Money Talks: ?'I went to New York first class. I spent it with the faith that there'd be more money' - artist Kevin Sharkey on making almost 5m and losing it all

"Determined to get bigger and better, the artist invested much of his new-found wealth into his career, opening galleries and promoting his work. But when the 2008 financial crash sent shockwaves through the global economy, his fortunes took a sudden turn for the worse. Less than 10 years later, Sharkey was homeless. "Once you go broke and homeless, you realise life still goes on," he says."

"After ending up in a homeless hostel, Sharkey says he was more motivated than ever to turn his life around and start painting again. "What I remember about being in a homeless hostel, was all I was thinking about wasn't, 'how did I end up here?' It was, 'how the f*** do I get out of this place and never come back?'""

""In those years, I stayed in the George V [hotel] in Paris. I went to New York first class. I really had a great time spending that money," he tells Katie Byrne on the latest episode of the Money Talks podcast "I loved it, but I spent it with the faith that there'd be more money. I was never going to sit on a suitcase of money out of fear.""

Kevin Sharkey experienced significant early financial success and spent lavishly while investing heavily in his art career and galleries. The 2008 financial crash devastated his income and, within a decade, he became homeless. He relied briefly on social welfare, lived in a homeless hostel, and used the hardship as motivation to resume painting and rebuild. Sharkey reinvested earnings into his career rather than into property or pensions, opening galleries across Ireland and Portugal. He now has a large client list but continues to prioritize reinvestment and a live-for-today mindset over long-term financial security.

Read at Irish Independent