Self Employment in the Arts, SEA, it’s the conference where I just spent the past 2 days, soaking in every bit of advice that I could from seasoned artists, professionals, and “graduates” from previous conferences. I attended as an artist myself, full of anticipation, eager to hear how other artists have succeeded and are making a living doing what they love. And I’m excited! Now, as I write, I have surrounded myself with inspiring material from the conference, a DVD on entrepreneurialship, a book on art law, and, oh what a treasure, a blow up doll of “The Scream” from the keynote speaker, Robert Fishbone. Like all conferences, to be worthwhile they need to produce change, not only in mindset, because we all know that after conference energy dwindles rapidly, but they also must produce action. The last session that I attended was one about accounting for artists. It certainly wasn’t a top choice for me but I just finished a one-on-one to have someone critique my work and I needed a place to go, as I wasn’t going to whittle away the next hour when there were so many valuable resources made available to me. Hey, I’ve been working as an accountant for most of my career so what did I think that I was going to get from that session? All the while as I was listening to the presenter and the questions she was being asked I thought, this just might be what I need to give to other artists, a piece of my accounting knowledge to help them understand the business end of what they are doing. So, today, Sunday, one day after the conference, filled with inspiration to produce ART, I’ve begun a blog on accounting.