INTERVIEW ON THE PRICE OF BUSINESS SHOW, MEDIA PARTNER OF THIS SITE.
Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, welcomed Benjamin “BENCASSO” Barnes to provide another commentary in a series.
The Benjamin “BENCASSO” Barnes Commentaries
This Coaches Corner episode is a hard-earned message sent backward in time. Looking at his late teens and early twenties, the speaker reflects on what he would tell his younger self if given thirty minutes of clarity. Art matters, but survival skills matter too. Business literacy, technology, and systems are not enemies of creativity; they are its armor. Fear of poverty, disability, and lost benefits can quietly steal decades. Progress doesn’t require confidence or perfection. It requires momentum, experimentation, and starting before you feel ready. The lesson is simple: build early, build imperfectly, and let systems support your freedom forward.
My “Time Machine” Opportunity
If I could go back in time and give my younger self 30 minutes of advice, what specific time period I would choose and what would I say?
If I could go back in time and give my younger self thirty minutes of advice, I would choose my late teens to early twenties—right as my identity as an artist was forming and before fear, poverty, and misinformation hardened into long-term habits.
I would tell myself this: Art alone is not enough. Not because art isn’t valuable, but because the world is not designed to protect artists. I would stress the importance of developing practical, boring, unglamorous skills alongside the arts—technology, finance, bookkeeping, and basic business literacy. These skills are not a betrayal of creativity; they are what keep creativity alive. They buy freedom, stability, and leverage.
I would explain that my fear of losing benefits—Social Security, Medicare, basic survival —while understandable, is I not the immovable wall I believe it to be. I would tell myself that there are programs, safeguards, and pathways that allow people with disabilities to work, earn, and have build businesses without immediately losing everything. I would urge myself to learn these systems early instead of letting fear freeze me for decades.
I would also be blunt about time and money. I would tell myself that partying is not rebellion, it’s distraction, and that escapism feels like freedom but quietly steals years. I would say: stop wasting limited energy trying to be impressive, liked, or numb. Get over yourself faster. Get over the belief that you are broken or behind. Fear is lying to you, and you don’t need to wait until you feel “ready” to begin.
Most of all, I would tell myself this: starting earlier doesn’t mean being perfect. It means learning in motion. Build things badly. Make mistakes cheaply. Experiment often. The earlier you start, the more time you give yourself to recover, refine, and succeed.
You don’t need permission.
You don’t need confidence.
You need momentum—and systems that support it.
Benjamin Barnes, known as Bencasso™, is an artist, educator, and founder of Coaches Corner, where creativity meets practical survival. A lifelong musician, composer, and performer, he has navigated poverty, disability, recovery, and reinvention while building a career across music, education, and
entrepreneurship. His work blends lived experience with no-nonsense guidance for artists who want sustainable lives, not myths. Barnes speaks candidly about systems, money, fear, and momentum, encouraging creators to start imperfectly and build skills alongside art. His message is simple: freedom is learned, built, and defended. He coaches with honesty, urgency, humor, and deep respect for hard-earned wisdom earned.
Ben’s autobiography “Loosened Associations Jazz: Automemoirography of Music, Mischief and Madness” https://a.co/d/9JBJWTl
Atlanta Post Review: https://atlantapostnews.com/2025/08/24/brokenstrings-and-beautiful-madness-a-review-of-loosened-associations-jazz/
How to Make a Living Doing What You Love: “Artistpreneur Economic” new book https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFB5JK6C
Dallas Gazette News Review https://dallasgazettenews.com/2025/08/28/ the-artists-survival-guide-a-review-of-how-to-make-a-living-doing-whatyou-love/
Music Deadweight “Barstool” from Halfwit Anthems
🎧 Spotify (track):
👉 https://open.spotify.com/track/0xWAYapEnPbYlr318jzcQ8mSpotify
📀 Spotify (album page):
👉 https://open.spotify.com/track/3Xo3oADmM8iHv94xfuT9mj? si=8f3495030e9e4fce
🍎 Apple Music (album page — includes Barstool):
👉 https://music.apple.com/us/album/barstool/1606967311?i=1606967471
🛒 Amazon Music (album listing — includes Barstool):
👉 https://amazon.com/music/player/tracks/B09R4WLHBW? marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_p4KsTSQug 99iICHM2BEvPA80Y
Artwork: Bencasso “Bubbafet” available at Bencasso Art Gallery https://bencasso.org/featured/bubbafett-bencasso-barnesquiat.html
Social Media
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/benjamindavidbarnes
- Facebook: https:// facebook.com/benjamindavidbarnes
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/benjamindbarnes
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