Consistency is key when it comes to most things but it’s the golden key when it comes to managing our money. When a person is inconsistent we tend to deem them untrustworthy or flakey. We don’t know where we stand with them basically. It’s just the same when it comes to money. As a creative, we know that getting bogged down with the numbers and all the finance admin is the last thing you want to do. We also know that time and energy spent stressing about money is valuable time and energy away from creating. This is not a post about solving your money worries overnight or doubling your income by following a magic formula. You’re clever enough to sniff out that nonsense when you see it. This is a post about getting to know where you stand with money. When you build your money picture up step by step, based on honesty and patience, you can in time start to use your creativity to redesign the canvas.

I am not a fan of rigid and complex structures that impose constraints. This approach can be very clunky, overkill and damaging for a creative individual. There are many apps, tools, spreadsheets (and people!) out there that claim to ‘do your finance job for you’. I see people using these approaches and although they are great from an admin and efficiency point of view - anything that saves on admin time (or any part of your job that takes you away from the juicy creative stuff) is worth implementing - I still worry that we’re missing a creative trick.

I hear people say ‘Yeah I track my receipts on this app’ or ‘I pay someone to do my tax return’, but when I ask them how much their life costs them to run or how much money they need to earn each month, they freeze. As a creative person you possess a unique ability to spot patterns, make connections and problem solve. But you can’t get creative with your money if your finances always remain ‘over there’ and you never see the truth until it’s too late. What we need are some regular, light touch rhythms to fine tune the admin whilst tuning into your creativity.

The monthly money chorus

The idea of a Monthly Money Chorus is that takes into account the full money picture of your life and work. By designing money rhythms we can support and hold the fluidity and inconsistency of creative life and work. The verses can and will vary but the chorus always stays the same.

If your current approach to money involves a lot of anxiety, hiding all bank statements and never looking at your balance on screen, please know that you are not alone and that it is never too late to start. Putting your arm bands on, sitting at the side of the pool and and dipping your toe in the water is where all beginners start. I suggest you start with some pre chorus prep before diving into the chorus. Pre chorus prep might look like…

• Locating, opening and creating a place for your bank statements to live

• Finding your banking app or online banking log in details and familiarising yourself with the logging in and taking a look process.

• Reminding yourself that everyone has to start somewhere whilst positively affirming “I am learning how to manage my money”.

How does the chorus go:

• How Much Money Came In?

• How Much Money Went Out?

How to get started?

When you’re ready for the chorus, start by collecting the overall totals each month. At the beginning of each new month, look back on the last month and complete the following:

Last month at work I earned a total of __________

Last month at work I spent a total of __________ (for the self employed only)

Last month in my personal life I spent a total of __________

As you build up more confidence each month, you can edge further into each area that makes up your life and work totals. Give yourself time to build up familiarity and information in each area. Whatever you do, don’t try and delve into every single penny you’ve ever spent all in one go. Just take a little nibble of the pie and allow time for your body to taste, digest and build a memory of it.

Get used to your rhythms and chorus first before you start trying to rewrite the whole melody. Questions and ideas will inevitably crop up. Keep a note of them in one place so you can come back to them when you’re ready to get creative.

The Benefits⁣

Creating regular rhythms with your finances will reward you in many ways:⁣

• It will cultivate emotional stability and resilience when it comes to how you feel about money. ⁣

• It will build confidence & clarity with how you manage your money. ⁣

• It will ignite your creativity by feeding yourself with consistent information, your creative mind will begin spotting patterns, making connections and in turn improvements. This will positively impact:

  • How you budget

  • Your ability to spot opportunities for making savings

  • Your ability to innovate how you earn money

• It will chip away at records required for your tax return, preventing a mountain of work and headache at a later date. ⁣

Trust the process

Good luck, let me know how you get on and if you have any questions, let me know. As we always say when starting anything creative… trust the process!