Anything left for me?
Dear Creator Diary,
Sometimes, I feel like I am everything for everyone else, and there is little left for me.
I spend my days wearing many hats, teacher, mother, wife, friend, sister, daughter... with little luxury to be just me. I have dreams and aspirations of living a creative life, but they remain locked away in a prison of fear. If only I could silence the imposter and release the artist…
- Creative Dreamer
Dear Creative Dreamer,
You are not alone in this feeling.
The weight of being everything for everyone else is a heavy one.
We all live in a world where everyone is the center of their own universe. Thinking about their own plans. Their own pressures. Their own quiet fears.
But when we put everyone else at the center of our world, that leaves us living in a place where no one is making us a priority.
Not even ourselves.
So let me ask you this:
If no one else made a single demand of you today—no hats to wear, no roles to play—who would you be?
You say you want to release the artist, but first, you have to release yourself.
Right now, your creativity is locked in a battle with exhaustion, guilt, and the constant hum of “What do they need from me next?” But creativity doesn’t thrive in captivity. It needs space. Oxygen. A version of you that isn’t running on fumes.
So let’s start smaller than your wildest dreams.
What if, just for today…
✨ You got dressed first, just to see how it felt to not be the one rushed?
✨ You asked yourself what you wanted for dinner before anyone else?
✨ You let yourself sit in silence, with no one asking for anything, and called it productive?
The fear you feel around your creative dreams isn’t really about creativity. It’s about permission.
And no one is coming to grant you permission but you.
Just in case you need to hear it though, I’ll start.
Go. Create. Play.
Be selfish in the tiniest ways until it stops feeling selfish at all.
And when the fear creeps in? Just remind yourself: You are not neglecting anyone by choosing yourself. You are teaching them that choosing yourself is necessary.
