INTERVIEW ON THE PRICE OF BUSINESS SHOW, MEDIA PARTNER OF THIS SITE.
Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, welcomed Benjamin “BENCASSO” Barnes to provide another commentary in a series.
The Benjamin “BENCASSO” Barnes Commentaries
Welcome to The Coaches Corner, where today’s topic is taxes— or as creatives call them: “That thing I’ll deal with right after I reorganize my guitar pedals.” Let me start with a story.
I once knew a guy—let’s call him Dave, because his name was Dave—who didn’t do his taxes for three years. Not because he was rebellious. Not because he was rich. But because every time he sat down to do them, he decided it was a good moment to learn sourdough bread.
Dave is very good at sourdough now.
Dave is not very good at answering certified mail.
Another story. Different person. Let’s call her Melissa. Melissa did her taxes… creatively. She rounded. Aggressively. She treated expenses like a buffet: “This? Business lunch. That? Business lunch. Emotional support latte? Definitely business lunch.”
Melissa saved a few thousand dollars that year.
Then she spent the next three years learning what the word audit does to your soul.
Here’s the thing nobody tells you:
Tax procrastination isn’t exciting.
Tax cheating isn’t cool.
It’s the most boring way to panic.
There’s no car chase.
No dramatic courtroom speech.
Just you, at 2:17 a.m., whispering, “Why didn’t I just deal with this in April?”
The IRS doesn’t burst through the door.
They wait.
They are patient.
They are the long game.
And procrastination? Procrastination is you telling yourself, “Future Me will be smarter, calmer, more organized.”
Future You is none of those things.
Future You is tired and resentful and Googling “penalty interest calculator.”
Let’s be honest: creatives don’t avoid taxes because we’re dumb.
We avoid them because taxes force us to look at numbers without vibes.
No “it felt like a good year.”
No “I was really busy.”
Just math, staring at you like, “So… was it though?”
And cheating? Cheating on taxes is like lying on a résumé. You don’t get a prize. You get anxiety and a longer paper trail.
Also—and this part hurts— the IRS is way better at math than you are.
They don’t get bored.
They don’t get distracted.
They don’t suddenly decide to write a song instead.
But here’s the dry, unsexy truth that will save your life: Most tax disasters start small.
One missed filing.
One “I’ll catch up next year.”
One shoebox of receipts that becomes an archaeological site.
Taxes are not a moral test.
They are a maintenance task.
Like brushing your teeth or changing the oil or returning texts before friendships collapse.
You don’t need courage.
You need a calendar reminder and about 45 minutes of honesty.
Do it imperfectly.
Do it annoyed.
Do it while muttering insults under your breath.
Just don’t do it late.
Because nothing kills creative momentum faster than avoidable stress wearing a government logo.
This has been The Coaches Corner— where we believe in art, accountability, and learning from other people’s mistakes.
Go do your taxes.
Not because you love the system— but because Future You deserves fewer panic attacks and better sleep.
And Dave?
Dave still bakes.
Dave now files quarterly.
Benjamin Barnes, known professionally as Bencasso™, is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and entrepreneur whose work lives at the crossroads of creativity and commerce. A nationally syndicated contributor on The Price of Business, he delivers his segment The Coaches Corner, offering sharp, practical guidance for artists and small-business owners navigating money, mindset, and sustainability. Drawing on decades of experience as a working musician, nonprofit founder, and business owner, Bencasso™ translates hard-earned lessons into candid, often humorous insights designed to help creatives build real, durable livelihoods.
Artwork: Guadeloupe Ming Vase Mariachi available at Bencasso Art Gallery www.bencasso.org https://bencasso.org/featured/guadeloupe-ming-vase-mariachi-bencasso-barnesquiat.html
Music: Tea Pot Jam from Year of the Dog by Benjamin David Barnes aka Bencasso available on iTunes, Amazon Music, for sale https://open.spotify.com/album/50oI4RBwG5wGPx94bwKPrB?si=YbEkDKHjRqq9oGU47mR3CA
Loosened Associations Jazz: Auto-memoir-ography of Music, Mischief and Madness
(Bencasso’s autobiography) https://a.co/d/9JBJWTl
Atlanta Post Review:
https://atlantapostnews.com/2025/08/24/broken-strings-and-beautiful-madness-a-review-ofloosened-associations-jazz/
“Artistpreneur Economic”
How to Make a Living Doing What You Love new book https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFB5JK6C
Dallas Gazette News Review
https://dallasgazettenews.com/2025/08/28/the-artists-survival-guide-a-review-of-how-to-makea-living-doing-what-you-love/
Social Media
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/benjamindavidbarnes
- Facebook: https:// facebook.com/benjamindavidbarnes
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/benjamindbarnes
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