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A lot of time, I think we can feel like we’re in this financial journey alone. Sometimes I think the unique challenges we face as freelancers in the arts can really amplify those feelings. We have some really unusual challenges at times. That beings said below are a few resources to consider using when you need some financial help. The Actors Fund I literally cannot believe how many years it took me to learn that The Actors Fund exists. Bless their hearts, this group has ac

A lot of this blog was came about because when I was looking for financial tips, so few seemed to apply to the touring life – which is what I have largely lived during my time in the arts. There are some definite benefits to building a nomadic career and, of course, some unique challenges too. While for those in arts focused on building a career in a particular city and living a more sedentary life are able to use a lot of the generic personal finance info I found online, t

In September, I wrote an article that focused on the various side hustles that people who work in the arts are using to get by right now. Not a list of ideas for you to necessarily tackle, but a literal list of shops of tangible things people can buy to support arts workers until the end of this exceedingly long intermission (which I’m happy to add to if anyone has additional shops they want me to include). Today I want to talk a little more about some of the facts I glosse

So who is ready for this pandemic to be over? And is it just me, or does it feel like everyone outside of the events industry has figured out how to get on with their lives in this “new normal” and while they complain a little about things, for the most part, their lives are pretty normal? Because my life still feels like a hot mess and like being trapped. It’s funny because there was a phrase I loved for years when I was younger: “trapped in the amber of this moment.” It

I am super excited to go on the CircusTalk podcast in November where I’ll get to share my passion for personal finance with the wider circus community. In preparation for that interview, the host was kind enough to send over a few of the questions she’s planning on asking, so in preparation for the show, I’ve decided to focus my blog posts around them for the next few weeks. That being said, if the circus side of my life is what you find particularly interesting, you might

Back in June, I did my first Zoom production of The Yellow Wallpaper , you can find a detailed breakdown of it in this post . In July and August, I worked on a second production with the same company, which was pretty exciting because it gave me a chance to try to fix a few of the issues we had with The Yellow Wallpaper and learn some more. The point of both of these experiments was to see what could be achieved with a super minimal budget. Our next production was Dracula

About a year ago now, I bought an iPad. My ASM at the time had one and she used it constantly. I don’t know if this is one of my first experiences with a technology age gap or what (strike that, the first was actually Snapchat. Don’t understand it and don’t care), but I did not take to the iPad like a fish out of water. Actually, the only thing I immediately liked using it for was marking things off the spike chart when we would tape out the floor in each venue. It was like a

One thing I’ve talked about a lot here over the years are side hustles, and it turns out the arts community are pretty phenomenal at it. If you’re looking for inspiration for things you could do as side hustles or looking for unique ways to support arts workers, here are some side hustles (some of which have grown so big they’re really full on businesses) from people who usually work in the arts. For my readers who don’t work in the arts, you might be unaware that 62% of th

We live in weird times, but one of the silver linings right now is the incredible wealth of information stage managers are pouring out on the internet.While some of these sources have been around for years, others seem to be popping up daily while stage managers find cool, new ways to put that urge to help folks to good use.(And if you know of a source I missed, feel free to add it in the comments – especially since I’m aware this list is very American-skewed!)This first set

So the latest in my list of projects I’ve been working on during this pandemic was a course that caught my eye on Facebook - How to Communicate Like a Buddhist . Stage Managers are the hub of communication for a production. Buddhists aim to communicate in ways that are kind, honest and helpful. So I thought, let’s do it. The course is offered through a website called DailyOM , which has a wide variety of yoga, meditation, self improvements and other classes. You can select th

What a time to be alive. I have a Google alert set on “stage manager” and every day I get an email with a listing of articles published online that mention stage manager. Early on in quarantine, I saw an interview with the Pandemic Players and thought, “oh, that’s interesting.” And so began my dive into the digital world. The last few months, I was a visiting instructor at a university and one of my roles there was production manager for our theater department. As the virus

I just want to start this post with the idea that relaxing and resetting aren’t bad things to do with some of the extra time we find ourselves with in the unusual and extraordinary turbulent time we find ourselves in. Amp up your bubble bath time. Read for fun. Go for long, rambling, solitary walks. Listen to podcasts with all the educational rigor of Welcome to Nightvale . As a matter of fact, I’d recommend it as a key thing on any stage manager’s list because those things

Most of the time when we talk about a stage management toolkit , we’re talking about a literal Mary Poppins-eqsue box of stuff you use to solve problems in rehearsals and performances. I’ve talked about this before in terms of personal finance. In my personal finance toolkit , I have things like budget worksheets and net worth updates, side hustle information, inspirational books, useful podcasts, etc. My personal finance toolkit is full of less tangible “tools” I use to im

Networking feels like such a dirty word to me (though it is not). The thing that helped me with it the most was a mindset change. I used to go into networking events thinking what can this do for me. Then I can across a wildly useful tip – think of networking as what you can do for someone else. I’ve recently been reading The Soulful Art of Persuasion (it’s a good one, I recommend it) and the author explains in it that people who give tend to get more. Which is lovely, rig

We took a bit of a hiatus on this topic here, but we are back with the other half of the budgeting formula. Spend less than you earn. If you want a quick primer on how to make a budget, check out this post from a few weeks ago . If you’re interested in kick starting your frugality skills, check out this post about how to spend less . Today let’s look at things you can do to earn more. Your Primary Job Your first attempt at earning more starts with negotiating your contr

Ya’ll, lets look at the 2019 Stage Manager Survey today. “The what?” you might say. Every couple of years, David J. McGraw and whatever university he’s working at (I believe it's currently Elon), conduct a fairly extensive survey of stage managers polling everything from education level, frequency of wearing show blacks, types of training, how much garbage do you eat, and theft in the workplace to some of our favorite questions on this blog like: How much do you make? Were

Times might be a little tougher than usual right now and if you're trying to figure out how to make your finances work until your next paycheck, below is a collection of resources for you to explore. Government Welfare Programs Unemployment Insurance Benefits : this program provides a payout based on your previous income until you can get back on your feet. It is funded by the payroll taxes we all pay while we’re employed. Women, Infants and Children (WIC) : this program pro

I have been thinking a lot this week about how some of my career choices feel more like a miracle than something I managed to do on my own. I started stage managing full time in 2008, which many of you may remember as a very bad year, followed by a few more bad years of terrible economy and recession. Nonetheless, I rode them all out with a really decent job on a cruise ship. I’ve spent a lot of the last two weeks watching darn near  every single one  of my theater friend’s

A few days ago, I came across this tweet and thought, “we are all pretty screwed if the freelancers who never mention money are now worrying about money”: Of course, I think about money all the time, so no surprise there. The number of events starting to get cancelled or moved to an undetermined date is growing by the day. I saw this list by Vulture the other day and messages about SXSW being cancelled have also been all over my social media feeds. Then it hit even close

You might hear a lot of warnings about how difficult life is if you work in the arts – and it can a struggle at times – but one thing you don’t hear about very often is how very lucrative touring can be. I’m not even talking about being on a super high paying gig. I’d say that if you can reach steady employment even around $500-$700 a week with a per diem, you can make some real financial strides. How? Well, the key here is steady employment. If the company you’re working