How I Started Using Money Again

“We’re trying to democratise financial services, to ensure that management and movement of money is a right for all citizens, not the privilege of the affluent.”

– Dan Schulman, President and CEO, PayPal

In 2011, I challenged myself to live for a year without using money. I did pretty well considering the daunting challenge of living in a society based on money while not trying to use it, but it wasn’t a perfectly executed endeavor. Nevertheless, it did give me some time to think about how I’d used money in the past, and how I felt it should be used in the future.

When I finally started using money again, I opened five different bank accounts. I have an Artistry account, a Business account, a Citizenry account, a Community account, and a savings account.

As an Artist, I have multiple streams of income, and they are all deposited into my Artistry account. Currently, when I receive a payment, I manually transfer 10% into my Business account, my Community account, and my savings account. I also transfer 40% into my Citizenry account.

My Business account is set up with automatic payments for my cell phone, data storage and cloud services, website fees, and other regularly scheduled costs that pertain to my doing business. I also use this account to pay for anything that will help me grow my business, including educational experiences, equipment, and, of course, marketing.