Creating for Yourself is Tough

Creating for yourself is tough. Especially in a world where everything and everyone is stealing your time.

This is the first season since starting A Creative Diary where I’ve really felt it… that slow pull of my time belonging to everyone else. It’s been hard to sit, breathe, and make something purely for myself. This project started on a whim, a “not so New Year’s resolution.” No planning, no big vision. Just an idea I decided to run with. And honestly, I couldn’t be prouder of how far it’s come this year.

But that brings me back to the heart of it: lately, I feel like I’m not in charge of my own time or my creative exploration. From the end of September through the new year, my calendar fills up fast. The things I do get to create are usually things people ask for, or projects I’m contributing to. Rarely do I get to sit down, plan, and fully lose myself in something that’s just for me. And that. That last part is what I’ve been yearning for. (And, I may or may not have Eminem stuck in my head now…)

When Creativity Becomes a Shared Resource

I know how undervalued creative people are but this year with this project has really opened my eyes more to how undervalued creative people often are both personally and professionally. There’s always a lot of:

“Can you just…”

“You’re really good at this, it won’t take long…”

“Can you make me…”

Suddenly, your creativity becomes something for everyone else. You’re a resource, a tool, not a person. After spending over a decade of my life ignoring my creativity and literally grieving that loss — I’m protective of what I’ve rebuilt this year. A Creative Diary has been part of my healing, and I don’t want to lose that to the noise of obligations and expectations.

I wish there were more hours in the day to honor that part of myself again.

Balancing Gratitude and Boundaries

Not everything that takes my time is bad. The holidays bring family, friends, and connection; all things I’m thankful for. But there’s also the extra stuff. The favors, the add-ons, the things that eat away at time I could be using to refill creatively.

This isn’t about resentment. It’s about boundaries. It’s about knowing when to give and when to guard the energy that keeps me whole.

Looking Ahead

This year has given me a lot to be grateful for: growth, reconnection, genuine accomplishment and the reminder that creativity is still my compass. But heading into 2026, I want to protect that compass a little more. To flex my boundaries. To make more room for what I want to explore. And to keep speaking up for other creatives who are still trying to find their way back to their own spark.

Because creativity deserves protection. And so do the people who carry it.