Creative Capital prepared these notes for Creative Capital grantees, which may be useful for all grant seekers.

Expenses: Pay yourself! This is a new concept for some artists, but it's smarter to figure out now what your time is worth, represent this time in your project budget, and raise money based upon these real costs than to underbudget the project and wind up maxing out your credit cards with expensive, last-minute charges and cash advances. Here are two ways to represent your time in your project budget:
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1. What is the difference between copyright and trademark?

A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, or design, or combination thereof, which serves to identify and distinguish a source of goods or services of one party from another. A copyright protects original works of authorship, including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and certain other intellectual works.

2. How do I copyright my work?
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This issue’s installment of Ask Artemisia answers questions concerning venture philanthropy and funding credits.

What is venture philanthropy? Do any of these funders make grants in the arts?

Venture philanthropy shares many characteristics with the “venture capital” model of the for-profit sector. With a final goal of sustainability and organizational capacity building, venture philanthropy combines active relationships between funders and grantees with carefully considered investments in initiatives that have measurable potential.
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There are basically six types of businesses, 'the self-employed', 'the builder of businesses', 'the inventor', 'the franchise owner', 'the marketer', and 'the speculator'. Most artists fit into the self-employment category which we will address here. It is known legally as the sole proprietorship. You and you alone own all the assets and assume all the liabilities.

Things to Consider: more...

Keeping track of who owes you money will reduce a lot of headaches in the future.  Create a bill of sale for each work you sell.  Make sure you use a contract for every agreement you enter into.

If you make special payment plans for certain individuals, make sure you include that payment plan in the bill of sale.  You should always retain the work until the final payment is made.

Always get a list of the work located at a dealer, a gallery, or an art consultant.  Keep in touch with them regarding sales.  Know where you work is. more...

smARTstart is a compendium of online information resources from the Arts & Business Council of Chicago that addresses many of the questions that emerging and small arts organizations have about operating as a not-for-profit organization.
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ACCESS TO START-UP CAPITAL IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK! 

Columbia College Chicago Arts, Entertainment & Media Management Department’s Ecenter* is offering “ECENTER LOAN APPLICATION DAY”

Local small businesses (including artists) looking for funding to start-up, expand, purchase additional inventory, or secure working capital can participate in a one-of-a-kind loan program developed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Loan proceeds must be used exclusively for business related purposes. The owners, partners and/or principals must be of good character. more...

What business are you in?

It's a deceptively simple question. And it isn't a rhetorical one, either. At last June's Dance/USA Roundtable in Miami, opening keynote speaker Alberto Ibargüen, editor of The Miami Herald, urged every attendee to consider the question seriously. Are you primarily an entertainer, he prompted, or an employer? "What," he asked, "do you stand for?"
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By day I am a cool-headed consultant, advising arts organizations and leading workshops with titles such as "How to Write a Mission Statement That Succeeds." But tonight I am a frustrated board member, just back from another meeting that leaves me wondering about the future of this organization and our capacity to help it move forward. Without a clear sense of mission, we are hamstrung. There is no coherent viewpoint from month to month, and therefore no consistent criteria for making decisions, plans, or innovations. more...

As a coach and a longtime journalist, I know that the most powerful question is: “What did you learn?” You’ll get an answer every time that is real, and relevant.

That’s why Donna Walker-Kuhne’s book on audience development is a must-read. The heart of the book is a series of case studies drawn from the author’s own career, which began as a volunteer for a local arts center and continues as the principal of an international consulting firm.
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