We were lucky to catch up with Hannah Cole recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Hannah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
I was so excited when I began my career as a painter. But when I left art school, it hit me hard that I was going to have to do my taxes, and that included figuring out a suite of other things – what I could deduct, how to track that, bookkeeping, self-employment tax, and setting up retirement accounts. I went to my dad’s accountant, and was shocked at how bad I felt doing so. He had no idea what a professional artists looked like, and he treated me like an amateur and an unserious person. I think this is a common experience among artists – we make small decisions every day that prioritize things like making the most amazing work possible, presenting ourselves well, and showing our work in the best light. Profit is rarely at the top of the list, even if it is a factor. So when you boil all that down to a sheet of numbers, those numbers leave out most of what is important to the work of being an artist. But being seen through that lens makes you feel small and unimportant. In the room with that accountant, I felt so judged and devalued, I couldn’t even formulate the questions I needed to ask. I left feeling humiliated, like I’d paid a lot and gotten very little, and like numbers were the enemy.
Ultimately, this experience was one of the reasons I later went back to school for accounting and started my business, Sunlight Tax. I knew that artists needed help with understanding their taxes, and I created the business I wanted to see in the world to help artists.
Hannah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m a longtime professional artist, and a tax expert, and the founder of Sunlight Tax. When I started my career as an artist, I found it impossible to get the tax and financial information I needed to set up my business right (and I had some truly horrifying experiences along the way).
I founded a company, Sunlight Tax, whose mission is to serve creative people, just like you, who are self-employed, with relevant tax and financial education, so you can bring your unique vision to the world.
I’ve supported thousands of creative people with accessible tax and business setup skills through my program, Money Bootcamp.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Pay them. Most of the hairy tax issues that artists face are caused by underpayment for artists’ professional work. I see artists get audited over the issue of whether they are operating a hobby vs a business when it is 100% clear to me that the artist is professional. The problem is that the artworld can underpay so badly, that professionals are not paid like professionals. You can be famous and broke in the art world.
This could be solved by artists really standing up for their work and their worth. It can be solved by art institutions getting certified by the non-profit W.A.G.E., which has established livable baseline. It can be solved by artists surrounding themselves with good financial knowledge, getting educated on some basic business practices (and no, this doesn’t mean you have to back to school or be something you are not!). And I think it really helps to surround yourself with people and advocates who see the value you bring to the world, and remind you of it.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
When I was a young painter, I was pretty focused on myself, as many young artists are. Navigating the gallery system is hard, gaining the technical painting skills is hard, and having to do all the books/admin/marketing/taxes as a self-employed person are all hard. So that’s natural. But as I’ve aged and been a working artist for almost two decades now, I find that the magic of being an artist is getting to be around other artists. Artists hold me up, they make me laugh, see new perspectives, and we are such a supportive, generous community. Many times when things got dark, it was other artists who lifted me up. This happened in direct career connections, but also teaching me skills (like how to do Instagram reels, build a website, negotiate with a gallery, etc). But it was also in friendship and community. Moral support. I am proud to be an artist, and there is no better company than other artists.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sunlighttax.com
- Instagram: @sunlighttax
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-cole-3775561/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBU4e2kjX_FEUkEzqbEuRw
- Other: the Sunlight podcast: https://www.sunlighttax.com/podcast
Image Credits
all photos credit Nicole McConville photography