Our House

DoMinion LEnDing CEntRES OUR HOUSE SUMMER 2017 >> 13 So you're busy? Yes, it's fun though. i love it. i love performing. i don't know any different. Where did you find your inspiration to write the book? it was a memoir, and my manager really badgered me into doing it. i just kind of thought it was conceited. "Wait a minute, i'm only in my 40s—am i really going to write a memoir?" But he talked me into it and he's a smart businessman. While we were still making the record he said we need to get something out there in the world that can be a revenue source for you. nowadays, music is not a revenue source. it's really zero. it's very daunting in this digital age to keep going; most people in music now have a plan B because they really have to. Someone like myself, i was fortunate to have a long career so far. We don't have private planes or Lamborghinis, [but] i always said if i can pay the rent and feed my dog then i was a success. What advice would you give someone who wants to have a career in music? i think it's just changed so much with the internet now, i don't know if everyone can do it. i think that it's good to have a plan B always. i always thought i would go into healthcare. i always thought i would do something like that if i wasn't doing music. if you can live a very austere life, you can be a self-employed artist for sure. Do you do a lot of recording at home? oh definitely, and we always have. in the 1990s and early 2000s we would purchase our own recording equipment. it was an investment ultimately for tax purposes. it's a good investment as an artist whether you're a painter or writer, you can utilize your copy paper or pens, stuff like that. Whether it's guitar strings or recording equipment, definitely it's an investment and we've always worked from home. it's weird in a way, you're able to work when the moment strikes you, when you have an idea. And there's many a song i've written in my kitchen while i'm chopping vegetables, or doing the laundry, and it just happens that way. KARoLinA tUREK Be a Business Rock staR! Setting up a home recording studio may not be as difficult as you think. Dominion Lending Centres has a leasing division that can help you get started on almost any business venture. DLC Leasing Inc. funds all types of equipment for business use, from forklifts and photocopiers to golf carts and electronic and video equipment. DLC Leasing allows you to lease-to-own recording equipment for a term between two and five years at a minimum purchase of $2,500. You pick out the equipment and we will find the right lender and rate that will work for your needs. DLC Leasing works with virtually any type of business entity including new businesses and start-ups. For more information about DLC's leasing options visit dominionlending.ca or email credit@dominionlending.ca. How is your health these days? i feel awesome, but you know i felt awesome the day i was diagnosed. And that's the thing about early-stage cancer, it doesn't always give you symptoms. And a lot of cancers, we can't differentiate regular joint pain from cancer. How would we know, unless we get tested? i know a lot of women who are over 40 and never been for a mammogram. Early detection is the key. i was in the best of my health the day i was diagnosed with breast cancer. You just never know. i've been a vegan since i was in my 20s, i feel good, i have a healthy lifestyle, and i have for a lot of years. Did your home play a part in your recovery from cancer? oh definitely. i was very fortunate to be able to stay home, plus because i was already self-employed, nothing changed for me. i didn't have to beg my boss to give me time off to do chemo, like a lot of women i knew. i still set my own schedule and i still recorded a record while i was in treatment, because i was home. it was the first time in my life i didn't play 300 shows a year. i looked at it as a real blessing. i was home with my dogs, and it was fantastic. How long have you lived in your Vancouver apartment? this apartment i bought in 2006. i was really fortunate—my manager's wife was a Realtor, and it was lucky i got into this building because they lived in this building. now i know almost all the people in my tower, and most of them are seniors. i used to say i'm the crappiest person in my building; that's how i know i'm safe. i'm the one they're afraid of. i feel very lucky. the costs have really climbed, strata fees go up, they had building levies. it's a struggle. Do you remember the process of buying your apartment? i've definitely had a mortgage through all these years, and i've redone it. i was very lucky to do it again when i was in cancer treatment. i've played it very safe all along with my finances. i've never been all that flamboyant or rambunctious when it comes to my spending. Where do you see living in the future? i don't know, to be honest. My husband was living in new Westminster, B.C., before i met him, and we just went through the process of listing his apartment and selling it. now with my downtown apartment, i'm repainting the whole thing, and i'm looking at it now that it's time for he and i to get a place together. i'm considering listing my apartment that i've had for over a decade that i have a lot of emotion invested in and a lot of memories. it's kind of an exciting thing to do. " i've played it very safe all along with my finances. " —Bif Naked

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