All the tips on budgeting are based on people who get paid on a regular schedule, but if you're an actor, musician, etc., you'll get a chunk of change all at one time and then often have a dry spell. It's so easy to blow through the money that you get paid and then have nothing left for the few months that you're waiting for that next gig.

Some 30,000 young Canadians ages 16 to 24 are homeless at any given time. If you're young and also dealing with abuse, addiction, a broken family or mental illness, finding your way is an immensely tough trek. Art is an accessible way to confront those seemingly impossible challenges.

Rooming houses and cheap basement apartments in my neighbourhood are full of people like that. One day, some of them just don't get up. This happens. Every day. But I made a choice a long time ago. I'm not going down without a fight. This past year I've tried to re-invent myself as a writer of a TV drama series.

Days after his death, his former wife released a letter in the beast that is Rolling Stone, begging us not to glorify or romanticize the death of a rockstar who struggled with mental illness and drug addiction. Do you not think it's even more detrimental to vilify this man?

Let's face it: it's always personal. Even when it's not. Even in business. Every business owner is first and foremost a person and the way we view the world is through our unique human perspective. We put a lot of ourselves into our businesses and careers, and therefore, by default it is personal. Enter the personal brand.