Category: business

Posted on

Update Your Contracts

A client informed me yesterday that Vox Media had announced a partnership with OpenAI that permitted that leech-of-a-tool to use Vox Media content to train. This is bad and very likely goes beyond agreements it has with many writers and photographers, but it’s going to do it anyway because tech companies have no decency and too many media companies have no spines.

So, first, if you have work that you have licensed to Vox Media, check the language in your agreements and, assuming you didn’t sign away too much already, contact Vox to remind them that your work cannot be used for AI-training purposes. Period. Don’t let them try to talk you into some piddly bump in fees–what they are doing is enabling tech to put you entirely out of your work so just say “No.” You need to think long term here–an extra few bucks here isn’t worth torpedoing your particular creative industry.

Second, look at your own contracts, which you should be using anyway but, yeah, I know, you probably don’t because the bigger companies are bullies about that. Anyway, you should add something to your own contracts that makes it absolutely clear that any use that may result in the training of AI is not permitted under your license. You need this for contracts you use with individuals (like for event/wedding photography) as well as for companies for their marketing or advertising use.

Remember, when you permit your clients to use your work on certain platforms, you are permitting those platforms to use your work to train AI. That is bad. Spectacularly bad. So don’t do it. Make it absolutely unambiguous–if they do that you will sue them for infringement.

Finally, if you aren’t already, start registering your copyrights. Now. It’s the best tool you have to fight these sharks. Don’t think “I can still use the CCB if my work isn’t registered” because (a) you still have to register your work to sue using the CCB; and (b) you won’t get very much from the CCB, especially if your work is not timely registered (no more than $7500, and probably MUCH less).

Posted on

The BOI Filing (how to)

I mentioned in a previous post about the new federal requirement to file a statement of information regarding the “beneficial owners” of an entity–that is, a corporation, partnership, LLC or, in some cases, even a sole proprietorship. Since my firm is a corporation (note the “Inc.” at the end of the name), I had to file one of these, too. 

The good news is that is it pretty simple, especially for businesses that were in existence before January 1, 2024. It’s done online and is pretty straight forward. It’s also free. You just need to have some info ready ahead of time. 

The bad news is that determining who you need to name on the form can be a little confusing.

If you want all the details, this guide (pdf)  is helpful, but I explain the process for most creative businesses, below.  

First, determine who needs to be included on the form. To do that, you need to ask yourself:
1. Who owns 25% or more of the company (be that stock/equity, profit interest/membership, whatever)?
2. Who has substantial control over the running of the company (all the major officers, for example)?

Anyone who fits either of those categories, or both, needs to be included. 

Once you have the list of people to include, you need to get the following info for each person:

  • Full Name
  • Full Address
  • Date of Birth
  • Number, issuer, and expiration date for proof of identity (a US driver’s license or passport is best)–also, you need a scan of the document, saved (pdf, jpg, png) without spaces or weird characters in its name (I did “BurnsID.pdf” for mine, for example) and less than 4MB in size.

Now, you need to have the following information for the business entity itself:

  • Legal Name (that includes its designation like Inc. or LLC–for mine it was “Burns the Attorney, Inc.” for example).
  • Address
  • State of Formation (where did you form your entity–likely your home state; but it may be DE for some of you, or NV, or anywhere, really)
  • Tax ID (EIN or TIN) number.

Okay, now you’re ready to file your report. Here is a simplified step-by-step through the questions*:
(*I highly encourage you talking to an attorney or CPA for best advice before doing this–these steps are probably right for your creative business, but they may not be depending on some things–actual professional advice is best)

1. check “Initial report”

2. date (auto filled)

3. If you want to get issued a FinCEN ID number (especially, if you have employees or will some day): check “yes”

4. (skip)

5. Your entity’s full legal name

6. An alternate or dba name(s) you use, if any

7. What kind of Tax ID are you going to report (SSN, EIN?)

8. Your entity’s tax ID number–WITHOUT its hyphen(s)

9. (skip, unless you have a foreign company)

10. The place (usually the state) where you first formed your entity

11-15. Current US address for the entity

16. If your entity was in existence BEFORE Jan 1, 2024, check yes.

17. (skip)

18-34. Skip if your entity was in existence before January 1, 2024.

