How to Stay Creative in a World That Wants You Normal
For the stylists, designers, DJs, artists, and multi-hyphenates trying to build a life that doesn’t follow the script
Sometimes I wonder if the hardest part of being a creative isn’t the work itself, but the internal tug-of-war between the life you want to live and the one the world keeps nudging you toward. The pressure isn’t always loud—it’s subtle, quiet, well-meaning even—the job offer that’s “too stable to pass up,” the comment from a family member about having a backup plan, the way people light up more when you say you’re freelancing for a recognizable brand than when you talk about your own project.
If you’re someone who creates—who designs, writes, mixes, styles, sketches, or builds—you’ve probably felt it. That constant current running underneath everything you do. The ideas that show up uninvited. The visual daydreams. The urge to make something that feels real before you even know how to explain it. It’s not just what you do, it’s how you move through the world. But that kind of vision doesn’t always land in a world built on practicality.
Because most of the world doesn’t run on creative instinct.
It runs on reliability. On structure. On predictability.
It praises the people who follow the rules, and doesn’t quite know what to do with the ones who rewrite them.
And if you’re not grounded in your why, it starts to erode your direction. You start to wonder if maybe they’re right. Maybe your ideas are too abstract. Maybe you should pivot. Play it safe. Do something that makes more sense.
But here’s the truth:
Creative people don’t succeed by doing what makes sense.
They succeed by doing what feels right—even when it looks crazy from the outside.
So if you’re in it right now—if you’re trying to build a life around something creative, if you’re balancing survival with self-expression, if you’re holding a vision that no one else can see yet—this is your reminder to keep going. But more importantly, here’s how to keep going.
1. Let your “in-between” work fund the real thing—but don’t let it replace it.
Yes, take the shitty job. Work retail. Assist someone. Manage social for that brand you don’t care about. These roles are allowed to support you. But you have to carve out time for your own work, too. Even if it’s an hour a day. You can’t build something meaningful if you abandon it every time rent is due. The job can pay your bills, but it doesn’t get to become your identity.
2. Be specific, even when it scares you.
Your taste is your currency. The more you dilute it, the less valuable it becomes. Stop trying to appeal to everyone. Be bold about what you like. Make work that reflects you, not what’s trending. Specificity is what builds lasting creative careers. That’s what people remember.
3. Treat yourself like a professional, even if no one else does (yet).
If you act like you’re “just trying,” people will treat you like you’re just trying. But when you move with intention—when you create a portfolio, write the cold emails, show up on time, document your process, and talk about your work like it matters—things start to shift. Start with how you see yourself. The rest will follow.
4. Build your world around people who are also all-in.
Your environment matters more than you think. Get around people who understand your pace, your mindset, your sense of possibility. Surround yourself with people who are also taking the long way. If you can’t find them in person, find them online. Share your work. Start a group chat. Show up for other people’s launches and projects. Creativity needs community.
5. Your life doesn’t need to look normal to be successful.
Some of the most brilliant people I know live completely non-linear lives. They travel often. They take jobs that don’t make sense to anyone else. They pause when they need to. They say no a lot. But they keep building. And over time, their lives take shape in a way that’s so deeply them—and that’s the goal.
You don’t have to live the way everyone else does to be doing it right.
You just have to stay honest with yourself. Stay consistent. Keep making.
So if you're reading this on your break from a job you hate, or after another weekend where you didn’t touch your own work, or in the middle of yet another rebrand, let this be a reminder:
You're not too late. You're not behind.
You just chose the harder path—and with it, the more fulfilling one.
Not everyone gets it. They don’t have to. You do.
And if you stay the course, trust your vision, and keep finding ways to show up—even when it’s small, even when it’s quiet—it will pay off.
And when it does, it won’t look like success the way they define it.
It’ll look like you.