“I've been putting off urgent dental treatment because I can't afford it. I should be seeing a doctor regularly, but enduring instead of going has become a habit.”

— 50s, actor

“I kept delaying ear treatment because I had no money, and the symptoms in both ears worsened.”

— 30s, musician

“I couldn't pay my hospitalized mother's bills, so we had to delay her discharge, and she had to give up tests and treatment she needed.”

— 50s, actor/broadcaster

“Because of money troubles I had nowhere to go — drifting between gosiwon rooms and rehearsal studios, and for a while sleeping rough.”

— 30s, musician

“Because of unpaid rent, my collective was forced to vacate our shared workspace and home. Neither bank loans nor artist loans could help.”

— 50s, actor

“Without money, life collapses — and creating art? Out of the question.”

— 50s, artist

“It's painful that solving this month's money problems has to come before the work itself. As an artist, I can only earn well when the work succeeds — yet I have to chase odd jobs every month instead. It feels like being trapped in a vicious cycle.”

— 40s, musician

“Debt collection calls disrupted my rehearsals and performances, and the psychological burden made every day painful and the next day frightening.”

— 40s, theater artist

“Many times the loan payments looming each month forced me to step away from performing and focus on part-time work.”

— 50s, actor

“Sleeping less than four hours a night, juggling part-time jobs and theater — but the more I performed, the more debt piled up. Eventually I decided to quit performing.”

— 30s, actor

“When things were hardest, I couldn't even attend close friends' weddings or funerals — and as a result, relationships were severed.”

— 50s, actor/broadcaster

“When I said I was a stage actor, the loan officer called me "unemployed."”

— 50s, actor

“The shame and severed friendships that came with borrowing from people I knew, the pressure of failing to pay it back, the helplessness.”

— 50s, cartoonist/visual artist

“Even with programs meant for low-income citizens, I feel shame when I can't produce enough documentation simply because I'm an artist.”

— 30s, film/broadcasting professional