Artist Professional Development Series: Financial Skills for
Seminar Information
Every Wednesday, starting February 18th - March 25th (6 Weeks)
3.00 PM - 5.00 PM (Pacific)
Online Via Zoom
Get ready for tax season and take control of your artistic career with our
Spring Professional Development Series, a six-session program designed specifically for artists.
This series offers practical tools and clear guidance to help you manage your finances, maximize savings, and navigate the Canadian tax system with confidence. Managing money doesn’t have to be the hardest part of being an artist. This six-week program is designed for artists seeking clarity, confidence, and control over their finances—without sacrificing creative energy.
Led by three experienced financial professionals, the series meets you where you are and guides you step by step to:
- Get organized with practical bookkeeping and tax-planning tools
- Build stability through smarter budgeting, saving, and money tracking
- Protect your practice by understanding taxes, audits, and CRA expectations
Each session builds on the last, helping you move from uncertainty to confidence and from reactive decision-making to long-term financial resilience.
Register for individual sessions, or sign up for all six sessions and receive one session free, plus an additional discount.
Individual Sessions: $75 for members | $80 for non-members
All Six Sessions: $360 for members | $385 for non-members
COST AND REGISTRATION:
Members: $360.00 for all six sessions
Non-Members: $385.00 for all six sessions
Register online by clicking "Register Now", or register by phone at 604-681-2744, or at the Federation Gallery (Mon - Sun, 10am - 4pm).
Program Details
Session 1.1:Bookkeeping Best Practices for Artists by Gillian Cofsky
Keeping your finances organized doesn’t have to be daunting.
In this practical session, we’ll explore how artists can manage their cash flow, stay on top of expenses, and meet CRA requirements.
All without needing an accounting degree!
Session 1.2: Tax Planning for Artists by Gillian Cofsky
Navigating taxes as an artist can be confusing, but with a little planning, you can stay organized, reduce stress, and make the most of available tax benefits. This session is designed to help artists confidently prepare for income tax season.
Session 2.1: Financial Foundations for Artists: Save Smart, Thrive Long-Term by Karen Atkinson
For many artists, finances are often only addressed in times of crisis. However, with a little planning, you can build stability, confidence, and a path toward long-term success. This session is designed to help artists understand and manage their income, expenses, savings, and taxes so they can thrive in both their creative practice and personal life.
Session 2.2:Money Mapping for Artists: Track, Manage, Succeed by Karen Atkinson
For artists, knowing where your money goes and where your work is at all times can be the key to staying organized, avoiding last-minute stress, and making informed creative decisions. This session focuses on practical strategies for budgeting and managing your art inventory so your projects and your finances run smoothly.
Session 3.1: Tax Bootcamp by Sunny Widerman
This is the workshop that brings it all together: business deductions, filing deadlines, saving money for tax, GST/HST registration, and keeping the right records. It’s all about avoiding the pitfalls and keeping CRA happy with the least amount of stress and fuss. At the end of this session participants will be forearmed with everything they need to know to stay out of trouble and get back to the work they love, ASAP.
Session 3.2: Audit Proofing by Sunny Widerman
Tax audits. Is there anything more terrifying? The bad news is, audits are much, much more common for self-employed people and business owners than they are for salaried people with regular jobs. Moreover even the most conscientious person can be audited.
The good news is, it’s possible to come through one reasonably unscathed. The secret lies not in how you react to an audit, but to the decisions you make months or even years before you’re audited.
Participants in this eye-opening session will learn the simple yet powerful secrets to preparing for the possibility for audits, and coming through the other side with a smile.