The following is an excerpt from How to Engineer Your Layoff. If you're interested in quitting your job and profiting from it, this book is for you! Today's post details how the author successfully walked two different people through quitting their jobs and leaving with decent severence packages.
“An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.” – Emil Zatopek
Over the past several years, I have coached roughly a dozen people through their layoff process. The 2009 downturn was brutal and caused a wave of disatisfaction across various industries, particularly those which are highly cyclical.
In the following chapter, I share with you five examples (two in this excerpt) of people who have successfully quit their jobs with a severance package. Names have been changed for privacy purposes.
What’s important to note is not so much the dollar amount of each example’s severance package, but how many months of living expenses are covered in each severance package. Our living expenses vary because we all are in different stages of our lives and live in different areas of the world. US$15,000 a year is plenty for someone living in Beijing, but below poverty level for someone living in Des Moines. Meanwhile, $60,000 a year is good living for a single person practically anywhere, but could be considered lower middle class for a family looking to raise a family in New York City or San Francisco!
Lana The Bartender / Artist
I first met Lana in 2007 at a lounge in San Francisco. She had just graduated from San Diego State with a major in English literature. When she overheard me talking to my friend about a book project, she couldn’t help but interject and ask what I was writing about.
Never to ignore a beautiful lady, I told Lana that I was writing a book about the incestuous start-up community in Silicon Valley. The book would be filled with juicy stories of arrogant, newly rich brats who threw their money around like confetti. Included in the book would of course be a steamy love triangle between the rich protagonist, a bartender, and a poor, but gorgeous immigrant woman.
Lana was sufficiently intrigued to put down her tray and share her story with us! You see, even though she was the waitress for our section of the lounge, she hadn’t given us the time of day up until then, even though we arrived 10 minutes prior. Lana told us that she decided to move to San Francisco’s Mission District to be an artist. She was just temporarily waiting tables so that she could pay the rent and afford to take art classes part-time during the day.
Lana recommended I get a copy of the classic writing book by Strunk & White, Elements Of Style, and came back with two frosty Sierra Nevadas on the house.
We gave her a $10 dollar tip, exchanged contact information and wished her good luck.
We traded a couple e-mails over the years, encouraging each other to keep up our respective arts. With daytime classes and a night job, Lana struggled for time and energy. Meanwhile, with my 12-14 hour job in finance, all I wanted to do was grab a beer after work, watch some TV, and sleep!
In the summer of 2011, I ran into Lana again in The Mission district. Instead of waiting tables, she was now the bar manager at one of the most popular locales in the neigborhood. I asked her how her artwork was going and she said she was actually making decent money selling her paintings! She admitted to only making $1,000 a month after three years, but she absolutely loved it. She just wished she had more time to paint because she knew that if she could just dedicate five more hours a day to her work, she was sure she’d be happier and could earn at least $2,000 a month in income, which would be more than enough for her.
By this time, I had already coached four of my friends from various occupations how to engineer their layoffs. Lana’s case was slightly trickier because even though she was the bar manager, she was still only making about $20 dollars an hour and didn’t have that big of a financial safety net. I didn’t want to help her engineer her layoff only for her to run out of money.
We talked in depth about the following points:
With the above information in hand, I suggested Lana go through her budget, pretend she suddenly lost her income and had to cut down on all expenses except for the essentials. If after two weeks she was still OK, then she should consider making her move. With two years of experience at the existing bar and a good rapport with Larry the bar owner, who loves her, severance of 1-3 months was not out of the question.
According to patrons of Lana’s bar, she was by far the most popular bartender/bar manager around. She was friendly, attentive, and very attractive. Some of the guys there said that the only reason they came to the bar was because of Lana! For the past two years, she generated over 10X her $20 hourly wage for Larry, and he didn’t want to see her go. At the same time, he knew that Lana’s art was getting more and more popular among the local community and didn’t have the heart to hold her back.
Larry had always wanted to be a musician, but couldn’t make ends meet, so he took over his father’s bar when he died ten years ago. Every now and again, Larry would bust out his guitar and play for the crowd. Oh how stiff his fingers are at 58 years old.
Lana spoke to Larry about her dreams to be a full-time artist ever since she was in grade school. Her job at the bar was never meant to be full-time, but she loved working with him and the community so much that she didn’t want to leave. When she got to $1,000 a month in art income for five straight months, she felt comfortable about finally making the move. Lana never mentioned to the owner how much she was making from her art. Instead, she mentioned to Larry how she was so excited to see people slowly take an interest in her work. Lana knew that Larry had always wanted to be a musician and knew he would be able to relate.