35. Skip unless you are reporting a minor child owner.

36. Skip (Unless you already have a FinCenID but I doubt you do)

37. Skip (you’re not exempt)

38. Beneficial Owner #1’s Last Name

39. Their First Name

40. Their Middle name (if they have one)

41. Their name’s suffix, if they have one (like “Jr.”)

42. Their Date of Birth: MM/DD/YYYY format

43-47. Their address.

48. The kind of document they are using to prove ID

49. The number from that doc (for example, DL number)

50. ID doc jurisdiction (country for passport, state for DL)

51. Attach the scan of the document you are using for ID.

That’s it, if you are the only owner! If not, you can add another owner in exactly the same way. 

When you are done, make sure to download a copy of the submission (there’s a button saying “download transcript” for that. Your CPA and/or attorney will likely want copies for their files, but you for sure should hold onto a copy in a safe place with all your other super important business records. 

Now, if you don’t ever move or add or remove owners from your business, you won’t have to file again. If you do, you will have to file an update within 30 calendar days of that change. 

Assuming your business was in existence before 2024, you have until the end of the year to do this but, unless you are planning big changes in 2024, there is no reason to wait. You can do it sooner and get it off your list. Good luck!

Posted on

Taxes and More!

It’s getting near the end of January and, if you’re a US-based business, that means you’re likely facing a couple of tax-related deadlines.

  1. If you hire freelance contractors of any sort, you need to get their 1099s to them by the end of the month.
  2. If you have employees, they need to receive their W2s by the end of the month.

You should also check with your CPA about any state or local reporting requirements.

Also, for all US-based businesses, there is a new reporting requirement that has nothing to do with your taxes: the Beneficial Ownership Information report. I wrote about it on the Architectural Photography Almanac; but, the short version is that if you are any sort of entity (LLC, corp, partnership) or if you have a fictitious business name (probably filed with your county authorities), then you will need to file one of these reports. Who needs to be named is more complicated than it first looks, but your attorney or CPA can help you out with that.

Oh, and that last thing? If your business was formed before Jan 1, 2024, you have all year to file that report; so don’t rush it but don’t wait until the last minute, either.

Posted on

Buddh-ish: Business Planning and Change

2023 has simply flown by for me. It has been a particularly eventful year for me: I had a couple of medical things that were scary, including some gnarly surgery, all of which turned out well (luckily); we did a lot of old house maintenance stuff; I got my motorcycling license and put a deposit down on a new bike; I got engaged1; and I’m currently holding down the fort while the fiancé is off on a two-week solo motorcycle trip for some much needed renewal2.

With the exception of the old house stuff, because there is always old house stuff, none of this was anticipated when the year started. 

I’m a big planner. I’ve got great natural organizational skills which were first honed by my years of repping and producing photoshoots and then rather perfected by attending law school after age 40 while also going through a divorce3. Planning is great; it can really help you be more successful in whatever you are doing. I’m a huge believer that one should make a business plan every year at least for their business. I do and I follow it as much as possible. But planning has its limits: you have to be willing to roll with what life actually throws at you. 

That last part is tough for many people, especially people who like to control. It requires letting go and just riding through whatever the changes are. It means potentially shifting plans and priorities. It requires bending with the wind. Control freaks like me have to learn those skills: the skill of letting go; of being able to sit in uncomfortableness4; of letting things be as they are.

Most creatives, oddly like most lawyers, are control freaks. I think this comes from many of both groups having experienced traumas in our lives, especially as children, but I’ll leave assigning the causation to the mental health professionals to sort out. Point is, creatives (and lawyers) like to control things in their lives and often do not feel well when they feel out of control.

I have a secret to tell you: we are always out of control. 
I have another secret: we always get through it.

