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The gig economy has become the primary source of income for many workers in the United States — especially those in creative fields.
But for the roughly 59 million US workers who classify as independent workers, gig work can lead to financial insecurity.
That was the case for comedian and cartoonist Mo Welch, who admitted to being "so bad at money managing" early in her career. On a recent episode of Living Not So Fabulously, Welch shared how she frequently felt like she was "masking" her financial situation to appear more put together around her peers.
"A lot of it was just being extremely poor for a very long time — which did lead to a lot of great jokes," Welch said (see video above or listen below). "But it's a lot of jokes that I'm happy to retire because they were also sad."
After moving to Los Angeles with a car full of wigs and other costume supplies, Welch admitted that even with the support of various odd jobs, paying for the classes and experiences she needed to further her career in comedy remained daunting.
"I actually had this girlfriend who was good at her finances and had a trust fund, and she was like, 'Well, basically, you're bad at finances and you're a comedian ... so you never know when your next check is coming,'" Welch recounted. The girlfriend then suggested Welch attend a Debtors Anonymous meeting, where she could meet others who were also freelancers and struggling with their money.
Read more: How to pay off credit card debt when your budget's tight
Welch said it wasn't until she accepted that she needed help that she felt she could stop "pretending" to have her situation in order.
"I had to put like a lot of pride aside and put that shame away and be like, OK, I actually do need help with this because I was not taught how to manage a dollar," she said, noting that it made her repeatedly question her success in her career. "The financial shame was always like rock bottom."
As Welch built a community of freelancers, she eventually learned how much independent workers can write off on their taxes and how to find the right accountant to help her find those tax breaks.
"Unfortunately, with comedy, you're waiting for something to happen," Welch said. "It's not necessarily that I got my shit together. For me, in comedy, it did take a decade to make any money."