Lana promised to always come back to spend time as a patron and hang out with the customers she got to know so well. Furthermore, as a favor to Larry, she said she’d be willing to paint an abstract scene of the bar for free. Maybe Larry would even hang up her artwork proudly above the top shelf.
Larry was so touched by Lana’s generosity that he told her to follow her dreams, even though he hated to see her go. With his encouragement, he provided her with a 360-hour severance that totaled roughly $3,800 as a parting gift. It was the least Larry could do for having such a wonderful employee.
With $13,800 saved up, Lana gave it a go as a full-time artist. Last I heard, she moved into a one-bedroom apartment with a new boyfriend and is happily enjoying painting all day long. Every other week, Lana still stops by the bar where she used to work to say hello to her old colleagues and clients. They all love her and are reminded of her every time they see her painting above the entryway.
Lana’s Severance Package
The luckiest people on earth are those who don't make a lot of money. They've got very little downside and can really pursue their childhood dreams. Imagine that upon graduating from college, you landed a plum corporate job that paid just enough to keep you motivated, but not enough to let you enjoy your freedom. The longer you worked, the more you realized there was really no escape, because there was simply too much at stake. This is the problem that plagued my friend, Lyndon.
Lyndon had a mid-life crisis. At 33, he’d worked for 11 straight years at one of the foremost management consultant firms in the world, and made roughly $300,000 as an "Engagement Manager.” Obama says he's rich, but Lyndon wasn’t buying it because his 1,200 square foot, two-bedroom apartment in New York City cost $4,000/month. If he bought the condo, he'd have to shell out over $1,000,000, even in today's market. To add further insult, $300,000 is really only $180,000 or so after federal (33%), state (7%), and city (4%) taxes!
All Lyndon ever thought about is being a National Geographic nature photographer. Every single vacation was planned around some remote destination that takes two days to reach, and therefore another two days to return. Yet as a consultant, Lyndon was at the mercy of his clients. Instead of traveling to Mt. Kilimanjaro, he was on a plane to Minneapolis in the middle of winter.
In several years, Lyndon knew he’d probably continue to make more money and perhaps make millions as a partner in his 40's. But what was the point if he was not completely happy? The 65-hour workweeks and minutiae were grinding his soul raw. He wanted out. Yet, how does a 33 year old, who's on a path to seven figures remuneration, rationally decide to quit his job and try and to make it as a nature photographer?
I know, an ant is playing the world's smallest violin somewhere underground. While thousands are unemployed, Lyndon is on a path to financial freedom, works at one of the world’s most prestigious companies, yet he's unhappy! He doesn't feel the plight of the less fortunate whom in his eyes are just in transition. To Lyndon, everything is logical. When markets crumble, people get dislocated, but eventually get relocated when the markets rebound. Oh, how Lyndon wishes for dislocation.
Unfortunately, nobody will give Lyndon much sympathy, except his fellow well-todo friends. Ironically, it is the sympathy that Lyndon seeks, which makes him only hang out with people of his same socio-economic class. He understands most of America won't understand him, so he shuns most people.
I first met Lyndon in NYC when I was getting my face ripped off working from 5:30am to 8pm everyday downtown. We met at an apartment party and instantly connected because of our love of tennis. Every now and again we’d catch up for a drink in SF or NYC and pontificate on what a screwed up world we live in.
Both of us had been thinking about engineering our own layoffs ever since we first started working! New York City is an absolute grind, but it makes everybody who survives the place that much stronger. I only lasted from 1999-2001 before I had to get the hell out. I had debilitating allergies, a backbreaking work schedule, and gained almost 20 pounds in my two, long years there. I literally felt I would die young if I stayed much longer.
Once I got out of New York City, I was able to survive another 11 years in the financial world before exiting. I kept in touch with Lyndon after leaving NY and I remember when we specifically discussed in 2009 the idea of starting our own blogs. A few weeks later I decided what the hell I’ll give it a go, and he decided, “What the hell? You have time to write a blog?!” Three years later, thanks to my online endeavors, I no longer need to work. But, the good thing for Lyndon is that in these three years, he’s made and saved plenty of income and has me to give him advice!
