138. How Painting Fits Into My Early Retirement Plan
Wed Feb 04 2026
This week in Portland, with ICE protests happening just blocks from where I’m pet sitting, I decided to do something I haven’t done in years: pick up a paint brush and paint the Portland protest frog.
In this episode, I share how returning to painting (after years of telling myself creativity was something I’d get to do in retirement), has become a huge part of how I take care of myself now while still building toward early retirement.
I talk about growing up creative, how capitalism and survival mode taught me to shut that part of myself down, and why I used to believe art was something reserved for retirement. I share how reading The Artist’s Way, living alone, navigating grief, and moving through this political moment pushed me back into creativity as a form of regulation, healing, and self-trust.
Creativity belongs inside a wealth-building plan, not as a reward for fitting into society at the end of your life.
I also share how I balance painting, rest, and pleasure with aggressively investing, maxing out my retirement accounts, and building long-term financial safety—so I don’t have to choose between future security and living my life now.
If you’ve ever felt like:
You’re “too busy” or “too responsible” for creativity
Art is something you’ll get to after retirement
Wealth-building means delaying joy
This episode is for you.
Work With MeIf you want hands-on support understanding your investments, opening the right accounts, selling out of overpriced or underperforming funds, boosting your credit score, and building toward early retirement, you can learn more about my six-month one-on-one money coaching here.
I help LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and first-gen folks crush confusion around money and start building a six-figure retirement—even without a six-figure salary.
Get my crush debt, retire early emails here.
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This week in Portland, with ICE protests happening just blocks from where I’m pet sitting, I decided to do something I haven’t done in years: pick up a paint brush and paint the Portland protest frog. In this episode, I share how returning to painting (after years of telling myself creativity was something I’d get to do in retirement), has become a huge part of how I take care of myself now while still building toward early retirement. I talk about growing up creative, how capitalism and survival mode taught me to shut that part of myself down, and why I used to believe art was something reserved for retirement. I share how reading The Artist’s Way, living alone, navigating grief, and moving through this political moment pushed me back into creativity as a form of regulation, healing, and self-trust. Creativity belongs inside a wealth-building plan, not as a reward for fitting into society at the end of your life. I also share how I balance painting, rest, and pleasure with aggressively investing, maxing out my retirement accounts, and building long-term financial safety—so I don’t have to choose between future security and living my life now. If you’ve ever felt like: You’re “too busy” or “too responsible” for creativity Art is something you’ll get to after retirement Wealth-building means delaying joy This episode is for you. Work With MeIf you want hands-on support understanding your investments, opening the right accounts, selling out of overpriced or underperforming funds, boosting your credit score, and building toward early retirement, you can learn more about my six-month one-on-one money coaching here. I help LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and first-gen folks crush confusion around money and start building a six-figure retirement—even without a six-figure salary. Get my crush debt, retire early emails here.