What do I mean? Just that humans like to feel in control but really, we can’t control anything other than our own behavior. We can’t even control our own thoughts, often! In Buddhism, they talk about thoughts arising—as if they were their own beings. We can’t control them from arising5, only notice them. But behavior? Yup, that we can control. We can choose to respond thoughtfully rather than react thoughtlessly, for example. Or to be kind. Or to be generous. Or to be compassionate. So, when the world goes on being the world, you do have the ability to choose what you do in it. And, no matter what you choose, impermanence6 dictates that whatever it is that is making us feel out of control will pass even if we do absolutely nothing about it.

Yeah, control freaks hate this…at first. We want to fix, or stop the bad feelings, or hold onto the good feelings… but really, we can’t do anything but ride the waves and choose how to behave well. Once we accept that reality, the bumps in life become much less troublesome, even the big scary ones. 

In my case, all the weirdness of this year, could have easily thrown me into a tizzy. I could have panicked about a gazillion times or tried to force an outcome, but it would have done more harm than good. Instead, I observed the unexpected and rode out the discomforts, without trying to control them. I worked my plans, but changed them as needed to accommodate the unexpected. In the end, I have had a very good year, both personally and professionally. In my work, I have helped my clients and received both many kind words and some greenbacks in the process. I am grateful for it all.

Now, I’m getting to work on my 2024 business planning. And life planning. Knowing that both are as flexible as prairie grass in the wind. I encourage you to do the same. 

  1. It was a surprise proposal, for sure. Also, in case you were wondering, no date set nor is one likely to be any time soon—we’re in no rush and are rather more likely to just elope sometime when we feel like it. ↩︎
  2. Something I deeply encourage everyone to do at least once a year—take some time to yourself to get grounded again. ↩︎
  3. Definitely not a combo I recommend to anyone, but it was a great way to prove up my resilience and organizational skills. ↩︎
  4. I highly suggest reading Pema Chödron’s works on this subject. She’s been incredibly helpful in my practice. ↩︎
  5. Well, most of us can’t. There are higher techniques in Buddhism to train the mind to control thoughts more but, for most of us, just knowing that thoughts arise on their own is enough to handle. ↩︎
  6. Everything is impermanent and constantly changing. In short, there is no there there. Good or bad, it will come and go. ↩︎
Posted on

Say Yes to No

I’m a firm believer in saying yes and generally being positive about things; have done for years. For example, if a client has a technically gnarly project, saying “Oh, that looks super hard” and then explaining how much work it is going to be or, worse, even hinting that you might fail, is not a good idea for your business. Instead, saying “Oh, that looks super hard…I love a challenge! I’m sure my team and I will find a solution!” will engender confidence in your client. Later, when you hand them a big estimate, they’ll remember you as the creative who said they could do it, increasing your chances of winning the project even with big numbers. So saying yes is a great thing for your business… except when it isn’t.

How often have you heard a (potential) client send you a contract and say “Everyone agrees to this” or “Oh, sure, the doc says you are assigning us your copyrights and that you can’t use the work, but we’ll let you use it” or “It’s industry standard to have a 90-day payment period,” or “You have to indemnify us against any claim that arises when you’re shooting for us, not just those related to your work or employees–no one ever makes an issue of that” etc. ? A bunch, I’ll bet and I bet you’ve often accepted those terms, trusting your client. Then, later…well, as Marlon Brando in Guys and Dolls says,“Daddy, I got cider in my ear!”

The sad truth is that, whenever someone in a financial transaction with you says one thing but the paperwork says another, they have an ulterior motive and it ain’t good for you. Hearing anything like “oh, don’t worry…” or “You’re the only person who has ever asked…” is your signal that you absolutely must go with what the papers say. Always. Your clients, no matter how nice, are not on your side. They can’t be—they are negotiating for their best deal, not yours. You can like them, but don’t ever trust their word over what is on the page.

The terms they are insisting on are good…good for them, that is, and so they do use them. If they didn’t, the terms would not be there. Always. So, if they are saying “oh, we never do this thing the contract says we can do” and they won’t take it out, then you know they want to do exactly what they claim they never do, and will do exactly that if they can. 

