First off, congrats on making the leap from side-hustling your art to rolling in it full-time. Well, maybe not rolling just yet, but we’re gonna make sure the IRS knows you’re serious about this whole making-a-living-from-your-creativity thing. Taxes can be a beast, but understanding deductions is like discovering a cheat code for a game you didn't even know you were playing.
Today, we're talking specifically about the kind of business expenses that so many illustrators forget to count: content creation. You’re already thinking about cost of goods sold—like art supplies, canvas, or the mountain of stickers you’re selling—but what about the time and effort you put into promoting your work? Anything that helps get eyes on your art (and wallets into your store) is a deductible expense.
1. Outfit Videos & Shopping Hauls: Your Aesthetic Is Marketing, Baby
As an artist, your brand isn’t just your work—it’s your entire vibe. Creating content that shows off your aesthetic is a legit form of marketing. I sell T-shirts as the backbone of my income for Letter Shoppe, so I create outfit-of-the-day videos, get-ready-with-me clips, and even shopping haul videos. Why? Because nobody’s buying a cool graphic tee from a person whose personal style screams "I got dressed in the dark."
If you're making these kinds of videos, all the things you wear and feature count as marketing expenses. Let me repeat: That. Is. A. Tax. Deduction. The jeans you pair with your T-shirt? Deductible. The mirror you film in front of? Also deductible. Your followers watch your reels not just for your art, but for the whole package. You’re selling a lifestyle, and the IRS needs to know that lifestyle costs money.
Video Example:
Hook Topic: “Why I’ll Never Get Dressed Without This T-shirt Again”
Broad Appeal: Show how your art integrates into everyday life. The vibe attracts your tribe, and your tribe buys shirts.
2. Cosplay & Conventions: Let Your Nerd Flag Fly, and Let Uncle Sam Help Pay for It
Let’s talk sci-fi and fantasy artists for a second. You love a good convention, right? Whether you're attending for inspiration or hosting a booth to sell prints, the costs associated with being there are deductible.
Did you cosplay while you were there? That’s marketing. The costume, the makeup, the wigs—all tax deductions. Those are business expenses, not just an excuse to dress up as your favorite character. Even the con ticket counts. You’re learning, networking, and creating content. As long as you’re using that footage for your art business, it’s part of your creative expense portfolio.
Video Example:
Hook Topic: “My Favorite Cosplays and Why I’d Never Wear Them Again”
Behind-the-Scenes Angle: Include scenes from your booth or your experiences and lessons from the con floor. You were there for the art, after all.
3. Home Decor: Show Off Your Space and Watch Your Audience Match Your Vibe
Say you’re a print artist. You want people to buy your pieces to hang up on their walls. You could just show them the print on a sterile white background, or you could film yourself decorating your apartment with your art. It’s about creating an experience, showing people exactly how your prints can add that perfect pop of color to a room. Suddenly, your living space is a set, and the candles, fake plants, and funky chairs you buy are props in your business. Tax-deductible props, I should add.
Video Example:
Hook Topic: “Decorate My Space with Me and Make Your Home Look Like a Retro Dream”
Engagement Boost: By taking viewers along for the home decor journey, you're also giving them a reason to fall in love with your prints in action—right on your wall.
4. Tools for Content Creation: Cameras, Lighting, Props—Oh My!
Don't forget the tech. Your phone, your camera, your ring light, the fancy editing software you downloaded because you needed that extra sparkle transition—all deductible. Anything you need to make your content look amazing is part of running a creative business. And if you’re a first-year full-time artist, your tax preparer will probably even suggest you go ahead and expense the laptop you bought a few months back.
Video Example Ideas:
For Traditional Artists: “How I Film My Painting Process (Without Getting Paint All Over My Phone)”
For Digital Artists: “This Editing Hack Changed My Life: The Behind-the-Scenes You Didn’t Know You Needed”
5. Broadening Topics for More Views: Niche Is Nice, But Broad Pays the Bills
When planning your content, think beyond just showing your work. If you’re an artist in the fantasy niche, review the sci-fi books that inspire you. If you’re a home decor artist, give people a full makeover tour of your bedroom. These broader topics pull in viewers who might not have found you otherwise, but are still very likely to love your art.
Examples for Broader Content Topics:
Fantasy Illustrators: Review the fantasy books or movies that inspired your latest collection. Make a vlog about your trip to a historical re-enactment or a Renaissance fair and connect it to your current work.
Home Decor Artists: Share tips for styling small spaces, show how to create gallery walls, or even do a thrift store haul to find decor pieces that go with your prints.
6. Stuff You’re Probably Forgetting to Deduct
Subscriptions: Adobe Creative Cloud, royalty-free music subscriptions, or that editing software you downloaded for $49.99—it’s all business.
Travel: Gas or Uber expenses to attend a gallery opening or convention. Traveling to get inspiration or create content is deductible. Just make sure you’re also posting from the trip!
Meals & Entertainment: That coffee you bought to have an "artist meeting" with yourself while sketching ideas? If it’s for work, it counts. Even more so if you're actually discussing a collab over that latte.
Props & Set Design: That $5 plant from IKEA that makes the corner of your studio look more alive? Part of the set, babe. Deduct it.
7. Make Taxes Less Painful
If you’re already feeling overwhelmed thinking about all these expenses, let me introduce you to a little lifesaver: Fiverr Workspace (affiliate link). It automatically syncs all of my payments and expenses, so come tax time, I have a nice, neat printout of all my itemized expenses ready to go. Whether you’re using H&R Block or TurboTax, it’ll make your tax filing a breeze. And yes, the subscription cost of Fiverr Workspace is also a deductible expense.
More Tax Help & Content Strategy Tips
Taxes may be a headache, but they don’t have to be the end of your creative spirit. Learn how to structure your art business with smart marketing techniques that make sense for you by checking out Creating a Stellar Art Website: Tips & SEO Strategies and Marketing Basics for Illustrators. Trust me, they’re full of ways to keep that audience—and those sales—rolling in.
If you’re still feeling iffy on taxes, The Hartford’s guide to business taxes and GYST’s resources on artist taxes have some great, straightforward info that’ll help you feel less like you’re drowning in a sea of tax lingo.
Final Thoughts
I know, taxes aren't the most glamorous thing about being an artist. But being a full-time artist is all about finding ways to make money from the art you love to create, and making the taxman your ally is a part of that hustle. Start treating all those TikToks, YouTube videos, and Insta reels like the professional marketing they are. Every time you post, you’re working. Every time you buy something that makes your content better, you’re investing in your career.
And hey, if you’re struggling to figure out if something counts, just remember: if it wouldn’t exist without your art business, it’s probably deductible. Your vibe might be priceless, but at least you can write off the cost.
