Gasp!

Creating Change

A new way? A fabulous article on the economy and the cultural shift at Salon.

"America's not on top anymore, because we've been exporting nothing but lukewarm fajita platters and spray-tanned celebrity jackasses for decades now. The days of closet-reorganizing professionals and Botox parties and hiring a personal trainer for your nanny's personal chef are over ... and thank God for that."

Amen. This kind of mediocrity has seeped all the way through our cultural landscape. It's the reason I gravitate towards 20th century literature, music and art. After 1979, something happened which radically changed the fiber of our country. This "change for the worse" shows up in the culture from 1980 onward. It's a shift away from humanity, community and common good towards selfishness, materialism and conformity.

I've watched the transition from the 80s hard-core greed to the 90s meaninglessness to 00s fear. I've witnessed writers cater to readers and audiences who superficially protest against these values.

A cultural shift is coming. Our political system guarantees it. The recession supports it. As the article writer notes, we can't rely on catastrophes to create this shift. The job of those in the arts these days - myself included - is to witness, validate and build momentum for change.

Chicken Little

Jethro told me that this post didn't make much sense. Allow me rephrase it.

The economy is tanking. What effect is that going to have on the arts?

Here's one possibility. I bet we'll be seeing more of this kind of thing. I don't know how you're going to prepare for it, but I'm planning on paying off my debt and sticking to a budget. (Thanks Scott)

Colliding Interests

Let's see... Gas is at $3.35 a gallon on average across the U.S. Foreclosures cripple American families. In places like Ohio, one out of ten people are receiving government aid. Do I have to mention Bear Stearns? You know, the company that got bailed by the Fed, invoking a Depression-era law and making economists everywhere incredibly frightened for our future.

Oh yeah, and have you noticed rising food prices and higher energy costs? During the first quarter of this year, 232,000 jobs were lost in the U.S. Economy's first quarter. Only 80,000 jobs were lost last month alone. The Iraq War has cost over $500 Billion.

Not to be a downer, because I would certainly love to pretend that I live in a completely different time and place. You know, the one that allows me to maintain a high credit card balance and not pay it off... But it seems typical of our present society to believe that there are no limits to resources like money or the environment.

In light of the economic circumstances of our country... You know, people getting thrown out of their jobs and their homes... People begging for gas money - and actually using it for gas money... Is there a way to talk about government funding for the arts without feeling out of touch with what's happening?

Seriously. Help me out here.

Lemon ----> Lemonade

A Boston Globe article on personal finance brings up this very interesting point:

"A music lover, she has given up attending Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts and now listens to ensembles that play for free. A Red Sox fan who was a regular at Fenway Park, she plans to stay home this summer and instead go to Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs, a minor-league team. "Nine dollars for a seat, and not even two bucks for a hot dog," she said. "I can splurge and get two."

Seems that little troupes of artists will have a better life in an economic downturn than established companies. Considering how many people I know (including myself) have looked to those established companies for artistic validation, this news almost makes one want to start their own band, gallery, publishing/theater company.

Almost.

Down with Debt

Paying off credit cards is a challenge. I'm still working the Dave Ramsey plan, and it's finally been working for me. I made a BIG credit card payment last month. I expect to make an even BIGGER payment this month. I know it's working because the credit card companies have raised my limit, sent me a multitude of offers and have been sweating the fact that they are going to lose me as a customer. I'm especially excited about ditching the "American Way of Life," i.e. spend now and pay later. There's something subversive about living within my means. I love it.

Learning how to stay within budget has been a learning experience. I now know the total amount of money I need for the week, but I'm still having problems categorizing it. I don't know how much money I need for food, for clothes, for pets, etc. I just know the total amount I need. I suspect this is how Jethro is keeping his budget as well, though he has it all down on paper - something I'm working on.

Back in 2003, I remember reading a book that was written by an actor. He encouraged the use of credit cards and debt, saying that debt was like an investment. It was a sign of confidence for an artist to take on debt. It meant that the artist knew that he was going to be successful and pay it off. I wish I could remember the name of the book, so I could encourage everyone not to read it. That's partly how I got into debt. Not only was the author's philosophy wrong, it was also stupid.

Once I'm able to break free from financial slavery, I'll be able to spend even more time working on my own projects. Priceless

Budgeting Continues

Awhile back I wrote about my Dave Ramsey experience. For those who don't know, Dave Ramsey is a nice guy who helps people get out of debt. He works on changing your attitude about money. Jethro and I went to one of his personal appearances in Birmingham several months ago. I signed up to take part in Financial Peace University and bought a kit to help me learn how to better manage my money. We haven't started FPU yet.

But that hasn't stopped me from working on my debt. I took the envelope system out of the kit and began using it. I'm lucky because my budget is simple. Unfortunately, whenever you spend money, you have to write it down. That's the hard part for me. In ten seconds, I've forgotten the exact amount of money I've spent. I can be at a register giving the money to a cashier and by the time I walk out the door, I'm clueless.

