Picture this: the curtain closes, you take your bow, and you’re handed a paycheck for the gig you just booked. You go home. Then what? What you do next, behind the scenes, has everything to do with how much more work you get to say yes to, and how far you get to take your career. If money is the one part of your singing career nobody ever taught you how to handle, you’re not alone. This episode gives you a simple, non-scary way to get a handle on it. If I could do this, after being a HOT MESS with money for sooooo long, so can you. I racked up $141,000+ in credit card & student loan debt after moving to New York City to become a singer. I paid off all of it and bought a house, using only my income from singing and a couple of small side hustles, on a modest income, especially for NYC. It’ll help you take bigger swings in your career, feel more artistically free, and invest more in your art. Here’s the part I didn’t expect: once you start making shifts in this behind-the-curtain part of your life, you change the energy around it, and that shift doesn’t stay with your paycheck, it moves into your career too. Honestly, a little magical! While I was figuring all this out, I booked a dream gig, a world premiere opera that went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. I booked more dream jobs, singing with organizations and conductors that were on my vision board (not kidding!), and got hired as a soloist, my goal at the time, more times than I can count. Your relationship with money isn’t really about numbers. It’s a relationship with worth, with what you believe you’re worthy of receiving, and how much space you hold for abundance, which spills into your relationships, collaborations, and daily fulfillment as an artist. Money is energy moving between people, and how much you allow yourself to receive, a drip, a trickle, a river, or an ocean, comes down to how ready you feel to hold it. This system is for creative artists who don’t think of themselves as numbers people, who feel boxed in by spreadsheets and math. It’s the exact framework I used in my in-person workshops, the same one that helped me pay off six figures of debt, buy my home (a huge personal dream!), and step into the freedom to pursue my art without carrying that emotional weight. My hope is that after this episode, you feel like you’re in the driver’s seat behind the scenes of your career, so when the curtain closes and you go home, you feel steady and confident about what happens next. When you get empowered here, you become more magnetic as an artist too. In this episode you’ll learn: • Why your relationship with money can block the success you’re working toward: more bookings, bigger roles, career growth • The one question you have to ask yourself before you touch a single number • A simple, non-overwhelming way to get clear on your spending, no spreadsheet required • What happens when your freelance performing income zigzags up and down, and how to plan for it • What to do when there’s a gap between what you’re making and what you need, and how to close it with a side hustle that isn’t soul-sucking Chapters: 00:00 Welcome: Why We’re Talking About Money on a Voice Podcast 06:21 The Outer Work and Inner Work That Make a Great Singer 08:19 Get Resourced First (Big Feelings Are Normal) 10:16 Step 1: Find Your Why (Don’t Skip This!) 14:50 My Big Reveal: Paying Off $141K as a Singer in NYC 20:38 Step 2: The Post-it Party (Artist-Friendly, No Numbers) 27:36 Adding In the Numbers 30:43 When Your Freelance Performing Income Zigzags Up and Down 32:03 Closing the Gap With a Side Hustle That Isn’t Soul Sucking 34:42 Money Is Like Water: Give It a Container 39:27 The Shocking Results in My Career and Personal Life 45:47 Pep Talk and Where to Find Me Links & Resources: Voice Studio Website https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com Voice Studio Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voiceteachersarah TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@voiceteachersarah Performing Website https://www.sarahhawkey.com