The last thing his firm wants is more bad press since they’ve been dragged through the mud since 2011 due to an insider trading scandal. The company’s once pristine reputation is now tarnished like dog diarrhea on a gum filled New York sidewalk.
As an Associate Principal (one level below Partner), with 11 years tenure, Lyndon was respected by his peers. He wasn’t on the fast track, but Lyndon made enough and didn’t complain when the world around him seemed to be imploding. I told Lyndon that anybody who had at least 10 years of work experience was in the “protected class” of employees. Firms like his employer must treat long tenured performers gingerly when letting them go if they want new blood to join their organization.
With a combination of 11 years of service and the negative scepter of the insider trading case, Lyndon went to work implementing his separation package strategy. Over the years, Lyndon had developed a good relationship with his manager over squash, the only affordable indoor sport New Yorkers can play!
Lyndon talked to his manager about his desire to do something new. “It’s not about the money or my career progression,” Lyndon said. He told his manager about his love for photography and his desire to travel the world, despite traveling constantly already for his job. With business still lagging due to tightened corporate client budgets, Lyndon made his case that his departure would save the firm money, and perhaps save the job of another colleague who had a family (Lyndon has no children).
Lyndon emphasized how he loved working for his boss and for the company, otherwise, he would not have lasted 11 years. And part of that was the love he received from his bosses who had taken care of him for all this time. Lyndon mentioned he would always speak highly of the firm, regardless of case’s verdict. Eventually, he also planned to work for one of their largest clients. Commenting on the lawsuit was a strategic mention to remind his superiors that the last thing the firm needed was more negative press. Working as an eventual client sealed the deal.
After about a month of discussion, Lyndon successfully negotiated his separation package and invited me to Rio to eat Brazilian Churrascaria, hike the favelas, and lay out on Ipanema beach.
Lyndon’s Severance Package
“An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.” – Emil Zatopek
Over the past several years, I have coached roughly a dozen people through their layoff process. The 2009 downturn was brutal and caused a wave of disatisfaction across various industries, particularly those which are highly cyclical.
In the following chapter, I share with you five examples (two in this excerpt) of people who have successfully quit their jobs with a severance package. Names have been changed for privacy purposes.
What’s important to note is not so much the dollar amount of each example’s severance package, but how many months of living expenses are covered in each severance package. Our living expenses vary because we all are in different stages of our lives and live in different areas of the world. US$15,000 a year is plenty for someone living in Beijing, but below poverty level for someone living in Des Moines. Meanwhile, $60,000 a year is good living for a single person practically anywhere, but could be considered lower middle class for a family looking to raise a family in New York City or San Francisco!
Lana The Bartender / Artist
I first met Lana in 2007 at a lounge in San Francisco. She had just graduated from San Diego State with a major in English literature. When she overheard me talking to my friend about a book project, she couldn’t help but interject and ask what I was writing about.
Never to ignore a beautiful lady, I told Lana that I was writing a book about the incestuous start-up community in Silicon Valley. The book would be filled with juicy stories of arrogant, newly rich brats who threw their money around like confetti. Included in the book would of course be a steamy love triangle between the rich protagonist, a bartender, and a poor, but gorgeous immigrant woman.
Lana was sufficiently intrigued to put down her tray and share her story with us! You see, even though she was the waitress for our section of the lounge, she hadn’t given us the time of day up until then, even though we arrived 10 minutes prior. Lana told us that she decided to move to San Francisco’s Mission District to be an artist. She was just temporarily waiting tables so that she could pay the rent and afford to take art classes part-time during the day.
Lana recommended I get a copy of the classic writing book by Strunk & White, Elements Of Style, and came back with two frosty Sierra Nevadas on the house.
We gave her a $10 dollar tip, exchanged contact information and wished her good luck.
We traded a couple e-mails over the years, encouraging each other to keep up our respective arts. With daytime classes and a night job, Lana struggled for time and energy. Meanwhile, with my 12-14 hour job in finance, all I wanted to do was grab a beer after work, watch some TV, and sleep!
In the summer of 2011, I ran into Lana again in The Mission district. Instead of waiting tables, she was now the bar manager at one of the most popular locales in the neigborhood. I asked her how her artwork was going and she said she was actually making decent money selling her paintings! She admitted to only making $1,000 a month after three years, but she absolutely loved it. She just wished she had more time to paint because she knew that if she could just dedicate five more hours a day to her work, she was sure she’d be happier and could earn at least $2,000 a month in income, which would be more than enough for her.
