Tax 101 for Ceramic Artists: What I Actually Do (and What I Wish I’d Known Sooner)

I’m not a CPA — and nothing in this video is professional tax advice. What I can tell you is what I actually do, what I learned from doing it wrong first, and what I wish someone had explained when I started selling ceramics. If your finances are complicated: hire an accountant. It’s worth it.
For everyone else — especially if you’re just starting out as a self-employed ceramicist — this is a practical walkthrough of the main things that matter.

What I cover:
🏛️ Sole proprietor vs. LLC vs. S-corp — and when it makes sense to change
💳 Why a separate business bank account is the single best thing you can do early
✂️ The deductions most ceramicists underuse: home studio, mileage, software, health insurance, education
📋 My actual bookkeeping system (a spreadsheet, updated monthly — old school but it works)
🧾 The receipt system that keeps audits from being terrifying
💰 Retirement accounts for self-employed people: 401k, IRA, HSA — and why they matter
📁 The exact documents to gather before you sit down to file
🤔 Should you hire a CPA?

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Introduction & disclaimer
2:08 Business structure: sole proprietor, LLC, or S-corp
2:55 Open a separate business bank account from day one
4:08 Deductions: what ceramicists can actually write off
7:22 Bookkeeping: pick a system and update it monthly
9:26 The receipt system
10:50 Retirement accounts: 401k, IRA, HSA
12:44 Documents to gather before filing
14:09 Should you hire a CPA?

📌 Download the free Ceramic Artist Tax Prep Checklist → loramceramics.com/blog/tax-101-ceramic-artists

LEARN MORE
🎨 Textures in Ceramics course (glaze chemistry from scratch, how to mix & adjust your own glazes) → https://www.loramceramics.com/textures-in-ceramics/
Textures in Ceramics is opening for enrollment late August — spots are limited, so email maria@loramceramics.com to get on the waitlist first.
🌋 The Glaze is Lava course (everything about silicon carbide glazes — lavas, crawls, special effects) → https://www.loramceramics.com/the-glaze-is-lava
💛 Patreon — all the recipes from these tests, 5–6 new sets every month ($15/month) → https://www.patreon.com/c/MariaLoram

I’m Maria Loram — a functional ceramics artist creating pieces for interior design. I specialize in textural glazes and on this channel I share glaze experiments, studio life, workshop stories, and the real side of running a creative business.
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🌐 https://loramceramics.com
📸 https://www.instagram.com/loram.ceramics/

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