Balancing the Creative Grind

and practicing gratitude... or something like that

Oct 27, 2024

Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed with work—design projects, work itself, and the constant pull of social media, which, honestly, matters even less.

I’ve struggled to practice gratitude and feel thankful for the position I’m in, and the privilege to even complain about these small annoyances.

So today I just wanted to chat a little about all that and how i was able to reframe my perspective again.

I was talking to a friend recently who’s in a similar situation. She creates content as a designer, balances client work, personal projects, and art. It’s tough to juggle all those things.

After talking to her, I tried to remind myself of how I felt back in 2020 during the grind. It was around COVID, and I was hustling to get content and freelance projects off the ground.

I dreamed of days where I could only take on design projects that I truly enjoyed and make most of my income from creating content.

Over the past year, in 2024, I’ve actually hit that goal. I can now confidently say that the content side of my business supports the lifestyle I have today.

I’m living the life “2020-me” dreamed of. And yet, I still find myself stressed, anxious and hyper-fixating on small problems.

me in 2020 with my first mic setup for YouTube haha

One of the main things that keeps running around in my brain is wanting to take on more and more design work just to keep up the identity of being a designer.

It’s a strange feeling when your career revolves around a profession, but the core of that career becomes more about talking about the work than actually doing it.

I never want to feel like an imposter. So I push myself to balance client work, personal projects, and still create content for all of you.

I know this is a pretty specific situation, not something everyone can relate to. But it’s been on my mind, especially since I’ve been falling behind on videos and content lately.

I was getting stressed out about not posting consistently, but then I had a simple realization—

it really doesn’t matter.

I’ve earned a seat at my own table. I can take the time I need to create.

I have to keep reminding myself that we’re doing pretty damn well. I don’t want this to sound like bragging, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come and grateful to be in a position where I can even talk about these things.

If you’re a designer, artist, or creator of any kind, I hope you get to a place where your biggest complaint is having too much work.

It’s not that I have to do it—I get to do it.

I’m writing this not just to relate to those of you in similar situations, or to motivate you, but also as a reminder to myself.

Slow down, appreciate how far you’ve come, and use the right amount of energy to keep moving forward.

Much love!