MAY 2, 2025 PARTICIPANT REFLECTION GROUNDCOVER NEWS How the Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor program has impacted my life HENRY GIG A2 participant The Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor program has been a great blessing in my life. I am most thankful for how it has relieved the stress from worrying about so many different money issues. This stress contributes to depression and the mindset of “what is the use of even trying?” Knowing help is coming every month has produced a new-found sense of hopefulness. When I first started receiving the income, I was a DoorDash driver trying to make ends meet. I used my first two payments to get some badly-needed brake work done on my car. Later I was able to use the income to buy some presentable clothing, and I was able to then secure additional income through a part-time temporary job that lasted almost a year. I had previously written three books which I sell on Amazon.com. I’ve been able to use some of the guaranteed income to advertise my books and also to send out review copies. As a result I have had an increase in book sales. I have also used the stipend to buy shipping supplies for my small eBay.com store. This helps me generate additional income. The greatest benefit has just been knowing I’ll have that money every month to cover food and housing expenses. The relief from the constant day-to-day thinking about “where is the money going to come from?” is hard to put into words. It frees up my mind for more creative thinking, and as a result I’ve been able to resume my daily blogging. I can blog to advertise my books, and I am hoping to see another increase in book sales as a result. I hope the University of Michigan is able to publicize far and wide the benefits of this program and that it inspires other similar initiatives. I have no doubt there are millions in America who could similarly benefit. If you are not a low income person, it might be hard to understand how an extra $500 per month can make such a huge difference. But imagine getting into your car every day for your delivery job and hoping your brakes hold out, or not having $150 to get a broken tooth pulled. Just imagine all the hours people all over the world spend worrying about monetary issues, time that could be put to more creative and beneficial uses. That’s what I am most thankful for thanks to the Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor program: peace of mind and freedom to engage in meaningful activities. I know there are some people in America who automatically resist any sort of program that helps poor people; they believe it “pampers and spoils” people, or makes them less likely to work. Nothing could be further from the truth. Easing financial pressure helped ease my stress and depression levels, giving me more motivation to continue my artistic projects and find extra work through a temp job. I don’t have a single negative thing to say about the program, and I hope it continues and expands. "Ms. Artist" appreciates validation and support MS. ARTIST GIG A2 participant I am a highly-educated professional who made the sacrifice to leave an academic career to go into the arts. Sickness that requires hospitalization taught me that life is too short not to go for what you really love. I had been on a career fast-track and many of my peers and classmates were all at the top of their game: doctors, professors at top universities, government officials, corporate and legal bigwigs, and a few people who are even household names. I could have been one of them as well, but it would not have been the same as doing what I had truly wanted to do since I was a little girl. If you are an artist or entrepreneur, you are driven by a deep, intrinsic motivation that says you can't do anything else. Leaving my very promising financial path was probably the hardest decision I ever made. When I woke up in the morning, I would feel frightened about my future, and yet somehow so free. There were no instruction manuals as to how to accomplish my dreams, and of course there was the question of steady income. I didn't know any other peers or classmates at that point who had taken such a bold move, and my parents had had very stable jobs. I myself craved that kind of job stability, but I knew that there was no other choice than to go into the arts after years of doing things and working in fields that were good and noble but so wrong for me. I had heard of people being able to make a living as artists in various places in Europe — for example, singers who are offered civil service contracts in Germany — and saw how there was the phenomenon of working artists in New York, since there were many opportunities and funding for all disciplines of the arts. I had expected my career path to be difficult due to the artistic challenges: figuring out how to express what is in your mind and heart and soul, spending endless hours on disciplined work (because you cannot wait for the muse to come; the work itself is the muse!), self-doubt, reworking things until you get it just right. That is indeed true, but the harder part is the business side of things. I had never expected the constant hustle, but that is what being an artist requires. I have learned that even if you do steady work, you do not receive steady income. You invest more in applications to showcase your work than you receive in pay. You invest more energy in doing your work and putting it out there than you get back. Worst of all, you have very little externally to show for all the effort and work you do. I'm lucky enough to get positive feedback from the uppermost echelons in my field, which motivates me and shows that I am on the right track. Sadly, that does not always translate to opportunities to show my work or get hired. This is why a program like GIG A2 is so vital, because a minimum of guaranteed income helps keep those of us in the arts or entrepreneurship going. We need stability, the assurance from the outside world that what we do is necessary, the validation that we are calculated risk-takers who are doing something unlike anyone else. The arts are not valued on a large scale in the United States and are generally relegated to the private sector and the wealthy. Arts organizations around the country are constantly seeking funds from donors, and that is exactly what also happens on a smaller scale for artists like me. As we all know, funding is sadly being slashed everywhere; that is why it is vital for local governments or regions to step in to help. One of the most common misconceptions people have about the arts is that it is hard because it is "subjective." However, I would argue that any workplace is subjective — even a vital IT worker can be dismissed if the boss doesn't like them. I would say this: there is a degree of subjectivity once you reach a certain threshold of mastery in your artistic field. That is, others may really appreciate your work and recognize your talents, but it is not the right fit for what they are seeking. As an artist or entrepreneur, you wait and work and hope for luck, because that is what you need once you have a certain level of talent and mastery. Another common misconception is that artists are "flaky," working whenever they feel like it, financially irresponsible, and just not putting their work out there. Anyone who is trying to make a career in the arts will tell you this is completely wrong. A wise artist needs to know where every last penny goes, how to manage money, and how to be strategic about the next steps. I urge the city of Ann Arbor, and other cities elsewhere, to continue these guaranteed income programs to assist us who are forging our own paths. There is so much uncertainty until we get the lucky breaks that we so deserve; knowing the city supports us gives us some reassurance of stability. Across the country, largely with the advent of the pandemic, cities have been running pilot programs for guaranteed income. I could cite data from a number of studies conducted around the world that show increases in many factors, leading to greater well-being: financial, mental, physical, etc. Naturally, with the state of our economy now, $528 a month is indeed a boon, but it doesn't offset living costs which are high in a city like Ann Arbor. This is no reason to discontinue the program, however, as I'm sure every recipient of the GIG A2 program would agree. What we truly need is structural economic justice to help everyone in society. I am grateful to the city of Ann Arbor and the researchers at the University of Michigan who have developed this pilot program, and I am grateful for the chance to share my experiences with you. 7
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