Building a Creative Life and Career: 10 Lessons I Wish I Knew Sooner

Lessons learned the hard way, so you don't have to.

I recently had someone reach out for a coffee chat about my career as they’re considering making a change themselves.

I love these calls because they give me a chance to connect, hear their dreams, and share the advice I wish I’d received when I was starting out. So today, I want to share what came up in our conversation and the wisdom I’ve gathered over the past five years.

I decided to share

Now, a little disclaimer: I’m not perfect. I’m still learning and evolving. So, take this as “what I’ve learned so far.” I’m sure five years from now, I’ll have plenty more advice for my current self.

Think Long Term, Worry Less About the Short Term

When I graduated university in 2008, the job market was bleak. The few available jobs in my un-designish city felt soul-sucking. Rather than settle, I decided to build a freelance career with one main goal: to be independent of my location. As an immigrant, I knew the pain of feeling stuck far from family. I wanted the freedom to jump on a plane whenever I was needed.

This goal has allowed me to move around the country with my partner, respond to family emergencies, and maintain a sense of possibility. I didn’t always know how things would evolve. I didn’t stick to freelancing exclusively—I tried different jobs and worked with various creatives. But I always kept my ultimate goal in mind: flexibility in where I live.

The journey to your final goal might not be clear or perfect, but having a guiding light helps you stay on track. Building a creative life isn’t like becoming a doctor, where there’s a defined path. As creatives, we design our own process. If you need more structure, create smaller goals, but keep your larger guiding principle in sight. It will help you make decisions, stay focused, and remain open to new ideas.

My new long-term goal is to get paid for my brain, meaning less client work and more self-directed projects. I don’t have the perfect formula yet, but this goal keeps me on track and reminds me to stick to the plan.

Have Healthy Boundaries

As a fresh designer, I had awful boundaries. I cringe when I think back on the nonsense I tolerated. It took me a long time to realize I need weekends, vacations, and evenings off. Sure, there’s a season for everything. If you’re starting a new venture while managing a full-time job, you might need to work some evenings and weekends. But it’s crucial to decide what’s healthy for you.

Boundaries encompass when and how people can reach you, what you include in your contracts, and the type of work you accept. Boundaries can mean different things, but the key is to be honest with yourself.

Start thinking about what’s truly important to you and how you can maintain a love for what you do.

Track Your Hours

When someone hires us, we show up on time, ready to work, and track our hours. Yet many creatives I know are afraid to track their own hours, worried about what they might discover. And yes, it might reveal some uncomfortable truths. But it will also give you a clearer picture of where your time goes, helping you use it more effectively and potentially improving how you build out projects or bill clients.

I track everything: project phases (e.g., how long does research actually take?), meetings, admin time, marketing time, and, of course, creative time. You’d be surprised how useful this tool can be. When I worked internally, tracking my hours helped me demonstrate how much time I spent in meetings. It was untenable, and I was able to get excused from non-essential meetings, freeing up time for the deliverables I was hired for.

I use the free version of Clockify to track my hours.

Marketing is Your Responsibility

I clock the time I spend marketing myself because if I don’t, who will? That’s why I post on social media, have booking options on my website, work on SEO, and take calls like the one that inspired this article. You never know how you’ll land your dream client, but it won’t happen by doing nothing. Some of my best projects started with a simple email, sometimes taking a year before the client was ready to hire.

Marketing isn’t just about social media; it’s about building relationships and being your own career advocate.

Know Your Weaknesses

I hate handling the finance side of freelancing. I admit it. So, I paid someone to set up my P&L (Profit & Loss) and now I sit down once a month to add the numbers in. It has allowed for a tidy system even I can tackle. I’ve also found ways to reduce the friction of dealing with invoices and accepting payments. I’m fine with paying processing fees to a site that automates tasks for retainer clients and sends auto follow-ups. Sometimes, paying a little to avoid what drives you nuts is worth it. I also hire an accountant to handle tax time.

I see many creatives stressing over saving pennies when the mental load is far worse than the small fee. I’ve had to chase people to pay them when subcontracting, and it’s shocking. If I have to chase you to pay you, you’re not running a well-oiled creative business.

Accept what you don’t like and what drains you. Find a reasonable solution. Automate it or hire someone to do it for you. I promise you, it’s worth it.

And if you’re stressed about a processing fee, you likely need to raise your rates and factor in the cost of running your business. Which brings me to the next point.

It Costs Money to be a Creative/Freelancer

You likely need some level of tools or supplies. Whether a camera or even a laptop to write, it costs money. Your time is also valuable. It is an investment. If you are building a freelance career you may need to pay for a website and email. Things add up in a sneaky way.

