Like so many children, I too wanted to have my own Money Bin filled with pretty coins. (I also fantasized about owning a personal library and hidden weapon compartments around the house… but that’s a different story)
Six months into my Scrooge McDuck-phase, I’d collected a 132 coins. They didn’t even fill the full corner of my bedroom floor – believe me, I checked – but it was a start! And then of course, the inevitable bump in the road drew near. You can’t own a personal library without books. So, they have to be bought. With money. From the Money Bin. Then, I discovered this wonderful new game, called a ‘collectible card game’. Gotta have them all! And before I knew it, the Money Bin got emptier and emptier…
Looking back, my flaw was that I was focusing on too many big projects at the same time. But I’ve learned from my childhood mistakes! Today, I only work on 1 project at a time. Well 2… 3. Okay 4-ish. But it’s definitely not as bad as back then.
Quite Puzzling, Really
Wouldn’t it be great if each of us had a Money Bin, though? Especially for those of us working in bronze. I’m looking at these clay sculptures, waiting to be cast, and I don’t know where I’m going to get the money from.
For years, this has been the biggest puzzle of my practice. So far, though, it hasn’t really been an acute problem. Creating an actual portfolio, for instance, was more important. It’s hard to find someone to represent you, when you have nothing to show for. But now I’m at a stage where there are several sculptures finished. Except they’re still in their soft-clay version and therefore fragile. Preferably, I want to have them cast as soon as possible, so that they’re safe from damage… Or from being around a klutz like me.
Yes, I know it’s highly artistic to destroy your own work. But when the damage is caused because I accidently overlook a massive piece of clay and walk right into it, it doesn’t have the same emotional impact as when – say – I dramatically whirlwind sledgehammer it to slush puppy, while at the same time letting my primal self become one with Mother Gaia as I howl at the moon. It’s not the same. So bronze it is.
One of the main parts of the money-making-puzzle involve my country’s laws surrounding medical benefits. I’m very grateful for my pension. Because of it, I have a roof over my head and food on the table! Two things I will never take for granted.
But no system is perfect. And although the laws in my country are great, the welfare system can also be quite a rigid system, that – if you’re not careful – is able to bite you in the ars- err… tush.
It’s like this: As long as your situation is clear cut, help is going to be quick. The trouble arises when your case file could be handled by multiple organizations. Because now you’ve become a ‘complex case’. And when you fall through the cracks of the system like that, it can take many years before help comes your way. If it comes at all.
Into The Money Bin We Go
Considering that my own butt cheeks are sporting a few interestingly shaped bite marks, I’m nervous to do something that might make me lose my pension. Especially, because I know from experience that I’m not fit enough to make enough money on my own to make ends meet.
At the same time… I can’t just sit here and twiddle my thumbs for the rest of my life. So this year, I’m going to dive into the complex maze of laws. Hopefully, I’ll learn about the restrictions, but also about the rights that I have. Perhaps I’m even going to visit one of those scary work coaches specialized to help people in my situation. But … Let’s not get too enthusiastic.
In the meantime, I keep saving my coins. I’ve passed 132 coin-mark now. Have a pretty good feeling this Money Bin’s gonna get here soon!