Relatedly, if your client/buyer tells you “my way or the highway,” waste no time in politely taking the second option. As the current writers’ and actors’ strikes confirm, bullying and fear-mongering is pervasive in the creative industries. All of them. Threats about not getting work are just manipulative bullshit. You didn’t have the gig but then lose it by saying “no”; nope, they just wanted to scare you into accepting a bad deal. Walk away. Use the time to get a better client. 

Don’t bother trying to fix them or teach them the errors of their ways. You can’t control what your clients/buyers do and you’ll drive yourself mad if you try. But, you can control what you do. 

The first thing is to know where your boundaries are. You can negotiate lots of things, but you should always know what lines you will not cross and respect those limits. No one will respect them if you don’t. You can and I think MUST set your own limits; and you should do it before any negotiations so that you know what they are. Write them out like a list if that helps: will never sell copyrights; will only indemnify for my own actions; will not lower my price without getting something (besides just getting the gig) in return; etc. 

Once you have your limits defined, then you can respond rationally to whatever demands are made. So, for example, if a client insists on owning your copyrights created for the project, you can say “No” if your line is ownership, or, if you’re willing to sell at the right price, say “Not at this price—if you want full ownership, that will cost $X.”  Don’t explain, don’t rationalize, and don’t be suckered in by them. Stick to your own boundaries. For example, “I hear you, but I won’t sell my copyrights for this price–you need to either pay more or get a license instead.” If they ask “Why?” you can simply say that this is how you run your business. Period.

You can use your boundary list for contract negotiations of all kinds: time to pay, deposits, usage license terms, indemnification clauses, you name it. When you do that, you are taking good care of your business: You set your limits. You have control. 

Saying “no” to bad terms and bad deals does not make you a jerk, it makes you a smart businessperson. And, although standing up for your rights and doing what is best for you and your business is not always easy, it is vital. The other side is surely going to stand up for theirs.

Posted on

Drop Your Ego and Raise Your Usage Fees

I have written before about the importance of separating your fees and costs/expenses on your invoices (actually, on all your paperwork) so I’m not going to go into that again, but I will once again nag you to make your license fees the largest number of your fees, if at all possible. Why? Because there is a new (tentative) ruling in the CCB that shows how low license fees can hurt you.

In this case, a photographer made the work as a part of a large shoot for a client. His original bill was well into the six figures, yay! However, as the Board notes:

During the shoot, Hursey shot approximately forty-two scenes, with a scene consisting of multiple versions of the same setting and activity with minor differences. Hearing Tr. at 39:00 – 39: 57. In the present case, the scene consisted of a family at a picnic with a pastoral background. Evidence Doc B (Dkt. 17). Hursey was paid $185,524.45 in total for the shoot, but most of that amount was reimbursement for costs and payment for his time, while $17,500 was for an unlimited license to use all of the photographs taken over the course of the shoot. 

Proposed Default Determination, at p.3 (bold added)

An unlimited license should definitely be the largest number on your paperwork–it is HUGE usage! Let’s conservatively estimate that in this project, the photographer provided finals of 3 variations of 42 scenes, or a total of 126 images (it was likely much more, of course), $17500 divided by 126 is a whopping $138.89 per photo licensed. That’s insane.

Photographers and other creatives have got to stop billing their Creative Fee as if it is the most important thing. That is just your ego talking–a bigger Creative Fee means YOU are somehow worth more…. **HURL**! It’s short-sighted, at best.

Worse, using time as the basis of your Creative Fee makes you into the equivalent of a wage slave and insults your professionalism. It doesn’t matter if it takes you 30 minutes or 3 days to create your work–it is your TALENT and ABILITIES that count. If you have 30 years of experience and can make the difficult shot in an hour where a newer photographer would take all day, why should you be penalized for that?! So, stop billing as if time and your ego matter. Instead, think long term: you can re-license for more if you bill more for usage from the start! And it will help you if you ever get ripped off. Bill a reasonable Creative Fee, not time-based, and bill a large (but reasonable) Usage License Fee.