Knowing this, when I am taking on a possible project my first thought is ‘is it worth it to be paid 50% of this?’ Why? After taxes, the investments into my business (cameras, subscriptions, fees) and let’s not forget savings, I only want to keep 50% of the payment I get. It quickly helps me see if the project is a shiny ball or a project that is not only one I will be great for but feel properly compensated for.

Have I ever done a ‘free project’ or lowered fee, yes! Do I do them all the time? No. I am picky and make sure that they are aligned with future goals and will be appreciated or used.

Before you quote a project, or take on a job, really pause to ask yourself if the compensation covers the true costs.

Learning is Part of the Gig

One of the reasons I share ‘what I was reading’ or ‘what I was watching’ often, is not because I have endless hours to read and watch YouTube. It is because I have learned over time that a wide variety of inputs that are aligned with my interests lead to interesting outcomes. The number of times I have been chatting with a creative or a potential client and something I recently read comes in handy is almost ludicrous. And this can look different for everyone, it looks different week to week for me also. Sometimes it is a book, or a Skillshare class I take. Sometimes it is a how-to tutorial. Regardless of the how, the point is to have a student mindset. There is always something new to learn.

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Create Routine and Rituals to Feel Inspired

This ties into taking your creativity seriously. When you work for someone, you set up your day to make sure you eat, get ready, have your coffee, and show up prepared. So why do so many creatives roll out of bed, stay in pajamas for half the day, start when they ‘feel like it,’ and then feel stressed working strange hours that don’t support a balanced life?

Everyone’s routine is different, but tuning into what helps you feel ready to be creative is invaluable.

For some, it might mean early writing sessions in quiet. Others might need a walk, some music, a coffee, and a set start time. The key isn’t what you do but understanding what works for you and why. Personally, I enjoy slow mornings. I need to get ready before I start, or I feel behind all day. I read or listen to something inspiring or educational, tidy my space, start a diffuser, grab a coffee, journal, and meditate. Then I start working. This routine doesn’t take hours, but it’s essential for my mental clarity. I also avoid emails for the first couple of hours because they can derail my creative time.

Creative White Space

If you're always in a state of execution, you'll soon feel stagnant and uninspired.

This was one of the first changes I made when I started taking my creative career more seriously. I'm not available for clients on Fridays. Period. It felt strange at first, but soon I realized it was not only beneficial for me but also a boundary my clients respected.

This time is unstructured and meant for play and exploration. For some lucky people, this is every day. For the rest of us, it might be a few hours a week or even one afternoon a month. Attach no expectation or results to this time, and you'll find unexplored and unexpected paths and outcomes. During this time, I discovered I enjoy editing videos, launched a Substack, aligned more with my editing style, and found creative clarity without client pressure.

This time doesn’t have to be about doing something either. Sometimes, it means going out and absorbing something—visit a gallery, take a walk, or attend a class.

Give yourself the time to live as a creative, not just a checklist ticker.

You Are In It

I want to finish on this note:

You are living it already.

Don’t draw a line between now and your future self. Do things now that your future self will be grateful for. If you're waiting for an arbitrary event to happen, consider what it would be like to start now instead.

This mindset of waiting “until” often starts in school. “When I graduate, I will [insert goal].” “When I move to the new town, I will [insert goal].” While some things do require time, there are ways to take steps forward right now.

When I was in university, I started picking up small projects. This allowed me to begin working with clients as soon as I graduated.

Beyond our lives as creatives, this attitude is, in my opinion, a healthier way to live. My partner is thinking about going back to school, and I encouraged it. Why? Because the years will pass anyway. In five years, we’ll look back and be astounded at how quickly time flew by. What’s the downside of not pursuing his dream? In five years, he might wonder if he should have tried and feel regret.

You are in it. Stop waiting.

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Personal Work

“Traveller, there is no path. The path is made by walking.”

— Antonio Machado

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Hey, you made it to the end! I have a secret for you.

I’m currently experiencing a learning lesson myself. A project has dragged out much longer than I’d like, creating a bottleneck and pressure in my work that I’m not enjoying. I feel stressed.

I know it’s not forever, but I’ve learned that in the future, I need to hold clients more accountable regarding time frames. I might even build a clause into my contracts. As a freelancer, taking on a project means saying no to other work or even time off. So this week, I’m breaking some of my own rules to get this project to the finish line, so I can return to my norm and keep loving what I do.

Remember, no one has all the answers.

We’re all figuring it out as we go.