By this time, I had already coached four of my friends from various occupations how to engineer their layoffs. Lana’s case was slightly trickier because even though she was the bar manager, she was still only making about $20 dollars an hour and didn’t have that big of a financial safety net. I didn’t want to help her engineer her layoff only for her to run out of money.
We talked in depth about the following points:
- How serious is she about leaving her job? She confided in me that she was tired of standing all day, being nice to customers while hardly making anything, and wanted out. She was getting depressed that after four years of college, she was still working at a bar four years later.
- How big is her financial safety net? Lana told me she’d saved up about $10,000 after putting away roughly $2,500 a year for four years. She didn’t have a 401K or an IRA, but she did have a liquid money market account. Lana basically paid her savings account $200 a month first before spending money on anything else.
- How much income will she be giving up? For the first two years out of college, Lana made about $25,000 a year waiting tables. For the last two years, she started making about $40,000 a year, but her hours were just killing her to the point where she was sleeping until noon, going to lunch, and then running straight to work.
- What is her monthly operating nut? At the time, Lana lived very humbly in a three-bedroom house with two other roommates. Her portion of the rent was $800 a month, which left her with roughly $1,600 a month in disposable income after her $200 a month in savings. The $1,600 would be used for food, clothing, travel, nightlife, and art supplies. In fact, Lana was spending as much on art supplies as she was on food!
- How many months of living expenses can she cover with no income? With $10,000 saved up, Lana can live for roughly four months at her current rate of expenditure. If she cut down on her art supplies, travel, and nightlife, her savings could last her six months. Six months is the minimum amount of savings I recommend one should have before taking a leap of faith if one cannot negotiate severance.
With the above information in hand, I suggested Lana go through her budget, pretend she suddenly lost her income and had to cut down on all expenses except for the essentials. If after two weeks she was still OK, then she should consider making her move. With two years of experience at the existing bar and a good rapport with Larry the bar owner, who loves her, severance of 1-3 months was not out of the question.
According to patrons of Lana’s bar, she was by far the most popular bartender/bar manager around. She was friendly, attentive, and very attractive. Some of the guys there said that the only reason they came to the bar was because of Lana! For the past two years, she generated over 10X her $20 hourly wage for Larry, and he didn’t want to see her go. At the same time, he knew that Lana’s art was getting more and more popular among the local community and didn’t have the heart to hold her back.
Larry had always wanted to be a musician, but couldn’t make ends meet, so he took over his father’s bar when he died ten years ago. Every now and again, Larry would bust out his guitar and play for the crowd. Oh how stiff his fingers are at 58 years old.
Lana spoke to Larry about her dreams to be a full-time artist ever since she was in grade school. Her job at the bar was never meant to be full-time, but she loved working with him and the community so much that she didn’t want to leave. When she got to $1,000 a month in art income for five straight months, she felt comfortable about finally making the move. Lana never mentioned to the owner how much she was making from her art. Instead, she mentioned to Larry how she was so excited to see people slowly take an interest in her work. Lana knew that Larry had always wanted to be a musician and knew he would be able to relate.
Lana promised to always come back to spend time as a patron and hang out with the customers she got to know so well. Furthermore, as a favor to Larry, she said she’d be willing to paint an abstract scene of the bar for free. Maybe Larry would even hang up her artwork proudly above the top shelf.
Larry was so touched by Lana’s generosity that he told her to follow her dreams, even though he hated to see her go. With his encouragement, he provided her with a 360-hour severance that totaled roughly $3,800 as a parting gift. It was the least Larry could do for having such a wonderful employee.
With $13,800 saved up, Lana gave it a go as a full-time artist. Last I heard, she moved into a one-bedroom apartment with a new boyfriend and is happily enjoying painting all day long. Every other week, Lana still stops by the bar where she used to work to say hello to her old colleagues and clients. They all love her and are reminded of her every time they see her painting above the entryway.
Lana’s Severance Package
- Severance (Three weeks per year, 22 weeks): $3,800
- Cobra: None
- Unused Vacation (5): $540
- Gardening Leave: None
- Total Severance Value: $4,340
The luckiest people on earth are those who don't make a lot of money. They've got very little downside and can really pursue their childhood dreams. Imagine that upon graduating from college, you landed a plum corporate job that paid just enough to keep you motivated, but not enough to let you enjoy your freedom. The longer you worked, the more you realized there was really no escape, because there was simply too much at stake. This is the problem that plagued my friend, Lyndon.
