“Get a life. Grow up. Be responsible.”
Yeah, we’ve all heard it. And maybe you did. You got the job, the mortgage, the family, the responsibilities—the full package. But here’s the kicker: you’re still creative. That itch doesn’t go away just because you’re sitting in traffic on the way to your cubicle or packing lunches at 6 a.m.
We’ve all seen those ads selling the dream—“buy this service and you’ll free up more time!”—the CEO lounging on the beach, cocktail in hand, all because they switched accountants or hired an answering service.
Meanwhile, the people making that commercial are pulling 18-hour days, running on caffeine and fumes. Irony much?
Here’s the truth: I’ve never met a successful CEO who spent their time lounging around. Success isn’t sipping piña coladas—it’s grinding. And once you taste success? Keeping it is even harder.
Those commercials aren’t aimed at the so-called “elites.” They’re aimed at us. The regular people slogging through the 9-to-5, counting down five long days just to get to two short ones.
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The Hard Facts
1. You get 24 hours in a day. That’s it.
2. You get a finite stretch of time on this earth.
No tax consultant or shiny new blender is going to change that. At best, it might save you a few minutes, and maybe those minutes are the crack in the door you need to slip in some time for your art.
I’m not here to peddle the “drop everything, chase your dream, no safety net!” speech. That sounds great when you’re fresh out of film school with nothing to lose. But reality shifts when the bills, the kids, and the partner who deserves your time enter the picture.
Adapting doesn’t mean giving up who you are.
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The Grind
I’ve worked soul-sucking jobs shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the most creative, brilliant people you’d ever meet. That’s the story of Hollywood: every red carpet is lined with people who started out busting their backs in dead-end gigs, who clawed their way out of the mundane and into the light.
None of them gave up. They wrote scripts at 2 a.m., acted in community theater on weekends, and shot short films with borrowed gear. They pushed, and they carved their path inch by inch.
The bottom line? Unless you’re born into connections—or one of those shiny “nepo babies”—you’re going to have to work hard. Brutally hard.
That might mean endless hours as a PA on forgettable shoots. Or shuffling mail in an agency basement. Or yes, clocking into the dreaded 9-to-5.
But here’s the deal: you can do it.
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Carve Out Time
Maybe it’s an hour before the kids wake up. Maybe it’s your lunch break. Maybe it’s late at night when the house is finally quiet.
That’s your time. Protect it. Guard it like treasure.
Because in that carved-out time? That’s where you live. That’s where your creativity survives. That’s where you stay you.
So yeah—get a life. Get the job, pay the bills, be the partner, be the parent. But don’t bury yourself in responsibility so deep you forget why you’re here.
Make the space. Even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts.
Because nobody is going to want your dream more than you.
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👉 Stay inspired. Stay relentless. And if this hit home, share it with a fellow creative who needs the reminder.
