Building a Creative Life That Lasts
With heart and intention.
I want to talk about what it really means to build a creative life that lasts. Not just a creative career that burns bright for a moment, but a sustainable, fulfilling practice that weathers the inevitable storms and celebrates the sunlit peaks with equal grace.
(Gentle suggestion: Stop and read that again. See how you feel in your body. Can you allow yourself envision this?)
The truth is, there will be hills and valleys. There will be seasons of abundance and seasons of drought. There will be moments when the words flow like water and moments when you feel like you're squeezing blood from a stone. This is part of the journey.
After years of working with writers and walking this path myself, I've noticed something: it's not the writers with the most natural talent who necessarily make it. It's the ones who embrace tenacity. The ones who show up to the work, day after day, especially when they don't feel like it. The ones who keep honing their craft and remain open to growing, even when growth feels uncomfortable.
You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don't show up to the work, you won't make it. Full stop.
I learned this the hard way.
When I first started writing seriously, I wanted it all right away. The finished manuscript draft that would make agents sit up. The book deal that would validate all my efforts. The sales numbers that would prove my worth. The readers who would be my community.
My urgency bordered on desperation, and it clouded everything. Instead of staying true to my goals, I found myself chasing what I thought I was "supposed to want." At one point in my author career, I went for the big shiny thing—not because it felt right for me, but because it seemed like the path I should take. The one that would validate me.
Sound familiar?
It wound up being a great learning experience, but it also revealed how wildly off track I'd gotten from my original book writing dreams. I'd lost sight of why I started writing in the first place: to have a voice.
The shift that changed everything
Once the dust settled, I became reflective. I took some much-needed time to figure out what it was that I actually wanted. That's when I discovered book coaching. That's when I realized I could write and publish my fourth and final novel the way I wanted to, regardless of the outcome, because it felt right to me. It met my goals, not someone else's.
This shift changed everything. I began approaching all creative decisions in my life with a new kind of intention.
I started asking myself: Does this feel like me? Does it make my heart sing? Does it not only give me a sense of purpose but also give me my voice back?
And that last one—getting my voice back—that's a biggie.
I needed to forge my own path in my coaching, podcasting, and writing in order to find myself again. This was after 12 years of evolving, regressing, experiencing wins and failures. I was growing, and I still am growing, and it feels great.
Here's what I want you to know
If you're trying to get published right now, if you're building your own creative life:
📚The path isn't linear. You don't have to have it all figured out right now. You don't have to want what everyone else wants or define success the way others do. Your creative life is exactly that—yours.
📚Start by showing up consistently, even when the words feel clunky or the rejection letters pile up. Keep learning, keep growing, keep refining your craft not because you have to, but because the work itself feeds your soul.
📚Ask yourself regularly: Does this decision align with who I am and who I want to become? Does it honor my voice and my vision? Am I building something sustainable, or am I chasing someone else's definition of success?
The writers who build creative lives that last aren't necessarily the fastest or the most naturally gifted. They're the ones who stay curious, who remain open to evolution, who understand that this is a long game.
Take good care, writers. With patience and consistency, your creative life will bloom in ways that are uniquely, beautifully yours.
Ready to hear more about a creative life that lasts? Check out this week’s episode on The Whole Writer podcast, where I sit down with bestselling author J.T. Ellison. 👇🏻
Every week, The Whole Writer podcast creates space for writers to nurture both their craft and themselves, exploring what it means to write from a place of wholeness rather than depletion. You can find episodes:
📍 Here on my Substack
📍 Apple Podcasts
📍 Spotify
A good reminder about showing up consistently. As Tim O’Brien said, “The sitting down is everything.”