This is denial. If I can't remember how much I've spent, then I haven't spent it. Yes, I'm aware of how silly it sounds.

The other problem is that I haven't quite worked out the proper budget. I should, theoretically, have a simple budget. But one category always runs low and one category isn't spent by the end of the week. It seems silly to me to go back to the bank and take more money out for one category when I have $20 extra in another envelope for another category. This has been a pattern for several weeks.

Dave says that it takes a few months to get the budget down. And so, I continue working it out.

Jethro doesn't use the envelope system. I think he just pools all his money and tracks it on paper. That seems simpler. I think the envelope system prevents you from saying to yourself: "I think I'll buy a new dress and eat Ramen for a week."

Not that I'm in danger of that kind of thinking. My problem is that I feel guilty for spending any money, which comes from my starving writer days. I think that's why the denial kicks in.

Anyway, the envelope system shouldn't be as hard as it is for me. I'm going to keep working at it because discipline is good for the soul.

More on Debt and Writing

Pat Gabridge elaborates on finances and writing. As Chris has suggested, I plan on blogging my experiences paying off my debt. I haven't officially enrolled in Financial Peace University yet, though I paid for a lifetime membership during my Dave Ramsey experience. Jethro and I will do it. We both have those little financial organizers that designed for the program. I unwrapped mine this weekend, and gave the other one to him. We chatted for a while about it. Figuring out a budget will be key.

I have a feeling that starting it is the hardest part, though Baby Step #1 shouldn't be a problem for me. I'm almost there anyway.

Throughout my life as a writer, I've had periods of money and periods of poverty. Neither has taught me how to deal with money. Poverty is no way to live.

I also don't buy the idea that I have to settle for poverty to do what I want in life. Yes, that includes theater.

More progress as we figure out what the heck we're doing, and how the heck we're doing it.

The Dave Ramsey Experience

Going to see Dave Ramsey last night was very cool. As I mentioned yesterday, he's the "Get out of Debt" guru. His show is part self-help, part entertainment and part motivational coaching. The whole evening is grounded in a seven step program. He also talked a great deal about how American Culture is saturated with a debt mentality. Ain't that the truth...

It also brings debt out in the open. If you see him live, you're sitting with a few thousand other folks in the same position. That's heartening.

What I came away from the show is this: You don't have to be poor to live within a budget. I don't know where I got the idea that only rich people could live within their means.

Jethro and I used the evening as a sort of pre-marital financial counseling session. Our ideas about money aren't far apart, so bringing him to the event was nothing. He's very open to new ideas and pretty much agreed with everything Dave said already. And he already practices a great deal of it, so there you go.

The show made me reflect on how writers often settle for being poor, especially theater folks. I also wondered about the wisdom of going to a *really expensive* university to study something that is saturated in poverty. An office manager for a theater company makes 20K-30K a year. Back in the 90s, I was responsible for working on a compensation study for nonprofits in California. I'm well aware of the salaries issues for nonprofits, and theaters usually fell on the low end of that spectrum. It's one of the reasons I never picked up a job in a nonprofit theater. I couldn't afford it, especially with the debt load from college.

Not only would my life be different if I was debt-free, but my writing would also be different. I'd have more time, for one thing. I could use the money I make to fund my writing project rather than my payments to debtors.

So, there it is. I enrolled in Financial Peace University, mostly to learn how to handle money. (Insurance? Wills? Whaaaa?) This will not be the last you hear about debt, the arts, and me. Time to grow up.

Bottom line: It wasn't one of those cheesy enpowerment exercises. Nor was it a rip-off. I highly recommend him to anyone. If you can't see him in person, at least listen to him on the radio.

Debt!

Jethro and I are going to see Dave Ramsey tonight. He's a "get rid of debt" guru. I'm the one who is most excited about our adventure, since Jethro doesn't believe in credit cards or the like.

When I lived in NYC, I bought the party line that going into debt for my theater career was a sign that I had confidence. Yes, I even read a how-to book on theater that encouraged people to go into debt.

So I did, and what I found is this: It doesn't help. It tied me to jobs I didn't like, preventing me from doing the things I wanted to do. Plus, I had less time to write in the long run.

Since leaving NYC, I've seen the folly of debt. It doesn't do any good to owe anything to anyone if you can help it.

Throughout history, a number of writers have dealt with debt. They either haven't made enough money from writing or they extended themselves a little too far. Edmund Wilson comes to my mind, only because he's a southern writer who bounced in and out of NYC during a certain point in his life.

The good part about dealing with debt is that I value my writing more. It has made me go out and search for paying writing jobs. I've had to take my writing more seriously as a result. Otherwise, I would spend all day at home, writing stories and plays that only I care about.

Maybe at some point I'll go back to that. Meanwhile, I am a firm believer that the less debt you have, the better for your writing. But that's just my opinion...