* this article is geared towards Getting You Out of Your Own Way
#2… “But I Don’t Want to Sell Out!”
So you’re telling me if you had a show and you had CD’s you wouldn’t want to SELL OUT of CD’S? You wouldn’t want to SELL OUT of merchandise? Really? Are you sure about that?
Chances are you aren’t concerned with “Selling Out” or whatever haters are calling being successful these days. Do you honestly not want to get paid for what you do, or are you concerned with how other people will view you if you start making money? Hmm…
STOP CARING WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK ABOUT YOU
Seriously, stop it. It’s poison. And it’s expensive in many ways. The problem with caring about what most people think about you is that most people aren’t successful. True story. Let me let you in on a secret. If you don’t have critics, you’re not doing much of anything. End of story. Learn to love your critics. When you start seeing more and more of them do me a favor and check your bank statement. I bet it’s looking fabulous. And while you are at it, check your talent. You are probably getting really good at what you do.
Now that’s not to say go out and be the biggest tool in America. There is nothing more boring than a rebel without a cause. And nothing more pointless than a rebel with a selfish one. The idea here is very basic. Get paid for the goods and services you provide. The better the services, the more the pay.
You may be shaking your head right now and saying, “Chantelle, I don’t want to change my music to please 12 year old girls just so I can get paid the big bucks!” That’s the point of this blog. Set your money up to work for you so you can do whatever the hell you want to do with your music without having to compromise your vision. Most people have to settle for slicing up their art at the will of someone who is better off managing the business side of music than deciding what should hit the shelves. You’re 100% right. Wouldn’t it be nice to sit across the negotiation table with someone like that and say “No.” A word they don’t hear too often from struggling musicians?
I strongly feel that a lot of popular music is just marketed properly. You could market better music, in my opinion and make even more money. So say NO, until you get the deal you want and give your music a chance to be heard and properly marketed. The people who settled for a deal in which they had to go against their beliefs or change their music to fit something they did not want to represent did not SELL OUT, they SOLD SHORT. And yeah they got paid, but not nearly as much money as you think they did. My guess is the record label came out with a nice juicy cut, and they sat back and watched their music get butchered for 16% of record sales and a lap dance.
Never go against your principals for anything or anybody. You don’t sacrifice your beliefs for money, you stand by your principals and make even more money. Don’t settle for one or the other. Demand both.
So the next time your “friend” goes off about how writing music for TV commercials is totally “selling out” when the idea may be appealing to you, do yourself a favor and assess where they are at in their own career and in their life. Then ask yourself this question. “Is this person willing to die for me?” If the answer is no, then I have to ask, why are you living for them?
*this article is geared towards Getting You Out of Your Way
#3) “But If I’m Not Suffering, How Can I Make Art?”
This one is a classic. An emo classic at that. An artist who says this is pretty much saying that because they are suffering this is why they deserve to be successful. Why they believe they are entitled to success. But look at most people who believe this. Are they successful? Of course not!
I can’t let myself off the hook on this one. This is a woman who used to think she had to suffer financially and spiritually to write music. I thought that if I had successful relationships I wouldn’t be able to write anymore. But that was Ok, because at least through my suffering I was writing “great songs.” I also thought that whiskey was my secret writing weapon. Oops. That got messy real quick.
Turns out I was just a drinking fool. When it came time for me to start managing my money the first two things I had to cut out were drinking and eating out. I also had to cut out Drama and as we now know from Get Drama Out of Your Life, that can get expensive.
My first, and let me repeat that, FIRST healthy relationship lead me to my amazing lead guitarist and truly great friend, my first passive income stream and guess what? My song writing didn’t suffer one bit, in fact it didn’t even stay the same…It got WAY better.
How we do anything is how we do everything. If you want to get wasted and put on a show then suit yourself, but don’t call it art. Call it what it is, DRAMA. Yes, there are great musicians who had rough lives who needed music to get through the day. I do not want to take away from their experiences, I’m just suggesting you respect your experiences. Going out of your way to make yourself suffer isn’t going to help your music. It’s going to hurt you and it’s an insult to the people who actually have had very bad experiences they couldn’t help. The people you could use your success to contribute to.
