by Chris | Aug 18, 2015 | Dealing with Debt, Debt
Nobody thinks emergencies are fun.
But there’s one thing about an emergency that can be pretty great.
If you, for reasons that really aren’t important right now, find yourself in the middle of a forest… no food, no water, no idea where civilization might be found … there’s no real question about what needs to be done.
Emergencies simplify all the ‘noise’ of life, and cut it down to pure focus.
I’ve got to get some water, then some food, then climb a tree (and see if I can see a McDonalds sign).
Honestly… sometimes when I’m feeling particularly purposeless or lost I do a little looking over the fence at the ‘green grass’ of an emergency (Which I realize is insane… but this is a safe place… right?).
“I wish I had that kind of purpose… that kind of certainty about what I need to be doing right now”.
Wouldn’t that be a little bit nice??
Well, you’re in luck, because if you’re an Artist with some (or a lot of) debt on the side…. (more…)
by Chris | Jul 28, 2015 | Budgets
So I like budgets… but I’m willing to bet that you probably don’t.
And why is that?
Am I just a huge dork, and you’re the prettiest girl at the prom with no time for that financial nonsense?
Probably, but there’s a chance that your experience with budgets has been entirely with budgets that just suck.
But they don’t have to.
Do you even need a budget?
Budgets are a great tool, but they’re just that… a tool. Hammers are a great tool too, but only for when you’ve got to get some hammering done. If you’ve got to get a wine bottle open… a hammer probably isn’t the right tool for the job.
So what is a budget good for?
Budgets can help you:
- Pay off your debt
- Save for something (A house, a car, a trip to Kalamazoo)
- Make a little money go a little further
- Feel more in control of your financial situation
- Get a sense of where your money is going
If you’re not interested in any of that… then you might not need a budget.
If you do… how do you build one that you’ll actually use (for longer than a week)? (more…)
by Chris | Jul 14, 2015 | Living on Less
I’m really good at losing focus!
Both in the little things and the big picture stuff.
And do you know what’s really incredible?… I’m so good at it, it doesn’t even look like I’m losing focus at all.
I’ll sit down at my desk in the morning, start with some studying, and then be reminded of an email I need to send. Half-way through that I get a good idea for a blog post … then an interesting aria idea that I should try.
I call it hyper productive time wasting.
I’m getting things done… Without really accomplishing anything.
*pause for applause*
It’s not that I mean to be a time waster, but it’s really easy to convince myself that I’m working hard while completely losing focus on what I’m working towards.
On the surface, it’s all good work, but is it the right work? (more…)
by Chris | Jul 7, 2015 | Banks
I’m sure there was a time when I didn’t have a bank account, but I don’t remember it… so therefore it doesn’t exist (a statement which may have just shown off an extremely flawed world view … I’m gonna roll with it).
But even though a bank account is something I always remember having, I don’t think I’ve ever actually given any real thought to which bank I would pick.
I have made all of my banking decisions purely based on proximity.
Closest one wins.
That’s how I picked my first bank (although on the prairies, sometimes the closest bank is still an hour away), and that’s how I ended up with TD when I moved to Toronto.
But what’s the problem with that? The big banks may all have different names, but they pretty much offer the same situation.
Does it really matter where you bank?
I didn’t think so… until I found the one that changed it all (and ended up saving me a few hundred bucks, just this year). (more…)
by Chris | Jun 30, 2015 | Artist 2 Artist
Just last month two of my favourite people in the world had a baby.
It’s kind of crazy how many unknowns there are when you’re starting a family: who is this little person going to be? Am I going to be a good parent? How are we going to afford this? What will my life look like now?
Can I still live this freelance artist life…. and be a mom/dad?
So I sent notes to some of my artist friends who had recently started families to see if they could shed a little light on the unexpected (and expected challenges) of starting a family while balancing a career in the arts.
The full piece will come soon, but I got one response that I couldn’t bear to cut down, and so as a teaser… This is my dear friend Lindsay answering my 5 questions about the challenges and successes of raising her son in a double freelancer artist household. (Make sure to read to the end when she talks about her greatest performance… absolutely beautiful.) (more…)
Nobody thinks emergencies are fun.
