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Your Boring 9-to-5 May Be the Best Thing For Your Creativity

I was most creative when I stopped trying to “make it”

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Woman standing on top of hill overlooking nature fields during sunset
Photo by Luke Ellis-Craven on Unsplash

“Quit your day job. Go all in on your side projects. Stick it out for a year or two, make bank, retire.”

If only it worked like that..

I used to think I’d finally be free — once I quit my day job.

Only then, I thought, I’d have the mental space to create. To grow projects. Without pressure. Without time limits.

Did I find that freedom in freelancing?

After spending a few years scraping by as a financially failing freelancer, I see things differently.

Over time, I picked up many side projects:

  • Reading a bunch of books for fun
  • Starting a YouTube channel
  • Writing on Medium

Here’s the common thread:

I started all of them from the safe and cushioned space of — drumrolls — a full-time job.

Those jobs weren’t glamorous. They didn’t fulfill some lifelong dream I cooked up in the womb.

But they did one thing right: they paid me enough to *not* have existential worries.

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Gracia Kleijnen
Gracia Kleijnen

Written by Gracia Kleijnen

Google Sheets & comic creator. Words on productivity, self-development, relationships & mental health in 49+ pubs. 2x Author. https://linktr.ee/graciakleijnen

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