* this article is geared towards Getting You Out of Your Own Way
Get Drama Out of Your Life! Even Musicians have drama. Don’t lie. Please, I bet you have drama BECAUSE you are a musician. You probably never thought it would cost you more than your time and patience but you were wrong…
Your latest love interest heard you were maybe kind of flirting with someone after your show last Friday. They called to tell you all about your insensitivity during peak hours… (-$10.00)
You drove over their house to apologize. (-$7.00 there and back)
You had to listen to the same story they told you on the phone all over again while you feed them tissue after tissue… (-$your.soul)
Now consider all the time you spent attempting to clear this matter up, even though you knew deep down this would happen all over again. How much are you worth per hour? ($insert)
And let’s not forget, this is the third fight you’ve had this month so you have to TIMES EVERYTHING BY THREE!!!!!
Now I am not sure if you have three souls to spare and if you do you’re in even worse shape than I thought. Are you starting to get my point? Drama and gossip are dark forces that if you let them they will take over your life, and eat away at you and your wallet any chance you give them.
Take a very close look at the people you spend the most time with. Are they the kinds of people you aspire to be? Do you admire them? Painfully draining and insecure love interests can cost you a lot in many ways. It’s kind of hard to take a step back and admit to yourself that they are not the one, but the sooner you do the better it is for you and for them. It’s the exact same story with friends and sad to say even certain family members.
Now I’ll fess up. This whole drama thing was a huge one for me to conquer. My brother used to refer to me as a “drama seeking missile.” And he was right. When I think about the things I used to care about I realize most of them I can’t even remember and the ones I do remember I wish I couldn’t remember. What a joke and a severe waste of time, money and energy.
Flee from drama at the first sign of it like your life depends on it because trust me on this one, it does.
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR VERY OWN BRAND NEW JAR KIT, HAND-MADE ON ETSY!
I’m going to share with you the Money Management System that changed the way I thought about money forever. This system was the very beginning of my 2 year, Day Job FREE, stretch. It’s called “The Jar System.” I learned about “The Jar System” from T. Harv Eker in Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. If you haven’t read this book by the way READ THE BOOK.
Before we start I’d love for you to grab a pen, some paper and pull up your online bank statement. if you don’t bank online then grab your most recent statement. Circle the top 5-10 things you spend money on per month.
Be honest with yourself. How much of it do you REALLY need right now? The things you don’t need, put exes by. The one thing you don’t NEED but really LOVE go ahead and circle it. You can use your PLAY account for this one. {I’ll explain what a “Play Account” is in just a sec.} The rest, severely cut down or cut it out. I’ll give you an example… Cut out eating out, drinking, partying, recreational drugs. Cut down on rent, gas, grocery bill. Use your “Play Account” for Netflix. Make sense?
Let’s begin…
When you get your paycheck you should put it all towards rent and expenses right? WRONG! Yet most people make exactly this mistake. Instead use “The Jar System” and split your money up like so…
10% FINANCIAL FREEDOM JAR
This is the most important jar. You will not touch this money unless you are investing it. This does not mean investing in your friend’s band or your girlfriend’s t-shirt company. You can use your “Play Account” for that. This money is your nest egg. As it builds, ideally you will get to the point where you are living off of the percentage returns on this money. You NEVER TOUCH THIS MONEY! When you die, put it in your will that anyone who comes after you is never to touch this money, only the money it creates. For now, starting off with an IRA, IRA Roth {if you are under 35}, a 401K or any other tax free account.
Never Spend This Money. Only Invest it in opportunities that will make you more money.
10% EDUCATION
ie: that new pottery class you heard about
You think education is expensive? Try ignorance. (Who said that by the way? It’s not mine) And I’m not talking about college specifically either. Actually I only went to one semester of college then I got cast in a B film and couldn’t attend my classes. Well, there was no “couldn’t” about it. I “wouldn’t.” Wow, what a trade off! Back to the point. You are going to use this money to expand your core of competence. This is “Mastering Your Craft” money. The better you are at your craft the more your income should reflect that.
