currently use, to accurately facilitate and reflect the stories of the artists they serve.

ABOUT THE TEACHER
Dubbed the “King of multi-tasking” by Anthony Haden-Guest in The Art Newspaper, Amani Olu is a serial entrepreneur with a strong background in exhibition making and art writing. He is the co-founder of Humble Arts Foundation, a 501c3 that began to support and promote new art photography in 2005. From 2008 to 2012, he curated numerous exhibitions of contemporary photography, and spearheaded the four-part series Young Curators, New Ideas. In 2011 he joined Nadine Johnson & Associates as an art publicist for clients such as the Brant Foundation Art Study Center, Marlborough Chelsea, and the Dallas Art Fair. Eighteen months later, he was named managing editor of Whitewall, having previously contributed articles on artists William Eggleston, Zoe Crosher, Elad Lassry, and Rashaad Newsome. He left to establish Olu & Company, a marketing and business consultancy for individuals, businesses and organizations in the arts. Amani makes art under the name "Scott Avery,” and is currently developing IMG SRVR, a visual cloud storage service for creative industries.
Image © James Adams
olucompany.com / @amaniolu / @olucompany / @humbleartsfoundation

Join Renata Marinaro, National Director of Health Services at Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund) for this live Q&A on healthcare.

The health insurance system in the US can seem impenetrable and overwhelming, especially when you’re freelance or self-employed. Renata Marinaro, National Director of Health Services for the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly the Actors Fund), explains what you need to know to approach this for-profit system as an educated, savvy consumer. In her module on CreativeStudy, she explains the basic vocabulary (and countless acronyms) involved, outlines your rights as a consumer, and offers an unbiased, step-by-step overview of your insurance options right now.

This Q&A is designed to help you cut through insurance propaganda and consumer myths to find a plan that’s right for you. If you are uninsured or underinsured, she has guidance for that as well.

ABOUT THE TEACHER
Renata Marinaro is an experienced social worker and current National Director of Health Services for Entertainment Community Fund (Formerly The Actors Fund), a human services organization that helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment. Her accomplishments include starting the Friedman Health Center for Performing Arts, a primary and specialty care center in partnership with Mount Sinai Doctors in New York City; training and managing a national team of health insurance navigators and agents; and developing creative health literacy products. Her overarching goal is to create educated healthcare consumers with increased access to affordable care.

Entertainmentcommunity.org

Join Ian Fuller, Co-founder and Partner of Westfuller, for this live Q&A on saving and investing.

Regardless of how old you are or how much money you have, saving is a crucial component of financial health. In his savings module on CreativeStudy, Ian outlines the what and why of short-term, intermediate, and long-term savings goals. He touches on the psychological elements of saving and the practical implications of having money set aside for emergencies and dreams for the future. While he astutely observes that artists never truly retire, he points out the connection between financial and creative independence.

In his investing module, Ian addresses the where and how of investing. Maybe you’ve been budgeting and have some money tucked away. Or maybe you haven’t been saving because you didn’t think you’d accumulate “enough” money to actually invest. Or maybe you have money sitting in a savings account with an interest rate similar to the one given by a shoebox under your bed. Regardless of your scenario, Ian has been there and has tips to move forward.

Though this Q&A will not serve as financial advice, Ian is excited to take any and all questions on saving, investing, and the path toward financial independence. There is no better time than the present to think about growing your money to realize your dreams. No matter how savvy you are, the past few years have been confusing, with a lot of ups and downs that Ian is able to address from a financial perspective.

ABOUT THE TEACHER
Ian Fuller is a co-founder and partner of Westfuller, a financial and wealth management firm that provides advice, strategy, and investment management for values-aligned global individuals, families, and institutions.

A specialist in evidence-driven, global wealth advisory and planning, strategic investment management, and philanthropic giving, he works closely with people and institutions to empower wealth with purpose. Ian is also the board chair of Common Justice, a restorative and criminal justice reform organization, and serves as the treasurer/finance chair for many social justice organizations, including: civil rights organization Color of Change, economic justice impact fund The Workers Lab, the private foundation Proteus Action League, and Amalgamated bank’s Charitable Foundation.

He holds both a B.S. in Economics from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and an M.S. in International Affairs and Global Finance from New York University. He also holds a Chartered Financial Consultant designation for the Series 7, 66, 24 securities licenses. He lives on the Lower East Side of New York City with his family. Westfulleradvisors.com

Join Marci Blackman and Diana Y Greiner, co-founders of Treehouse Taxes, for a live Q&A on taxes.

In their four learning modules on CreativeStudy (one is a role play!), Marci and Diana provide a tax overview for artists, designers, freelancers, and those with blended 1099 and W9 income. Based on their years of experience working with creative individuals and being creatives themselves, they understand the unique circumstances surrounding creatives’ taxable income, budgets, expenses, Schedule Cs, and yearly versus quarterly filings.

During this Q&A, Marci and Diana will take specific questions related to your experience. While their answers will not constitute tax advice, they will provide recommendations and best practices to the group.

ABOUT THE TEACHERS

Treehouse Taxes, run by Diana Y Greiner and Marci Blackman in Brooklyn, New York, caters specifically to self-employed individuals and small businesses. They built the Treehouse so you will have a safe, fun, and friendly place to get your taxes done.

Marci has been providing a combination of tax preparation, bookkeeping, and accounting services to a wide range of clientele, including individuals, partnerships, and small corporations for the past 20 years. As a longtime freelancer and award-winning novelist, Marci understands what it means to “hustle” for your dreams, particularly as it pertains to taxes. As a partner in Treehouse Taxes LLC, Marci believes transferring knowledge and helping artists and freelancers become savvy taxpayers is a form of social justice.

Diana Y Greiner knows about cobbling together an income, tracking expenses, and pursuing a dream. She has spent over 20 years juggling the life of a performing artist while developing and maintaining her left brain as the managing director of an arts organization, a waitress, an acrobatics instructor, an office manager, a massage therapist, a bookkeeper, and finally a full-fledged tax nerd by earning her EA. Through it all she maintains that connection is the point of everything.

Treehousetaxes.xyz