So, you're a necktie-noosed corporate hound eating takeout at your desk over a pile of TPS reports. What happened to you, man? You were a Creative Writing major, or a budding studio artist. Or, maybe you banged Steinways in the basement while your roommates shotgunned Natty Lights back in the dorm, every day creeping closer to that glorious moment when you could proudly proclaim ... by writing it out on your tax returns ... that you, friend, are an artist.

You didn't see yourself here, did you Sport? Wearing shirts with collars. Unjamming copy machines. If you'd had a five year plan back then - which you didn't, because you were a freewheeling art student - this would not have been in it.

What you're going through is a rite of passage for most anyone who has ever "made it," and one day you'll too take the plunge in quitting your day job and redoubling your efforts in the art world. When you do, you might consider packing a 'chute. Golden or not.

CentralTrak hears you, and tonight they're bringing you a panel in conjunction with TALA - Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, which unexpectedly exists, first of all. Learn how to carpe diem after the jump.

Whether you are branching out into self-employment in order to refocus on your craft, or whether you are a seasoned artist with a ledger full of sales, education never hurts. Tonight's panel offers advice on insurance questions, intellectual property issues, and general tips for utilizing TALA, which "matches low-income artists and small budget arts nonprofits with volunteer attorneys and accountants to assist with arts-related legal and financial matters." Well, hot damn. That's a resource and a half.

We know all too intimately that "being practical" doesn't often naturally befall us humanities-types, so go ahead and jot down some queries for the Q&A. Scratch out any that amount to baseless anecdotal accounts of suspicion against Shepard Fairey for re-purposing an original Hentai image you drew during that bender last fall.

So, get thee tonight to 800 Exposition Avenue from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. for the free seminar. RSVP at info@talarts.org.

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