*This is not your child’s education, this is YOURS. You really want to be able to pay for your child’s education? Master your craft and start making more money.
10% LONG TERM SAVINGS
ie: that trip to Berlin you and your friends keep saying you’ll go on
If you want to use this money to pay off debt you can. But you can also split it up 5% and 5%. Pay off debt AND use the other 5% to save up for something special. A car, a vacation, a tattoo whatever gets your boat floating.
What is the point of making money if you don’t contribute? This is the point! In fact if you are reading this and you only want to make money so you can sit on it and wait for it to hatch, I’d prefer it if you didn’t make any money at all. The world is a huge place that needs some huge healing. Be a part of that process. Contribute:) And pick a cause that YOU stand for. Don’t let anyone guilt you into anything.
I say 5-10% because as you start making more money you can increase it to 10%. If you are broke and you are very stubborn about giving at least 10% is it OK if we explore something here? Could this be why you’re broke? Are you giving too much of yourself? You can’t pour water from an empty cup. Be patient, fill your glass and you will do the world a greater service in doing so.
Spend this money every month 10% PLAY!
ie: front row tickets to a Prince Concert
YAY for PLAY! That one thing you circled that you know you don’t need but just have to have goes here. For the first month at least. This Jar had me tripping in the beginning. I just didn’t know what to do with myself. This Jar is for pampering yourself! It’s your reward for sticking to your guns and sticking to this system. Massages, first class airfare, pedicures, fancy restaurants, whatever you can think of! The only rule is you have to blow all of this money by the end of the month. How’s that for the most fabulous rule ever?
Spend this money every month
50-55% EXPENSES
This is the meat and potatoes right here. Rent, car payment, groceries, bills, etc. Now as you can see I put 50-55% If you want 55% guess where that extra 5% comes from? That’s right your GIVE Jar! This is for all of you who are still thinking about scraping pennies to give away everything you don’t have! If you can’t live off of 50% only you have to take from the Give Jar. If you have to get creative with your giving, give your time. I am a volunteer for San Francisco Women Against Rape. I was on the hotline for a year. I learned a lot about myself and life in general volunteering there. The training was a very life changing experience for me, so give your time. It’ll give back to you as well I promise.
Note: If you are paying a lot of money per month for health insurance or credit cards you NEED to check this service out.
Now some of you are thinking, “Chantelle, how the hell do you expect me to live off of 55% of my money? have you lost your mind?”
Actually I have and I have no desire to find it either, but that’s another issue. But this is why we went over CUTTING DOWN first. Greg Habstritt says “Do What Others Won’t for 3-5 Years, And Then You Can Do What Others Can’t Do For the Rest of Your Life.” For me this meant turning away from my “friends” at the time. I stopped drinking, I stopped eating out. I was surprised at how much money this saved me. I’m a firm believer that when you take one step outside of your comfort zone the Universe will bend over backwards for you. Show a little discipline and see what comes of it;)
You will most likely use up your Expenses money every month. When you find you are not using it all up then start putting the rest into your FFA and your Give Jar. If you absolutely 100% under no circumstances can afford to do this right now please don’t be discouraged. Start with using 10% of your money for your FFA {money you never touch} and give your time. Definitely cut down. And focus on making more money. The Laid Off Artist’s Survival Guide will help you out with that immediately.
If you have any questions about the jar system you can visit… jarshelp.com
Or shoot me an email at lessworkmoreart@gmail.com
And YES you should actually get JARS and do this. I have eight bank accounts {3 for my FFA} and this is how I do it. Seriously! I put my account balance in my Jars on a piece of paper. I made my Jars with fabric paint, a sharpie and plastic cups. I make a nice fun art project out of it and if you’ll have me as your coach we’ll get DEEP into some fun projects.
This is the beginning of the beginning if you stick to this:) Keep me posted on your results!
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR VERY OWN BRAND NEW JAR KIT, HAND-MADE ON ETSY!
