Statement From The Artist

This piece for me is personal, as I believe that little girls and women everywhere should be able to want to make a lot of money without the fear of societal shame and reprimand that often comes with voicing their need for “economic freedom” especially in a patriarchal society. I think there is always a sense of shame surrounding money, but I feel that it is especially prevalent for women and women of color from marginalized backgrounds, where shame is taught and instilled from an early age to hide talents and often play small, and often at the expense of a little girl's natural sense of creativity or wonder. It’s been my experience that there is a large amount of shame that one should not be concerned with how much the job may pay you, but the anger in my chest about the idea of “hoping for a better future without true action or empowerment” has only made me more enraged as economic freedom is not just about the money itself but, the freedoms and protections that come with it.

There’s this idea that “finance is only for finance bros”—and while there is truth in the fact that finance is indeed a white male-dominated space, often from prestigious schools or backgrounds, it is untrue that it is solely for them to learn and master, or even enjoy. Yes, women can also master and enjoy learning about financial systems.

I read a book called Everybody Should Be a Millionaire by Rachel Rodgers and realized that the way we have been taught about money is largely influenced by social conditioning. Women are often taught that a woman's primary objective should be caretaking roles and fulfillment. And for a man, it should be to take up positions of power or something that might sound good to someone he may be dating or trying to date, in order to acquire his position in society. But for men, the shame associated with aiming for high-paying positions does not meet the same level of shame that women do—they are met with social approval and praise, but women are met with attacks to their moral character and worthiness.

If a woman says they want to be a lawyer, the commentary is “Oh wow, are you sure you want to do that? That sounds stressful. Good money though. Is that why you want to do it? That’s not a good reason.” If a man pursues a high-paying business position, he is met with praise and social status, with often no question to his intent or moral character or the basis for doing so. It is easily accepted because he is naturally perceived to have more grit and intelligence just by existing without any true basis for such presumptions other than sexism and, oftentimes racism.

To me, it is important to remember that caretaking positions and positions of “just do it because you’re passionate about it”—do not pay a living wage, such as teaching, and often keep women in positions of powerlessness but give them social appraisal as the “good woman.” But not the woman with the economic power to move to where she might want to move, get the health insurance she might need, or even move out of an abusive home, should she need the ability to do so. Money isn’t just money; it is the ability and freedom to walk away from situations that you do not like or do not feel safe in.

I think a lot of rhetoric surrounding even what it is to be a good Christian is that “money is not guaranteed, nor success”—which is true—but then there are no proactive steps to economically empower people which are not taught in school systems or even churches - as if the financial systems and power systems themselves are gatekept and then reinforced with “Sorry- not everyone is guaranteed success- is Gods direct plan and not just the way the system may be set up by fallible human beings”.

My sentiment behind the narrative of “They lied to you. Economic freedom is freedom” has so much to do with the fact that if you want to walk away from a job you hate, a horrible boss, a toxic work environment, or move to a place that would be better for your emotional and physical well-being—then you need the money and support system, as well as the social connections, to be able to do so.

This art piece for me is a personal one against a lot of discrimination and lack of hope that I have encountered in a white Christian community where the status surrounds “safe career” choices and proximity to whiteness and approval from high-status males in the community.

I think it’s important for women, especially women of color in the United States, to believe in their earning potential and understand the capitalist system so they can empower themselves in the game rather than completely opt out (which you need money and social capital to do so- or at least luck or a miracle to move and be able to do this) I am grateful to even be able to consider this possibility - but in making this piece I was thinking of all the women who feel completely stuck in a capitalist system with the feeling they may never be able to opt out and live in a another system since they felt so debilitating crushed by it. This piece was meant to inspire hope, piss some abusive people off, and get people to think about how they frame things.

I personally believe that young women should be taught financial literacy from a young age in order to expound their knowledge of what's possible, how much money it would take to get there, and where they could possibly get that capital from. Dreams do come true, but it is important to be able to believe in one’s capacity to handle and attract opportunities and abundance - which I believe starts with education.

Money is not the most important thing—I believe your health, well-being, relationships, and spirituality are—but MAN, when you do not have any money, it can impact all of the things that protect you from harm and spiraling mental health and general well-being. It can make a huge impact on your sense of self, self-esteem, and even the ability to see or make any friends.

We must empower one another to become financially literate and not shame others who want to study money and how it works, especially women or people from traditionally marginalized backgrounds who have internalized a sense of powerlessness over their fates.