Hi {{first_name}}

You have the talent. You have the ideas. Perhaps you even have a project you've been dreaming about bringing to life.

But here's a question worth asking:

Are you building a creative career that can sustain you?

Not just one that keeps you busy, gives you exciting projects to work on, or earns you the occasional applause.

One that allows you to grow, make a living from your skills, explore new opportunities, and take care of yourself along the way.

Because being a talented creative is one thing. Building a sustainable life around that talent is another.

And you don't have to figure it all out alone.

This October, there have been some exciting developments across Africa's creative technology industry, from game, animation, and film studios receiving funding to creators exploring new markets and opportunities.

There are also a few lessons worth exploring about building smaller, smarter businesses, making money from your intellectual property, and becoming more intentional about your finances.

Let's get into it. ✨

The Nigerian edition of Gamathon 2026 has been bringing together people working across games, animation, comics and XR from October 26–31. This year's theme, Back to Our Roots, encourages the industry to reflect on its foundations and think about what sustainable growth should look like.

The program has included technical workshops, masterclasses, industry conversations and showcases, with Industry Day bringing the wider community together.

I'm particularly excited that the gathering is also heading to Kenya next month, from November 26–28. Having followed and supported Gamathon's regional activities over the years, I'm glad to see these opportunities for African creators to connect across borders continue. I'll be looking forward to seeing our Kenyan community come together!

👉 Explore Gamathon 2026

Google recently announced 10 African studios selected for the 2026 Google Play Indie Games Fund Africa. They'll share $1 million in non-dilutive funding, alongside mentorship and technical support.

Congratulations to the selected studios in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya! 👏🏾

It's encouraging news, especially amid the ongoing layoffs across the global games industry.

It also got me thinking about a question I explored at Gamescom: Does building a successful studio always mean building a bigger team?

I attended a session by Aesthetician Labs, a three-person, worker-owned cooperative that has spent eight years making games together. Their experience challenged the assumption that growth must always mean hiring more people.

I wrote about this for PreMortem Games:

👉 Why Staying Small Could Be the Future of Game Development

I also published a piece for Bijetic exploring another area of opportunity for African creators: extended reality (XR).

Beyond headsets and virtual worlds, XR is finding applications in healthcare, education, conservation, and product experiences. What if the skills we develop in games, animation, and 3D art could open doors in entirely different industries?

👉 Gamescom’s XR Conversations: Beyond the Headset and Africa’s Opportunity

I hope both articles give you something interesting to think about!

Now, this is where October gets personal.

If you've been reading my newsletter, you know how important my financial literacy journey has become. My financial coach, Juliet Odhiambo of Pesa Savvy, continues to help me become more intentional about my money mindset and habits.

I love her company's tagline: "Like therapy but for money." 😂

I've also been thinking about how to introduce more creatives to financial literacy. Last year, I introduced Juliet to the Kenyan games industry through a Games Connect-sponsored workshop, where she took us through practical financial topics and shared worksheets for us to reflect on.

We also heard from Lydiah Mugure, who shared how she monetised her animation, The Ebony Witch. Lydiah raised KES 1.3 million through crowdfunding, built an international merchandise business, and is now developing the story into a video game. How exciting is that?

This month, I've taken another step in my own journey by joining the Zoud Financial Literacy Game Jam.

It's only the second game jam I've participated in since joining the games industry in 2018. I've spent much of that time focusing on writing and journalism, so it feels good to get back to making things.

Thanks to my good friend Roy, whom I first worked with during Goethe-Institut's Enter Africa project, I joined an already assembled team of six. We're spread across Kenya, Germany, Uruguay and Benin.

One thing our research has reminded me is that, despite differences in currencies and economies, many financial principles are universal.

We all have things we value, things we want to own, dreams we're saving towards, and experiences we hope to share with the people we love.

Money isn't the destination. It's one of the tools that can help us build the lives we want to experience.

Our game jam runs until November 15, with a $140,000 prize pool. So there's definitely some extra motivation to keep showing up! 😅

I'll share more as our project develops.

On Thursday, I spent the day at the hospital. It wasn't exactly how I'd planned to spend my day, and let's just say the bill was a rather expensive reminder that life doesn't always follow our schedules.

But it brought me back to why financial wellbeing matters.

It's not just about savings targets, investments, or business revenue. It's also about having enough breathing room to seek medical attention when you need it, take a break when your body asks for one, and deal with unexpected expenses without everything falling apart.

I'm still learning, but one thing is becoming clearer: building a sustainable creative career also means taking care of the person doing the creating.

If you're a freelancer, artist, entrepreneur, or creative professional, I encourage you to make financial literacy part of your journey. Find people who can teach you, ask questions, and learn how to manage the money that comes from your craft.

You don't have to figure it all out alone.

Your creative journey doesn't have to look like anyone else's.

You don't need the biggest studio, the most expensive equipment or a hundred thousand followers to start building something meaningful.

But you do deserve to make a living from your skills, explore opportunities that excite you and build a life that gives you room to breathe.

So, as you plan your next move, think beyond the next project or paycheck.

Think about the kind of creative life you're building and what it will take to sustain it.

And remember, we're in this together.

I've included a few opportunities below that could help you take your next step. Explore them, share them and perhaps find something that opens a new door.

Keep creating. Keep learning. And take good care of yourself.

Cheers,
Wendi ✨