Are Creatives Sabotaging Themselves? Why Many Start Projects With Zero Money Plan… And Whether That’s a Problem.
Creatives love to create. That is not in question. What is in question is whether the Nigerian and African creative industry has built a culture of passion without planning, talent without structure, and art without sustainability.
Walk into any studio, co-working hub or WhatsApp creative group and you will find the same pattern. Artists pouring their souls into projects with no financial roadmap.
Animators spending months developing shorts with no distribution plan. Comic creators sketching entire worlds without a business model in sight.
Musicians recording EPs without marketing budgets. Writers working on novels with no publishing routes.
It is a cycle so widespread that some people now argue it has become one of the biggest reasons creatives remain broke.
But is this fair? Or is the pursuit of money before art the very thing that kills creativity? Opinions are split, and the heat in the comment sections online shows just how deep this argument goes.
On one side are the business-minded creatives who insist that failing to plan financially is irresponsible.
They argue that creating without a monetization strategy is like starting a journey without knowing where the destination is.
This group believes every creative project must begin with questions like: Who will pay for this? What platform will carry this? What problem does this solve? How will it scale?
They look at industries like Nollywood, K-Pop and Japanese manga and say these industries thrive because they lead with strategy.
Even Nigerian tech startups are applauded for building with money in mind. So why should creatives be any different?
Some animators blame the endless cycle of passion projects that never leave laptops because no one thought about investors or distribution.
Comic creators point to dozens of titles that launched with hype but disappeared because the creators did not have a sales plan beyond social media likes.
Musicians with millions of streams but zero royalties complain that they created the art but never built the structure to monetize it. The message from this camp is clear.
Create, yes. But plan to earn. Passion alone will not pay bills. The other side of the debate accuses the industry of becoming too transactional.
They argue that forcing creatives to think like businessmen from day one kills experimentation and joy. Not every idea has to be profitable from the beginning.
Some of the best work in history was not created with money in mind. Many Nigerian creators say the pressure to monetize too early limits risk-taking.
They believe that creativity should be free, wild and messy and that the business plan can come later. Some even insist that chasing money too early compromises authenticity and leads to formulaic work designed to sell rather than inspire.
These creatives argue that passion projects are the foundation of any great industry. Without them, innovation dies.
They point to examples like early anime creators in Japan, indie comic creators in the US, or African storytellers who built global IPs before money ever entered the picture.
They say that art should come first, money later.
The truth is, both sides have evidence.
Nigeria and Africa are full of brilliant short films, comics, animations and music projects that never made money simply because the creator did not consider the marketplace.
But the continent is also full of creators who earned big because they took creative risks without worrying about monetization at the start. So who is right?
Maybe the real issue is balance. Creative industries need dreamers and planners. They need projects that start from pure inspiration and projects that begin with financial clarity.
The danger lies at the extremes. Creatives who ignore business entirely often end up frustrated, overworked and underpaid.
A creator who only focuses on money risks producing work that lacks originality and emotional depth.
The bigger question is: should creators really be expected to think like CEOs? Or should the ecosystem develop managers, producers and business partners who handle monetization while artists focus on craft?
Maybe the problem is not the creators at all. Maybe the ecosystem has failed to provide support systems, incubators, IP managers and distributors who help turn ideas into sustainable careers.
But then again, should creators wait for the ecosystem to fix itself before learning how to survive?
In a country where the cost of living is rising and opportunities are competitive, how realistic is it for a creative to operate without financial planning?
At the heart of this debate lies an uncomfortable truth. Many creatives want success but avoid the unglamorous work of learning business.
Many want to earn without strategizing. Many hope talent alone will save them. In an economy as harsh as ours, that mindset can be fatal.
So what should come first? Art or money? Should every creative begin with a business model? Or is that expectation unrealistic and even harmful?
This is where you, the reader, come in.