On the good side in the case cited above, the photographer has an online calculator for his stock licenses and that provided a number of $1000.70 for the same use as the infringer made of the photograph (still too low, in my opinion, but better). The Board relied on that number and awarded $3000 for the infringement here. Id. at 9. Whew. I mean, I think that is still way too low an award but it’s a hell of a lot better than 3 times $138.89. If the photographer here did not have published rates as he did, the court would very likely have awarded him $750, the minimum statutory damages available.

Respect your work by billing its worth. Your future self will thank you.

Posted on

Life Happens

There is an old saying that life happens while you’re busy making other plans. I have found this to be profoundly true, generally. It’s a good Buddhist reminder to stay present, but it’s even better at reminding us that no matter how carefully we plan our lives, things will arise that will demand our attention, no matter what plans we have made otherwise. I am currently experiencing one of those moments. 

For some time, years actually, I’ve been having some minor medical issues that I have been ascribing to aging and how our bodies are imperfect. Things would flare up now and again and I would treat myself better, then things would go back to a relative normal. Until a few months ago when the things got much more annoying. No amount of breathing, stretching, changes in diet, meditation, laying off running, etc., were working. The pain was ratcheting up and my sleep was getting disturbed, even more than the usual caused by our animals in bed. I virtually never take so much as an Advil, and suddenly I was taking them on the regular. My quality of life took a slow nosedive and, finally, I ended up at my doc’s office. He sent me for a surgical consultation; and, well, next week, I will be getting surgery. 

It’s outpatient, but still kind of gnarly and I’m not looking forward to the immediate post-op recovery phase. I don’t like taking meds generally and certainly not strong pain meds which, by all accounts, I will need. I don’t like being reliant on others, not being permitted to drive, and not being permitted to work (pain meds and lawyering do not mix!). But the procedures have a very high success rate, the pain meds will be a short-term thing (hopefully only a couple/few days), and, once fully recovered (which will take time), I should be good as new. 

So, what does this have to do with lawyering besides the fact that I will have to take a few days off? Well, not to be morbid but there is a teeny chance I could never wake up or something could go wrong and I, like the cobbler’s son, didn’t have proper shoes. That is, like most of us, I didn’t have some very important legal things taken care of.

I have had my will, a durable power of attorney, and a medical power of attorney completed and sitting on my desk for more than 6 months, waiting to be executed. In California, all of these docs need to be signed in front of and attested to by two disinterested witnesses (that is, people who have no financial incentive like being an inheritor) and it was a minor hassle to get that accomplished. So, the docs just sat there on my desk, waiting to be executed. This impending procedure got me off my ass and, last week, I called two neighbors who agreed to be my witnesses and executed the docs. 

Now, like I said, it is very unlikely that any of those docs will be needed soon, but I can go into my procedure knowing that my chosen person will be able to make decisions, if necessary, rather than having a certain pushy relative try to step in and do, most likely, exactly not what I would want; and that my assets won’t go to anyone I don’t want to get them. I can now, generally, sleep at night knowing that I won’t be making my loved ones’ lives more difficult if I get incapacitated or die at any time. 

Far too many of us haven’t made plans for our incapacity or death, and we really need to. It’s terrible to love someone and not be able to do what they want, because you don’t have the legal authority. Worse yet, imagine being subject to the medical decisions of your QAnon-kool-aid-drinking parent or sibling because you’re not legally married (making that spouse probably legally able to step in) or you don’t have a proper doc naming a person you trust! Yikes!

So, if you don’t have all your docs in order, including updating them if you have new kids or a new partner since previous drafting, do it now. Trust me, you’ll sleep better.

Posted on

A Rant

Business is hard. To paraphrase a favorite movie, anyone who says otherwise is selling something. Business is work and doing the stuff you don’t want to do. Business is hiring accountants and lawyers and making pitches to potential clients and doing research and paperwork and making trips to Costco.

