Have I Finally Arrived???

I'm a bit under the weather with a stomach bug and doing well to sit at the 'puter. I was very surprised to received an email from another artist telling me that I have been featured in Ugly's Fraud Blog.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Me??? I'm finally big enough, known enough, am somebody enough to get on her radar??? Really? Wow!

Well, I guess I DID sort of ask for it... I've done my damnedest to feature those same artists right here and send them a little love and positive reinforcement. Life is hard enough without being a target of a psycho!

I don't know where Ugly gets her info and her post about me has NO information in it! (Couldn't she have at least linked to one of my stores like she did the others????)

So here are the facts for anyone interested:

1) Holly Dare is my "pen name" and what I sell my art under. It is not my legal name but PART of my legal name.

2) I do have a business license with my county / state under my business name, Sweet Stampen AND added my pen name to my license this year. I've had the Sweet Stampen license since October 2004, when I bought the company I was working for. Prior to that I was employed as an independent contractor by Sweet Stampen and several other out of state companies.

3) I have never accepted a payment under Holly Dare until this year. I always requested payment to my business name of Sweet Stampen.

4) I have also worked as an independent contractor- mostly in film production or as a writer - since 1986. I have filed my taxes as an independent contractor and reported all income earned. I keep tax files for 13 years as proof. (Why 13 years? I have several acquiantances who work for the IRS. They told me that yes, you can be audited for 1o years prior, BUT, IF they find something wrong, they can audit within three years of the problem year in either direction. So, if a problem is found ten years ago, they can request three additional years.

As I haven't cleaned out my attic since 2000, I have tax files there from 1987 on.

5) In 2002, when the state "cracked down" on independent contractors, deciding we were "running a business" when in reality, I worked for a lot of out of town companies. They made us start reporting all income January 30 of every year....No biggie, I report everything anyway but usually don't deal with bookkeeping for months after January!

Despite the fact that I think this is extremely unfair - what kind of government taxes without consideration of expenses a business incurs? Before a business takes into account its losses for the year? In my book, this is just one more reason California is the most unfriendly state to do business in.

This is really a formality that makes no real impact on my life. As I work in an "artistic profession," I don't owe business taxes in the years I make less than $300,000. So I've NEVER had to pay one red cent! But I do file my paperwork every January 30.

6) I did purchase on ebay prior to 2004. I rarely sold on ebay and then it was usually household goods I had tired of. I never sold my jewelry online until after acquiring a buisness license.

7) When I have traveled out of state, I've always gotten a temporary license to sell in that state and written a check to the tax authority before leaving town.

So, there you have it. As you can see, I've done my very best to be up and up with my government. But I guess that makes a fraud in somebody's universe