Lyndon had a mid-life crisis. At 33, he’d worked for 11 straight years at one of the foremost management consultant firms in the world, and made roughly $300,000 as an "Engagement Manager.” Obama says he's rich, but Lyndon wasn’t buying it because his 1,200 square foot, two-bedroom apartment in New York City cost $4,000/month. If he bought the condo, he'd have to shell out over $1,000,000, even in today's market. To add further insult, $300,000 is really only $180,000 or so after federal (33%), state (7%), and city (4%) taxes!
All Lyndon ever thought about is being a National Geographic nature photographer. Every single vacation was planned around some remote destination that takes two days to reach, and therefore another two days to return. Yet as a consultant, Lyndon was at the mercy of his clients. Instead of traveling to Mt. Kilimanjaro, he was on a plane to Minneapolis in the middle of winter.
In several years, Lyndon knew he’d probably continue to make more money and perhaps make millions as a partner in his 40's. But what was the point if he was not completely happy? The 65-hour workweeks and minutiae were grinding his soul raw. He wanted out. Yet, how does a 33 year old, who's on a path to seven figures remuneration, rationally decide to quit his job and try and to make it as a nature photographer?
I know, an ant is playing the world's smallest violin somewhere underground. While thousands are unemployed, Lyndon is on a path to financial freedom, works at one of the world’s most prestigious companies, yet he's unhappy! He doesn't feel the plight of the less fortunate whom in his eyes are just in transition. To Lyndon, everything is logical. When markets crumble, people get dislocated, but eventually get relocated when the markets rebound. Oh, how Lyndon wishes for dislocation.
Unfortunately, nobody will give Lyndon much sympathy, except his fellow well-todo friends. Ironically, it is the sympathy that Lyndon seeks, which makes him only hang out with people of his same socio-economic class. He understands most of America won't understand him, so he shuns most people.
I first met Lyndon in NYC when I was getting my face ripped off working from 5:30am to 8pm everyday downtown. We met at an apartment party and instantly connected because of our love of tennis. Every now and again we’d catch up for a drink in SF or NYC and pontificate on what a screwed up world we live in.
Both of us had been thinking about engineering our own layoffs ever since we first started working! New York City is an absolute grind, but it makes everybody who survives the place that much stronger. I only lasted from 1999-2001 before I had to get the hell out. I had debilitating allergies, a backbreaking work schedule, and gained almost 20 pounds in my two, long years there. I literally felt I would die young if I stayed much longer.
Once I got out of New York City, I was able to survive another 11 years in the financial world before exiting. I kept in touch with Lyndon after leaving NY and I remember when we specifically discussed in 2009 the idea of starting our own blogs. A few weeks later I decided what the hell I’ll give it a go, and he decided, “What the hell? You have time to write a blog?!” Three years later, thanks to my online endeavors, I no longer need to work. But, the good thing for Lyndon is that in these three years, he’s made and saved plenty of income and has me to give him advice!
The last thing his firm wants is more bad press since they’ve been dragged through the mud since 2011 due to an insider trading scandal. The company’s once pristine reputation is now tarnished like dog diarrhea on a gum filled New York sidewalk.
As an Associate Principal (one level below Partner), with 11 years tenure, Lyndon was respected by his peers. He wasn’t on the fast track, but Lyndon made enough and didn’t complain when the world around him seemed to be imploding. I told Lyndon that anybody who had at least 10 years of work experience was in the “protected class” of employees. Firms like his employer must treat long tenured performers gingerly when letting them go if they want new blood to join their organization.
With a combination of 11 years of service and the negative scepter of the insider trading case, Lyndon went to work implementing his separation package strategy. Over the years, Lyndon had developed a good relationship with his manager over squash, the only affordable indoor sport New Yorkers can play!
Lyndon talked to his manager about his desire to do something new. “It’s not about the money or my career progression,” Lyndon said. He told his manager about his love for photography and his desire to travel the world, despite traveling constantly already for his job. With business still lagging due to tightened corporate client budgets, Lyndon made his case that his departure would save the firm money, and perhaps save the job of another colleague who had a family (Lyndon has no children).