Oh, and making your art, too. More on that in a bit.

It’s sacrifice and frustration. It’s making tough choices like to take what may be a cashflow hit now (like by saying no to a shitty, lowballing client) for the possibility of a long-term gain. It means having to say “no” to a lot more than you ever imagined, like to buying you or your kids stuff because you need to pay your over-priced health insurance.

It means having to smile to clients who are driving you nuts.

But, don’t forget, you chose this path.
Stop and think just how great that is. You are Here, as the sign says.

No matter how tough it gets, no matter how much you struggle in your business and to make your art, you are here and doing it. No matter how psychotic the client demands, how long the hours, how much you miss your life partner because you’ve been locked in post for the past week, or how frustrating the airlines are being about your gear, it beats the hell out of the Alternative, as my father used to say before the Alternative caught up to him at 92.

Take a moment to remember those who have inspired you and then honor them by recognizing that we’re all here temporarily and need to embrace the fantastic opportunity that presents. Play your music a little louder, do the drudge work with a better attitude, and push your art more.

About that last bit… are you playing it safe? Are you making the work you have been told you ought to make, that clients want to see, that won’t scare off potential clients? Then do us all a favor and quit now.

No one will pay more for your art than the next person’s “content” unless you believe in its value and, most of all, you make something original. If you feel like “anyone could have done this” about your work, you are probably right. Moreover, it’s not worth anything. So why are you wasting your time? Worse, why are you wasting everyone else’s? Why are you making the people who love you suffer more because you don’t have a regular job with normal hours and vacation days? Stop pretending to be a creative professional and whining about the state of the industry while doing what not only hurts you, but what directly causes the industry’s downfall.

Harsh? Maybe. In the words of the fabulous Margo Channing: fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.

Look, if you feel like your work could be made by anyone, then you aren’t working hard enough to make your art. I don’t know what you are doing, but it’s not being an artist. A poseur, an influencer, a faker, maybe, but sure as hell not an artist.

If that’s you, quit now, because that “play it safe” attitude is bullshit, especially today. You are only contributing to the illusion that anyone (or, in the case of AI, anyTHING) can be a creator. You are lowering the perceived value of creativity by flooding the market with even more shit work. Those creative pros who are busting their asses making really creative work are having to fight harder than ever to get seen, not to mention dollars for their efforts, because people like you make artists look like lazy, spoiled children who don’t work hard and simply luck out when they actually make something more. Like artistic nepo-babies.

In case you didn’t know, making art is hard damn work. Art requires more. More effort. More bravery. More of you. You need to put yourself out there to make the work. You should be spent, having given a part of you in the making. If it really is totally easy for you, you aren’t trying hard enough.

But, damn, y’all are sure whining about how no one wants to hire you or pay you enough. Funny how you can’t seem to accept that if you are phoning it in, you are a big part of the problem.

Put the pieces together and the equation is simple: you won’t get work playing it safe because safe work is shit and no one wants to hire someone who makes shit, no matter how nice you are; so, you might as well make the stuff you have in your soul, the stuff you hide from everyone, even quite probably yourself, the stuff that lots of people might actively hate or at least not understand, the stuff that is real.

Here’s your new mantra:
You don’t need everyone’s approval.
You don’t need anyone’s approval.
You don’t need to be liked.
You just need to make the work, your work, your real work; and bill its value rather than some lowball rate or, worse, for the “exposure.”

You make your real art? Then no one can touch you.

Posted on

10 Commandments for Commercial Photographers*

    The 10 items below are written primarily for photographers but, really, the ideas apply to all commercial artists, whatever your speciality.

