A Cultural Education Series for
Creatives, Businesses, and Non-Profits
The Practice Best Practice series of workshops is planned to help segments of the cultural community on the Southcoast to improve their practice and enhance their success in the creative economy. We recognize that there are many types of participants in the creative economy and each has a different perspective and set of economic realities. This series of workshops helps each group learn about best practices for their own group and ways to work with the other groups to foster professional and financial success. MORE
All of the Practice Best Practice workshops have been recorded. These videos are available on our YouTube channel or through Public Access TV. Each description on the Workshops page includes a link to the video and all the resources given out during the workshops.
OUR MOST RECENT WORKSHOP | See All
Tax Planning and Schedule C for creatives
WEDNESDAY, September 13, 2023
When you receive a grant for a project that is paid to you as an individual your first reaction is to rejoice: you got funding! Your next should be how am I going to track the income and expenses so I don't pay too much of the money as taxes. This workshop provides info to help you understand planning for taxes, organizing record keeping and what you can write off against your 1099 (grant & other) income. We focused on how to manage tracking what should be declared on your Schedule C or other tax records filed under your own tax id. All the Details
WORKSHOP | See All
Essential Marketing for Creatives: How to Promote Yourself and Get Results
WEDNESDAY, June 7, 2023
Even the most interesting work you can do can languish if no one is aware of it. Learn why you need marketing through social media and how to promote yourself (and get results) through that and effective email blasts. Learn how to manage your marketing and your public identity. Find out the basics of how often to put things out and what are the basics of good posts in social media and good content in email blasts. Learn some basics of the tools available for social media management and email marketing creation. This is a basic level workshop and no previous experience is necessary. All the Details
Would you like to sponsor a workshop? Sponsorship level details are available in this pdf.
Practice Best Practice workshops
Essential Marketing for Creatives: How to Promote Yourself and Get Results
Even the most interesting work you can do can languish if no one is aware of it. Learn why you need marketing through social media and how to promote yourself (and get results) through that and effective email blasts. Read More
Writing Placemaking Grants
Publicly accessible art and community participation are at the heart of many arts and culture grants, known as place-based grants. This workshop covers the basic building blocks that make up a proposal, including the review process and how to persevere through rejection. Read More
Project Planning for Creatives
Many of the things creatives do require a complex set of plans. Deciding the type of project, its goals, the scope, the timeline, the materials, the team (if any), the budget, finding funding, or producing a project proposal can feel daunting without a plan. Read More
Helping Creatives to Sell
Creatives have to manage a variety of issues when it comes to selling their work. This ranges from finding venues to sell in to setting prices for the work. This workshop covered many of these issues Read More
Pay Equity and Justice for Freelancers
What hourly pay provided to a freelancer amounts to minimum wage for an employee, a living wage or a reasonable professional wage? While it is hard to be precise it is possible to create reasonable estimates. Read More
Art of Numbers: Bookkeeping for Creatives
This workshop is for creatives of all disciplines (music, fine art, craft, performance, dance, etc.) who want to improve, heal, renew, or start a new relationship with money. Read More
National Park Artist Residencies:
how they work, and why you should apply!
Did you know the National Park Service has over 50 artist residencies in national parks, monuments, and historical sites across the country? Read More
Taxes for Creatives
This workshop focused on things creatives who make some, or all of their living from their creative practice, or spend money trying to make money on it, should know about tax record keeping, tax filing, tax accounting for the costs and income, tax planing and retirement planning. Read More
Grant Writing for Artists
A presentation on the nuts and bolts of applying to grant programs for the MA artist. The focus is primarily on grant programs and resources for individual artists as provided by the Mass Cultural Council. Read More
Applying for Artist Residencies
This workshop is for anyone who has ever thought about or tried applying for a fellowship. Learn how to write a strong application. Read More
Why Haven't You Started Your Art Collection Yet?
This workshop is intended to demystify art viewing and art collecting. Read More
Showing for Exposure - How to Avoid Classic Artist Mistakes and Get Yourself Paid
This workshop included a panel presentation and discussion. The target audience is primarily artists wishing to exhibit and sell their art work. Read More