Lyndon emphasized how he loved working for his boss and for the company, otherwise, he would not have lasted 11 years. And part of that was the love he received from his bosses who had taken care of him for all this time. Lyndon mentioned he would always speak highly of the firm, regardless of case’s verdict. Eventually, he also planned to work for one of their largest clients. Commenting on the lawsuit was a strategic mention to remind his superiors that the last thing the firm needed was more negative press. Working as an eventual client sealed the deal.
After about a month of discussion, Lyndon successfully negotiated his separation package and invited me to Rio to eat Brazilian Churrascaria, hike the favelas, and lay out on Ipanema beach.
Lyndon’s Severance Package
- WARN Act (Three months salary): $56,250
- Severance (Two weeks per year, 22 weeks): $95,192
- Cobra: $2,400, six months at $400 a month.
- Unused Vacation (28 days): $17,260
- Gardening Leave: Three months
- Total Severance Value: $171,102 (20 months of expenses in NYC, 50 months of expenses anywhere in South America)
What is "Gardening Leave"? It shows up in both examples. Dumb question?
Posted by: Ron Moon | December 17, 2012 at 10:29 AM
I think Lana's Severance Package has a typo. Is it really supposed to say 22 weeks? She only worked there for 4 years.
Posted by: KJ | December 17, 2012 at 10:49 AM
Very inspiring stories! I know Pat Flynn of smartpassiveincome.com is very happy he got laid off from his job, b/c he makes more in 4 hours of work a day now than he did in his full-time job.
If you feel stuck in a job, there are more options open to you than you can probably see. Start researching, and reading some personal growth books to get yourself where you really want to be.
Posted by: Emily | December 17, 2012 at 11:05 AM
It's probably an useful book, but the second example is actually nothing inspiring from the package perspective, and the case description mixes up terminology (something I've noticed before with this case on the author's blog).
The package he got is fairly standard for this level, he is an associate principal, and not as stated in the beginning an engagement manager (you can't be still an engagement manager after 11 years, it just doesn't work that way). Also an associate principal doesn't have a boss (actually none of the consultants have managers, this is not your standard corporate structure), so he probably talked to his evaluator and they just agreed that he would be let go, and not considered a voluntary leave, but they didn't take decision on the severance package itself. And all this doesn't require big negotiation, especially if he was a good performer and they saw him as a potential decision maker in future when/if he joins a client company.
Not arguing the book premise, but the author is using an unsuitable example, taking credit for something that was not really negotiated.
Posted by: Ivy | December 17, 2012 at 01:43 PM
@Ron - "Gardening Leave" is the non-compete period someone who successfully negotiates a severance package has to agree on. Or, it is the agreement someone signs when finding a new job. The last thing your employer wants to do is give you a ton of money, and then work for a competitor the next day. Similarly, an employer is protecting themselves from a new hire coming in to learn all your secrets for 6 months, and leaving to a competitor.
@Ivy - A severance package is 100% negotiable. There is no law requiring a severance package. Lyndon was going to QUIT, leaving him with NOTHING, not even health care COBRA. Too many people quit their jobs b/c they are scared. They do not understand how much they are leaving on the table.
Cheers,
Sam
Posted by: Financial Samurai | December 17, 2012 at 02:04 PM
Awesome book! Never heard of a book that talks about how to quit your job, but it is so needed since most of us switch careers 7 times in our lifetimes on average.
Curious to know why more people don't bother to try and "engineer" their layoff. Is it ignorance? Fear? Seems like one can make a lot of money.
Posted by: BenJamming | December 17, 2012 at 04:24 PM
I was more inspired with Lana's story. I hope I can follow the path she took -- find the courage to leave my job and pursue my passion. Though I know it will take me more than savings and courage. But you did inspire me. I know that I will eventually get there. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Cherleen @ My Personal Finance Journey | December 18, 2012 at 04:55 AM
Ten bucks says Lana really regrets her choice. Oh, it's fun at first, and fulfilling, but it doesn't take much to ruin your life financially, when you're a freelance artist. Recessions, health issues, a shortage of patrons...all these things make short work of the "glamorous life" of an artist (the 'glamorous' part was sarcasm).
It took me a good 10 years of Lana's life to realize it is no life at all, and living on the brink of poverty is NOT fun or freeing. She'll regret it (unless she seriously lucks into the artist equivalent of 'stardom', which few people ever do).
Posted by: BD | December 25, 2012 at 08:45 PM