I think the trick to being a successful adventurer is more or less the same as it is for being a successful anything – knowing when to walk away. Obviously, it’s a very D&D-inspired piece (I still haven’t actually played proper D&D…), colored with a bit of personal self-doubt: careful not to reach too far, or your lofty aim might be the end of you.
In the few weeks (almost three) since leaving my job at the bookstore, I’ve been working on a few art-related things:
- Learning how to do digital art (and develop a style? or not)
- Learning all about sales tax, income tax, self-employed tax, small business tax, hobby vs. business, &c
- Photographing and editing art pieces to digitize
- Setting up my shop page for integration with a print-on-demand platform
- Other non-art adult things like adjusting health insurance and filing taxes
I haven’t come across very many artists or professional hobbyists who talk much about the pain in the butt which is learning how to not only make art, but also sell it, and also remain tax compliant. I don’t quite understand why – it’s hugely time-consuming and often confusing. There’s a lot of work that goes into earning income from art (or any kind of self-employed-ish skill), and a lot of passwords that are all jumbled in my head.
Sometimes I think I’m on the wrong track. I don’t want to own a business, or be famous, or (over)think about being spread all over the internet. I just want to stay at home and make recycled paper.
