Talking Money for Creatives

A programme that offer a structured framework for money decisions and monthly planning - designed for for founders, freelancers and creative leads.

Delivered by MENTORAS CREATIVAS

Supported by YLAI

This edition is delivered with support from the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI), which enables Mentoras Creativas to offer places at no cost to participants for this specific cohort.

The programme at a glance

Money decisions shape what we can sustain: our time, our choices, and our ability to keep making work. This two-workshop programme is built for those who want clear thinking and reliable structure around money - not as an abstract topic, but as something that supports day-to-day practice.

Across two sessions, we move from insight to implementation: first, we identify the patterns and narratives that influence how we spend, ask, price and plan; then we build a lightweight monthly planning system you can return to, particularly useful when income is irregular or fluctuates.

At the end of the programme, you’ll receive a toolkit with short lessons, checklists and templates designed to help you apply the work beyond the sessions.

  1. Format: 2 live online workshops:

    • Workshop 1 - Money Decisions - Priorities, boundaries and decision rules.

    • Workshop 2 - Smart Planning for Income & Expenses - A plan you can maintain.

  2. Duration: 90 minutes each

  3. Time: 3:00 PM UK time

  4. Language: English

  5. Includes: Practical toolkit (lessons, checklists, templates)

  6. Best for: Founders, freelancers, independent creatives, cultural producers, curators, and creative leads who want structure around money decisions and planning without losing nuance or turning the process into a technical exercise.

  7. What’s not included: This programme does not provide personalised tax/accounting advice or investment recommendations.

This is for you if you want to

  • ✺

    Make clearer money decisions

  • ✺

    Set priorities and boundaries that protect your practice and capacity

  • ✺

    Organise income and expenses with a system you can maintain

  • ✺

    Reduce friction around spending, asking, and planning - and replace it with structure

What you’ll leave with

  • ✺

    A decision framework you can reuse (priorities, boundaries, and clear decision rules)

  • ✺

    A practical method to plan income and expenses month by month

  • ✺

    A lightweight review rhythm to track and adjust without overwhelm

  • ✺

    A toolkit to support follow-through (short lessons, checklists, templates)

How to apply

  • ✺

    To be considered, applicants complete an online registration form. It includes:

    - Personal and contact information

    - Professional stage and context

    - Motivation and expectations

    Deadline:

Apply Here

Programme structure

Workshop 1 - Money Decisions

Priorities, boundaries and decision rules.

A facilitated session to examine the patterns that shape money behaviour in creative life - including social pressure, over-giving, avoidance, under-asking, and inherited narratives around money. We translate reflection into concrete decision criteria you can use immediately in real situations: pricing, spending, negotiating, and planning.

You’ll work on:

  • identifying your default money patterns and what triggers them

  • clarifying what you’re optimising for (time, stability, growth, capacity)

  • setting boundaries that reduce friction and protect your practice

  • creating simple decision rules you can return to when choices feel unclear

Workshop 2 - Smart Planning for Income & Expenses

A monthly plan you can maintain.

A hands-on session where you build your monthly structure for income and expenses in a way that reflects real creative work - including irregular income. You’ll set up a clear planning approach, choose categories that make sense for your life, and establish a lightweight routine for review and adjustment.

You’ll work on:

  • building a practical monthly plan for income and expenses

  • organising your spending around priorities (not guilt or guesswork)

  • establishing a simple review rhythm to track and adjust over time

  • planning for variability: low months, good months, and unexpected costs

Meet the Facilitator

Gabriela Román González is a curator and creative strategist working at the intersection of culture and business. She is the founder of Mentoras Creativas and Not The Owners, and has led programmes, curatorial projects and professional development initiatives across international creative contexts.

Her approach is framework-led and practical: helping creatives build structures that support sustainable work - from decision-making and strategy to planning and implementation.

LinkedIn
Instagram