Published in Print/Online for Vox Magazine in Columbia, MO
With the gig economy growing, 45% of working Americans have a side hustle
Three Columbia residents explain how how they pick up extra cash outside of the regular workday
Whether it’s to make ends meet or pursue a hobby, more people are finding ways to make cash outside of the typical 9-to-5, and Columbians are no exception. A recent study by financial publisher Bankrate found that 45% of working Americans have a side hustle, which provides a secondary income on top of a primary job. Although it’s difficult to pinpoint when side gigs began to grow, Bankrate’s survey says millennials are more likely to have a side hustle than older age groups. It’s the economy, stupid
Of those working side hustles, 30% rely on that gig to make ends meet, according to the 2019 Bankrate survey. The study also says the cost of living has increased faster than wages, and 40% of millennials earn at least half of their monthly earnings through their side gigs. Beyond daily expenses, 68% of Americans use side gigs to pay off debt, according to a 2018 Betterment report. “Because millennials experienced the Great Recession and saw their parents going through it, they probably are more aware than other generations about the importance of having a financial safety net,” author Alexandrea Ravenelle told Bankrate.
Disposable income is the most common reason for people to take up a side hustle, followed by paying for living expenses and saving. Bankrate’s study also found working Americans clock an average of 12 hours per week on their side hustles. Its chief financial analyst Greg McBride cites a fluctuating job market and stagnant wages as reasons for the gig economy’s growth.
Three mid-MO musicians with new music to add to your playlists in 2020
Whatever genre you're into, loose loose, Jay Wood and Conman Economy will add some mid-Missouri to your music library
A new year means it’s time to update your old music playlist that is so ... last decade. Whether you want to dance, study or even create a mosh-pit right in your own backyard, look no further than the talent right here in Columbia. Check out these three artists who should be on your radar in 2020.
LOOSE LOOSE
What started off as an instrumental jazz fusion project has turned into one of the most exciting and dynamic local musical groups. If you have ever had the privilege to see loose loose live, then we can agree that every aspect of the band is “tight tight.” The seven-piece band draws from a diverse range of experiences that includes jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop, hardcore metal and everything in between. Their music style is ‘loose’ because it has no boundaries. “When we say future soul, the key word really is future," drummer Jacob Somerscales says. "We try to look forward, always.” If you are into instrumental solos, breathtaking vocals, and heart-warming melodies then this band is for you. Keep an eye out for loose loose as a featured band at True/False Film Festival and for its EP they will release in early 2020.
JAY WOOD
This Chicago native and MU senior performed a sold out show at Cafe Berlin in November and says he felt like he finally made it. “I got up there on the stage and it was a dream, it was amazing,” the rapper says. The artist's slogan is “Just Be You,” and Wood says he discovered the type of artist he wants to be: a renaissance man of music. He wants to combine all his different inspirations from artists such as 50 Cent to Earth Wind & Fire and “take the best of it all and then put it into one package,” he says. His lyricism is honest and bold. In turn, Wood’s confidence on stage transforms his performances into what feels like a personal experience for everyone in the room. The rapper intends to drop a few singles in 2020 and to hopefully headline a show at The Blue Note this spring. He is also a featured performer at True/False 2020
True/False co-founder Paul Sturtz reflects on a creative legacy
Sturtz is proud that the film festival and Ragtag Film Society have become "a valuable cultural resource for Columbia"
The Ragtag Film Society and the True/False Film Fest co-founder left last August to pursue new passions. Paul Sturtz says he passed off the fest to folks who are making their own marks in the world. “I just felt like I needed to close the door on that in order to open the door for others to really come to the floor,” he says. Even though he isn’t working with the film society anymore, he says, he is still inspired to do creative and important work, including working on Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign and consulting for Seattle-based environmental magazine, Grist.
Time for a new challenge After more than 20 years with the society, Sturtz has no desire to rest. He says his new job allows him to use his expertise in a different realm that couldn’t be more important today. Sturtz is helping Grist, a nonprofit online publication, develop and build projects from the ground up, just like he did with the film fest.
“I think we’re at a place where it’s all hands on deck in terms of the planet, and it has an immediacy to be working on a project that is intersecting a lot of really innovative, forward-thinking people,” he says.
Veterinarian has been leading the pack for 40 years
At MU during the '70s, they told Mar Doering that a woman couldn't be a veterinarian. After thousands of treated and trained animals, she has proved them wrong
When Dr. Mar Doering first applied to the University of Missouri’s college of veterinary medicine, being a veterinarian and a woman was unheard of. Doering always knew she wanted to work with animals and remembers being a little four-year-old girl with a big dream. As she got older, people kept telling her a woman couldn’t be a veterinarian. These words did not discourage Doering but only made her determined to prove them wrong. Now, after treating and training thousands of animals over her career, Doering is about to celebrate owning her own practice, All Paws Medical and Behavioral Center in Holts Summit, for 40 years this August
“I’ve had many dreams, and luckily, so far they’ve all come true,” Doering says. “But one of my dreams was to do animal behavior, specifically dog and cat behavior. I spent years trying to learn as much as I could about communicating with animals on their own level, but also years trying to figure out how I could do it to the best of my ability.”
This training has paid off, according to longtime client Michelle Yahnig. Yahnig and her husband have been loyal clients since the ’80s and says Doering has helped them through countless ups and downs. “She is absolutely the most caring vet I have ever worked with,” Yahnig says. “They say animals can always tell when someone likes or doesn’t like them, and my dogs absolutely love to see her. They are so happy to be there.” Yahnig visits Doering at least once a week to pick up prescriptions for one of her dogs. “At this point, she is part of my family,” she says.
Doering recognizes her talent when it comes to communicating with animals and their owners, but it wasn’t always easy. In fact, she remembers a time when she found it much easier to communicate with the animals she cared for than with the people.
A birthday surprise
Doering was a longtime fan of dog trainer Cesar Millan when he was still an up-and-coming celebrity. Millan is known for doing the same type of work as Doering on his National Geographic Channel TV show, The Dog Whisperer. Doering says she believed that Millan would understand the one problem she was still struggling with — connecting to people.
Local theater students and professors continue to create, albeit virtually
The pandemic has forced university theater departments to lower their lights, close their doors and pivot from stage to computer screen. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, one of the most famous musicals in history, found great success when it bumped its theatrical release to the small screen instead, becoming the most-watched show out of all streaming service shows in July. But can the theater departments of Stephens College and MU do the same? It was the opening night of MU Theatre’s Votes for Women back in March when Zoë Tyler, an MU senior majoring in theater, and her fellow cast members were told that the remaining performances were canceled due to COVID-19.
Since then, college theater in Columbia has seen many changes. The MU Theatre Department has produced original works So Near, So Far by Brett Kristofferson and All the Spaces by Murphy Ward and Kylee Compton. Both shows premiered virtually in July. In November, the department presented its 18th annual Life and Literature Performance Series, which included original and adapted works by MU students and faculty members. All of these productions were published or streamed online. Technical Difficulties
Before any show’s opening night, the cast and crew spends a week — called tech week — testing all the show’s production elements such as lighting, sound and costume changes. This time, for All The Spaces, Tyler says the actors had to be their own tech crew as they shot their parts themselves.