Lighting Designer Aja M Jackson On Radical Pay Transparency: It’s Like Fight Club, But You’re Allowed To Talk About It

This week on the Artistic Finance podcast, we dive deep into the exciting world of high-yield savings accounts and personal finance—basically, the stuff that makes your 9-year-old self go, “Wow, I can’t wait to grow up and talk about savings rates!” Host Ethan Steimel sits down with lighting designer Aja M Jackson, who is not only highly talented but also has financial habits that would make a financial planner weep with joy.

The Interview

Financial Habits:
Aja has financial habits so organized, you could mistake her for a human version of a budgeting spreadsheet. We’re talking levels of organization that might actually inspire you to finally open that dusty finance app you downloaded during the pandemic. She breaks her bills down, figures out how much she needs to earn, and BOOM, financial stability. It’s like Marie Kondo for your bank account.

Living Within Your Means:
Aja is the queen of living modestly, which merely means she isn’t out here buying things she doesn’t need. Unless it's owning a car while living in NYC, but even then, she trades off other expenses to cover that. Aja’s strategy? Spend less, save more. It’s like a diet, but instead of cutting carbs, you’re cutting impulse spending. Go out and mindfully spend on improving your career. Be social and attend networking events. But don't pick up the tab for the group. 

High Yield Savings Accounts:
Look, I get it—savings accounts aren’t exactly thrilling, but Aja swears by high-yield savings accounts. Ethan even tangents during the episode to basically scream at you to open one. “Just DO it!” he says. Imagine this: you put $1,000 in, and a month later, you get $4. “Big whoop,” you say. But fast forward a year and that $4 turns into $25. That’s $25 you didn’t have before. So pause the episode, grab your phone, and open that account like your financial future depends on it (because it does).

Building a Financial Cushion:
Now, here’s where things get not serious because the show's informal. Aja shares a non-financial-professional-certified tip from her grandpa: don’t even think about investing until you have $10,000 you can live without. Why $10,000? We’re not sure. Maybe it’s a grandpa thing. Maybe it’s a secret club you can join once you hit that magic number. Either way, it’s a solid goal and actionable number to work toward, and Aja’s advice is clear: you don’t need to jump into investing until you’re financially stable. So don’t worry, you’re not missing out on becoming the next stock market wizard.

Openly Sharing Finances with Colleagues:
Aja is all about the transparency—like, she’s practically a human glass window when it comes to sharing finance details. She and Ethan discuss how we should all stop being so shy about talking money. It’s not Fight Club—talking about your salary won’t get you kicked out of the cool kids' circle. Aja gives a shout-out to Rachel Chavkin, who openly shared that she made $800,000 from Hadestown. Casual, right? Aja’s message: Let’s all be a little more like Rachel. Start talking about money, because keeping it a secret only helps people who are already swimming in it.

Ethan's Takeaways

Aja’s Superpower is Organization:
If you thought you were organized, think again. Aja is out here running circles around your color-coded Post-it notes. Both in personal finances and lighting paperwork, Aja has things planned out and buttoned up. Because everything is neat, it helps Aja figure out her budget and what fees she needs to earn. It also helps her in filing her own taxes. A freelancer that files their own taxes? You read that right! Ethan admits he was already a fan, but after learning that, he’s basically trying to figure out how to become Aja. (Spoiler alert: it's impossible. She's too organized.)

Living Modestly Is Necessary:
Aja’s all about staying grounded. Don't let Instagram influencers make you feel bad about your 2009 Honda Civic. As Aja says, “That Civic? It runs. You don’t need a Tesla to feel fancy.” It's not about being a Quaker, but know what bills you have, and make sure you earn enough to cover those and save for your retirement. 

High-Yield Savings Accounts are Your New Best Friend:
If you haven’t opened one yet, you’re just rebelling at this point. Get that account going and start making your money work for you. Start picturing a $25 interest payout as a mini celebration to look forward to.

Don’t Be Afraid to Save Before You Invest:
If you’ve been feeling FOMO about not investing, relax. Aja’s got your back. Saving for stability is just as important as investing for growth. You’re playing the long game here, and it’s okay to chill out backstage until you’ve built that $10,000 cushion and then jump into action running cues. Trust Aja's grandpa on this one.

Share Your Finances Like You Share LDI Promo Codes:
Aja’s biggest piece of advice? Be open about money. Don’t treat your fees or rates like they're classified government documents. Sharing financial information helps everyone, and we can all be better informed about what we’re worth. No more guessing games!

Final Notes
If you want to dig deeper into any of the episodes mentioned, just pop over to artisticfinance.com/166 for all the juicy details.

Also, LDI is coming up, and Ethan’s hosting a live episode on December 8th. If you’ve ever wanted to hear Ethan talk about financial independence in person (and maybe witness a few awkward attempts at humor), Las Vegas is the place to be.