“My Economy” tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy.

Julia McGuigan is the owner of Julia M Illustrates in Omaha, Nebraska. McGuigan started her business in 2017, but more recently opened a brick-and-mortar store in October 2022, where she sells reproductions of her original artwork.

McGuigan said things have been a little slow lately. “The biggest challenge has been not knowing what I’m going to make month to month,” she said about the ebbs and flows of her business.

Because of the instability that comes with being a freelance artist, McGuigan has decided to return to a job in teaching to relieve some financial pressures. But she’s not giving up on her business. In the summers between teaching responsibilities, she plans to sell her work at farmers markets, where she said her business thrives.

“I feel very good about the decision because it’s like a weight off my shoulder knowing that I have a salary,” McGuigan said. “I can’t say how huge that is.”

To hear the rest of McGuigan’s story, click the player head above.