The Story Behind the Numbers: An Artist’s Approach to Financial Wins

By Aquaila Barnes

Behind every gig, grant, sold-out show, or quiet season lies a financial story that shapes an artist’s journey. This workshop reframes money not as a source of stress, but as a creative tool—one that can be understood, directed, and aligned with your artistic vision. Designed specifically for working creatives, The Story Behind the Numbers explores the rhythms of artistic income—its unpredictability, its peaks and valleys—and offers practical, culturally grounded strategies to navigate it with clarity and confidence.

Through real-life scenarios, storytelling, and interactive reflection, participants will learn how to interpret their financial patterns, prepare for fluctuations, and build systems that support both sustainability and creative freedom. This is not about becoming an accountant—it’s about becoming the author of your financial narrative.

The Story Behind the Numbers is presented in partnership with Members Trust Company.

Thursday, July 30, 11:15am – 1:15pm
Ardmore 2, Benton Convention Center (Benton South)

Equally left- and right-brained—Aquaila loves words, numbers, and blending the two. As a poet and playwright, she explores social issues and personal development in a way that stimulates & entertains. Aquaila’s commitment to addressing social issues that stimulate & entertain continues to be expressed in the development of her more recent stage works: “The Cost” (a political drama); “hush hush” (a dramatic comedy on family & sexual abuse); and “Sisters” (a drama about illness & letting go).