P.S. Hey:) Did someone you know who could REALLY use this information pop into your head just now? Don’t hesitate! Share the wealth. We can’t expect wealthy people to share their money with others if we ourselves are not willing to share what we have Right Now. So please, choose from the following icons below and Redistribute…Thanks
I remember the day I folded my last polo like it was yesterday. It was a year and a half ago, summer was approaching in San Francisco (we get one whole month of Summer, that’s September.) Up until that point I was a struggling musician who had worked retail for over 6 years. I had lost my day job at Urban Outfitters and the job I had lined up at FLAX Art Store in SOMA fell through. My friend was kind enough to get me a few hours at the Hollister in San Bruno for just above $7 an hour. I was broke and living in one of the most expensive cities in the country. But one thing was made very clear as I peeled myself up off the hard wooden floor, I physically, mentally and spiritually could not fold another item of clothing for anyone else EVER again.
Naturally I was scared. My mother was scared for me. She introduced me to a book that changed the way I think about money forever, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker. I remember sitting in the car with an Ex of mine and it came to the time in the book where I had to calculate my net worth. My net worth was -$4,000 in high interest credit card debt. And .74 cents I had in a blue q-tips case I was using for a wallet. The book said that if I couldn’t manage one penny of my money, I wasn’t going to get more. My Ex needed 2 quarters of mine but that was over 66% of the money I had to my name. We wrestled over the quarters, I lost. And that’s when it hit me. I was seriously ready to start managing my money and I was ready to do whatever it took. I was so sad I got $1 back from the ol’ Ex out of pity. I spent our vacation in Monterey picking up change I saw on the ground to add to my net worth and I am so serious.
Thanks to “The Jar System” mentioned in Secrets of The Millionaire Mind, I haven’t worked a day since then aside from a few modeling gigs. It’s amazing how quickly it all happened. I still can’t get over how fast everything evolved for me. A month after reading the book I was introduced to my first passive income revenue stream. I had a few ideas for Facebook applications believe it or not, and they took off. I ended up with a percentage revenue from those games and equity in a Tech Start up. I’m officially an Advisor and Creative Consultant to Happy Appy, Inc. I even named the company. Did I mention I went to one semester of community college and dropped out to film a B Rated movie that went straight to DVD?
So why am I doing this? What’s the point?
I want you to do what I did over a year and a half ago, get off your knees, get out of your day job and go share your art! I want to introduce you to passive income revenue streams (money while you sleep, shower and party) so you can focus on writing music, and marketing your music.
I mean let’s face it, this whole working thing is really ridiculous. It just doesn’t work. The whole “time for money” gig is up. My brother just called me the other day driving home from work angry as hell he didn’t get a raise. I bet someone in his company got a raise. And what’s worse is he and I made pretty much the same amount of money this year, (I think he may have made slightly more) only I made it while I was sleeping and out with my friends being silly. He had to wake up early and work for a financial firm that shall remain nameless for about 8 hours a day plus over time.
I’m not a rocket scientist by a long shot. The principals I will share with you are very easy to follow. They are what I like to call common sense. This isn’t your fault, the things we were learning in school were a travesty. Calculus is not going to cut it! It’s not applicable to most people’s lives. Why weren’t we learning about money management in school? That was a biggie! Maybe shouldn’t have skipped over that one.
Last month I finished the album of my life. It has not been released yet but you can hear snippets of it here. It’s amazing what kind of creativity and artistic ability can emerge when you claim your time back, and make even more money in doing so.
I want you to be free, and I’m going to do everything in my power to help you help yourself. I will even have some amazingly financially free and very wealthy people post to give you tips on how they accomplished their goals, and how you can set yourself up to succeed as well.
In these articles I will cover…
Your Money Attitude (Getting Out Of Your Own Way)
Resourceful Tips on Saving Money
Money Management Systems and Advice
Creating Cashflow (Cash Flow)
Investing
If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask me.
If I Can Do It So Can You, And I Won’t Stop Until You Do!
P.S. Hey:) Did someone you know who could REALLY use this information pop into your head just now? Don’t hesitate! Share the wealth. We can’t expect wealthy people to share their money with others if we ourselves are not willing to share what we have Right Now. So please, choose from the following icons below and Redistribute…Thanks
