4 Books on Money Management to Help Your Creative Career

Balance financial know-how and mental wellbeing with these empowering reads by finance-positive writers

Balancing creative work with personal wealth is tricky. Many freelancers and small businesses struggle to connect their creative work with monetary value. After all, most of us aren’t taught how to set up a business, handle our taxes, and so on—while still being creatively fulfilled and healthy.

The pressure to make our bank accounts rocket and become "wildly successful" can lead to burnout and overwhelm. But more and more, people are talking candidly about their personal experiences with money, helping others to forge a better relationship with it. Financial well-being specialist Clare Seal (@clareseal) is just one of them. Here, she shares inspiring reads to help reconnect emotionally with yourself and your money.

The first ten years of Clare’s career were spent working hard at a job and side hustles, but never seeing her bank balance grow—in fact, she was falling deeper into debt. Then, in March 2019, she decided to set up an Instagram account called [https://www.instagram.com/myfrugalyear/?hl=en]@myfrugalyear[/url], to share her journey fostering a better relationship with money.

Her account went viral, with thousands of followers inspired to work on their money habits. Clare went on to write a book and began to give talks. Now, she offers one-to-one coaching, group workshops, and consultancy, and is the Money Matters columnist for Glamour UK magazine.

An emotional exchange…

Money can seem like a clinical thing, a number that should not be tied to our feelings. But Clare stresses that money has a deeply emotional side, and can negatively impact our mental health and self-worth.

She notes that this can be an especially tricky relationship for creatives, as when you work on your passion, it can be hard to define a monetary value for it. On one hand, you can get criticized for asking payment for something people assume to be 'fun', as if your career is only a hobby. On the other hand, it can feel really awkward and nerve-wracking chasing clients for payments, worrying that they’re not going to pay and you’re going to struggle with bills.

In an ideal world, money shouldn’t be a draining goal you feel pushed to pursue, or a weight on your shoulders constantly pulling you down. Instead, Clare says money can be a tool, something we use to improve our lives and wellbeing. But if you don’t know anything about managing your money, this is a huge ask!

In her Domestika course, Clare breaks down methods to master your finances as a creative or small business. That means planning for quieter months, saving for taxes, separating business and personal finances, and finding the confidence for career changes.

On her journey, she encountered several books that helped her—and even ended up writing her own. Read on to discover the supportive but ground-breaking titles that might just revolutionize how you think about your finances…

Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women, by Otegha Uwagba

A little black book that’s actually pink! Alongside its striking, minimalist design, this book is a fantastic primer for building the career you want, negotiating and networking, and finding a place where you can thrive.

Clare highlights a couple of chapters in particular that helped her: one on knowing your worth and getting paid what you deserve (this directly impacted Clare’s rates!). Another covers "taking care of business", i.e. finding the balance between business and creativity—especially when you don’t feel you’re much of a hustler. You’ll also find advice in here from such names as author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and editor Penny Martin.

Open Up: The Power of Talking About Money, by Alex Holder

Packed with interviews from friends, colleagues, and business owners, Alex Holder has created a safe space for being open about money in this playful book. Leaving behind the shame that culturally comes alongside money conversations, she shares personal stories and deep-dives into the whys and hows of our feelings around money.

Honest and brimming with unique insights, this book is particularly great for improving mindset and sparking conversations with your friends.

Banking On It: How I Disrupted an Industry and Changed the Way We Manage our Money Forever, by Anne Boden

This is the impressive memoir of Anne Boden, founder of Starling Bank. Her vision revolutionized the entire industry, and she was the first female founder of a UK bank. For the aspirational side of things, you couldn’t ask for more: learning how she achieved this enormous goal might encourage you to realize your own goals, whoever you are and wherever you’re coming from finance-wise.

And finally, we have Clare’s own book, from which she also created a journal to accompany your financial journey…

Real Life Money: An Honest Guide to Taking Control of Your Finances, by Clare Seal

Part memoir and part guide, this book explores Clare’s journey out of debt in a sustainable way that doesn’t cut out all the fun of life. From negotiating repayment terms to setting budgets and tracking progress, the book aims to help you gently overcome anxieties around money.

When accompanied by the journal, you’ll explore the link between your emotional wellbeing and your financial situation. Going deeper than just tracking numbers, you can begin to rebuild your mindset and emotions so that money becomes less of a stressor, and you are free to work on your goals in a more positive way.

Have you read any of these books? We’d love to hear more recommendations in the comments!

“Conquering our financial demons with practical tools saves us time and headaches,” Clare tells us, and her course can be a great first touchpoint for conquering them. Money Management for Creative Freelance and Small Business will help you plan a happy and healthy financial life. And to plan your thriving business further, check out our growing list of marketing and business courses.

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