What if your day job isn’t getting in the way of your creative dream, but actually helping make it possible? Singer-songwriter Veronica North joins us to talk about building a music career while working full-time as a mental health nurse, and why she has no interest in embracing the starving artist narrative. We dig into how she uses her income to invest in her music, the surprising number of revenue streams available to independent artists, and the goal-setting and financial systems she uses to intentionally design the life she wants. Veronica also shares why learning to manage her money gave her more freedom to create, how she approaches her music as both art and a business, and the very big dream she’s working toward: opening for Taylor Swift.

1. Your day job can fund the dream instead of competing with it.

Veronica loves nursing, but it also gives her the income and flexibility to invest in music without requiring her art to immediately pay all of her bills.

2. Design your finances around the life you actually want.

Instead of starting with arbitrary financial goals, Veronica visualizes what she wants her days and life to look like, then uses those priorities to decide where her money should go and what’s worth saying no to.

3. Financial literacy can unlock creative freedom.

Learning the basics of saving, investing, retirement accounts and intentional spending transformed Veronica’s relationship with money and ultimately gave her more freedom to invest in herself as an artist.

4. Look for every drip, trickle, flow and flood inside your business.

A single live performance can generate ticket revenue, merch sales and publishing royalties, while streaming and physical music create additional income streams. Understanding where the money comes from is part of treating your creative work like a business.

5. Making money from your art allows you to make better art.

Revenue isn’t the enemy of creativity. Veronica reinvests what she earns into studio time, equipment and production so each new project and performance can operate at a higher level.

Check out Veronica’s music at her website.

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The information provided in this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. The opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are solely their own and do not reflect the views of any companies or organizations they may be affiliated with.

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