    1. Understand and accept that you will make mistakes. You are going to forget a battery or mess up a setting or forget to double-dog confirm that one stylist or something. None of this is terminal, even if it is hard now. You’re a creative problem-solver–you’ll find a way through it. 
    2. You are not your images. If you show your work to someone and they don’t like it, don’t take it personally. Art is subjective. Just because your work isn’t right for them doesn’t mean you suck. 
    3. No matter how much you know, someone else will always know more. Always be learning and be willing to learn. Take classes. Listen to clients. Be open to other ideas. 
    4. Don’t get stuck on the final. You may know exactly what image you want to make, but if you stop there or hyper-focus on making only that image, you may miss out on an even better image. Play. 
    5. Treat people who know less than you with respect, kindness, and patience. Your corporate “suit” client, let’s call him “Bob,” may offer up the lamest idea in the universe on a shoot. Be kind to him–he is trying. Be kind to your assistants and crew too while you are at it. You are not a god (read #1 again) but just another human being like those around you, even if you have talent in an area they don’t. Don’t be an egotistical jerk. 
    6. The only constant in the world is change. “While we’re here, can we just shoot…” or “I just found out we need the model to be blonde” and the like are opportunities, not difficulties–if you choose to look at them that way. Same for market changes and technology changes. Be open to change. 
    7. The only true authority stems from knowledge, not from position. You can’t force a client to respect you, but you can earn that respect by demonstrating your professionalism compassionately and openly at every opportunity. 
    8. Advocate for what you believe, but accept defeat graciously. They client may say they want your look, but sometimes the boss of the client’s boss’ boss wants it how they want it and that is just that. Pitch your ideas, advocate for them passionately, then let go when it won’t change a thing. When that happens, just make the best work you can within your client’s parameters and, when it’s done, move on and cash the check in peace. 
    9. Reach out. You can’t expect people to know about you and your work just because you have a social media presence. You need to get out there and meet people. The more you put yourself out there to the world, the greater the chance you’ll connect with someone who really wants to work with you. 
    10. It’s art–not a tumor. If your work feels like, well, work, I mean like drudgery/work, then you might want to think about another career. You need to love what it is you are doing–making images needs to be a joy, a release, a passion–it needs to be the fun part. The rest of business is generally not fun (bookkeeping, insurance, taxes, etc.); making the work should be joyful. If you don’t absolutely love it, you need to try to re-find that fun/passion/joy. Otherwise, you might as well do something that has a regular paycheck and benefits like health insurance. 

    (* I originally wrote the first version of this in 2008–I’ve updated it here but the original has held up very well, almost 15 years later)

    Posted on

    Ho Ho Holy Crap, Where Did the Year Go?!?

    Blue heeler unhappily wearing fabric antlers with a bell dangling off the right one.
    Mongo no like antlers

    The other day, on NPR, they ran a story about people who are studying how we (humans) experience time and one of the commonalities is that the pandemic affected that. For most people, it was a slowing of time–a day felt like many more than 24 hours, a week more like a month, et cetera. But as things have opened up, for many people time has started to fly.

    I am definitely one of those people. In short, while 2020 and 2021 slogged, 2022 has flown by. I can’t believe the end-of-the-year holidays are upon us already.

    My usual plans for the end of the year got bumped when my partner got Covid just days before Thanksgiving. Then, despite mask wearing and his isolation, he still gave it to me, forcing me to isolate for the week after Thanksgiving. Luckily, we both came through with only mild (me) to moderate (him) symptoms (thanks to the vaccines), but it has forced a change in our usual holiday activities.

    Anyway, here we are. This year, I incorporated my law practice, got some new clients (thank you!), got threatened with a lawsuit for daring to send a demand letter to someone (ugh), started writing for the Architectural Photography Almanac, quit Twitter and moved to Mastodon, and handled many matters for my clients. It was, overall, a good year.

    In thanks to all of you who permit me to do what I am passionate about and, as is my custom, I have made donations to a couple of charities rather than sending you tchotchkes as thank-you gifts. This year, I made a single donation to the NPPA’s fund and committed to a monthly contribution to the Souther Poverty Law Center. Both organizations do much good in a difficult world.

    Thank you, all of you, my clients past, present, and future, for permitting me to serve you. I hope I may do so for some time to come.

    Here’s to a wonderful 2023 for us all.

    Terms of Service Proudly powered by WordPress