Creatives and Money: Financial Management for Uganda’s Creatives

Creatives across Uganda gathered in November for “Creatives and Money”, a practical financial management session facilitated by savings and investment advocate Danstan Kisuule. Convened through a collaboration between the Kampala Film Development Foundation, the Uganda National Cultural Centre, and the Kuonyesha Art Fund, the session brought together 40 creatives, dancers, designers, musicians, poets, filmmakers, and cultural producers, many of whom know the pressure of moving from one gig to the next. Danstan’s message was clear: financial stability is built less by big earnings and more by discipline, systems, and data. He challenged participants to cut impulse spending, track daily expenses (“keep data, your pattern will come from your data”), focus on income-generating skills, and build multiple streams of income, including passive ones.

He urged creatives to save consistently (even in small amounts), avoid emotional spending and risky schemes they don’t understand, and prepare early so opportunities don’t pass simply because planning didn’t happen. With a simple rule of thumb, aim to live within about 60% of income and allocate the rest to savings, projects, emergencies, and investments, the session reframed money management as a tool that protects creative freedom, reminding artists that financial discipline is not the enemy of creativity; it is one of the structures that keeps it alive.

Read more: Full highlights and key practical lessons from “Creatives and Money.”