How do you sell/finance your personal work?

[Bill_1856]

VISA and a Social Security check once a month.

[Wayne]

I've financed my gear piecemeal over 20 years. Spent several years trying to make a go of it professionally and found out a) I'm a lousy salesman because I hate selling myself, and b) Ilfochrome is too damned expensive for someone who is a lousy salesman. To answer your question, some of the deductions I took over the 3 years I called myself a "pro" were significant, the money came from my other business (which actually made money!), and that helped "creatively finance" some of what I now have. Turning pro is a great way to turn expenses you have anyway into deductions, as long as you have the proof of business effort to back them up.

[william_3670]

John Berry, congratulations sir, well done. Thankyou and welcome home.

[paulr]

"Turning pro is a great way to turn expenses you have anyway into deductions, as long as you have the proof of business effort to back them up."

having a tax accountant who's experienced with artists and art professionals can help. I was introduced to mine by a designer friend and he had a lot of helpful advice that's saved me a bunch of money (and possibly trouble).

[Larry Smith]

I used to do weddings to finance my photography. I did one for a friend back in the seventys for my cost $49. It was all 8x10 proofs in a wedding album and gave them the negs. He had a fit over the price. I never have shot another wedding since and will work a second job painting houses or mowing grass. I don't need the abuse to enjoy shooting 35mm, 2 1/4, or 4x5.

[Ralph Barker]

My mother (Ma Barker) taught all of us kids to rob banks. Reasonably quick and easy, as long as you don't get caught. ;-)

[Paul Coppin]

A bit of an inheritance allowed me to run amok on Ebay for a bit, acquiring a quite a nice collection of hardware that otherwise would not had been available to me at anything resembling affordable pricing. Nature has been cruel - I am an intellectually bi-polar gearhead with a strong sensibility for the graphic arts, left handed, tangential as hell. I play too much with the hardware and not enough with the process, so, mostly the day job pays for it all; occasionally I score on a shoot, but mostly its all for self-satisfaction.
Presently I don't have a wet lab (but do have the gear), although the bathroom does duty as required, and the digital dry lab is coming along nicely. Most recently, the cash has gone to building parallelism with the digital world, the last upgrade needing to be a better printer.
I will never likely finance my retirement with notoriety, fame and/or cash, but will probably leave somebody the makings of a heck of a studio...

[paulr]

"My mother (Ma Barker) taught all of us kids to rob banks. Reasonably quick and easy, as long as you don't get caught. ;-)"

you're winking, but i thought about this. did some research, though, and the prospects look grim. did you know that the average bank robber only gets $2000? part of the problem is that it is quick and easy, so it's tempting to do it again and again (that 2 grand only goes so far). pretty soon you have an M.O., and then it's just a matter of time before those humorless federal agents have you in a cage. not that a day job is much different.

[Craig Wactor]

I teach photography, and sell a couple prints, but mostly it comes out of my teaching salary.