Click here to view this worksheet on Google Sheets for full customization options and access to notes… and scroll down for an instructional video!

I am very excited to be sharing this worksheet that I have been working on for some time. I see this as a tool for artist freelancers’ personal financial planning, really thinking about how a financial plan can — at its core — be a reflection of needs and desires, and how to be in relationship on the basis of resource exchange. The form automatically does the complex math for you, so you can stay focused on the dreaming. You are welcome to make copies of the worksheet for your individual use, or create your own tab within the worksheet and share some of your dreaming/planning publicly (via your name, a moniker, or anonymously).

I am also trying to get into the practice of, when I accept work for wages that are below what my rates are, including a sentence like, “Accepting this work at these rates requires me to offer my labor at a discount of ______% of my current hourly/daily/weekly rates.” Once you fill out the worksheet, you can see clearly what rates are at which discount points of your own unique (current and/or goal) rates. THIS IS NOT TO DISCOURAGE ANYONE FROM ACCEPTING WORK FOR WAGES BENEATH YOUR RATES. There are lots of folks I want to work with who will not be able to pay me at my rates right now. But, if they know what my rates are, that might give them better ideas about what and how to fundraise for coming seasons/fiscal cycles/etc.

AGENDA:

INTRODUCTION – 0:00

BACKGROUND & RATIONALE: who and why? — 01:23

ethic of care, ethic of slow — 03:29

this is a meantime strategy — 05:33

labor is priceless — 07:23

some visions for where we are going — 08:53

dreaming in cooperation — 10:24

imagining other wages — 12:27

the philanthropy machine — 16:36

talking about money — 18:07

PREP FOR THE WORKSHEET: getting ready to dream — 21:18

personal budgeting — 24:19

money management software — 27:21

THE WORKSHEET: entering the worksheet — 33:00

accessing jumatatu’s / Makini’s project budgets — 33:49

navigating the worksheet on Google Sheets — 35:03

entering your information into the worksheet — 37:13

jumatatu’s / Makini’s worksheet tab (dreaming) — 44:18

jumatatu’s / Makini’s worksheet tab (calibrating) — 52:20

jumatatu’s / Makini’s worksheet tab (meantiming) — 57:52

CONCLUSION — 1:00:41