Most of my blogs focus on creativity. How to find it, nurture it, and talk about things that feel true to me. I don’t often talk about the other side of my life. Working, bills, health, and maintaining both work and personal relationships take up most of my life. The stuff that doesn’t always feel inspiring but still shapes me and my life every day.

Currently I work as a full time legal researcher in intellectual property. I deal with a lot of trademarks and patenting, which means I protect people’s creations, some tangible and some ideas or words. I also work part time for a major arts and crafts company helping recruit for a new project they are launching sometime in 2026. Now add to that, I’m finding my creativity again and may be diving headfirst into another creative project I never thought I’d have a chance to. My plate is not only full but overflowing. Add to that I was diagnosed with Lupus a year ago, lost a kidney to it, and spend every day fighting to manage the damage it’s doing to my body. For me, that means a lot of doctor meetings, oxygen chambers, cryotherapy, ever changing medications, and strict diets. It’s a lot and I have to do all that while missing cheese and gluten. I never realized how much cheese meant to me, but I digress. I’m also building a new relationship and a home. Trying to build a brand that makes a presence and find my creativity and well…..yes — I’m stretched thin.

Some days I’m an overachieving badass that’s on top of everything and other days I’m a gremlin, eating little Debbie Christmas cakes for dinner and completely ignoring life and my daily to-do list. Lupus scared me a lot and the one thing I think I’ve gotten from it is, it put me in my yes era. I say yes far more often than I ever did before and maybe even more than I should but what if I never have a chance to do any of this in the future. People go their whole lives not being recognized for their artistic sides and writing and I’d be bonkers to not be grateful that I have these opportunities.

Balancing work, home, and creativity isn’t just some neat triangle. It’s more like juggling glittery bowling pins while walking a tightrope of self-doubt but somehow, I’m doing it. Not perfectly and sometimes at the expense of other things and never gracefully but I’m doing it with heart, humor, and a very tired of my crap assistant who reminds me I’m doing the most while annoying them as often as possible. I mean it’s currently 2am and I should be sleeping but I’m eating chips, typing this blog, watching Jurassic World Rebirth, proofreading a brief, and changing my press on nails. How can anyone survive working with me? I’ll never know.

All that being said I know I can’t go on much longer like this. I’ve decided to try and implement a few new ground rules meant to ground me. While work gives my day structure and deadlines, meetings and emails help me stay on track. They also crowd out my creativity if I’m not careful and paying attention to it all. I’ve decided to block out some time daily for creating. Treat it like it’s a meeting. I’m also going to add a ritual. Either lighting a candle, opening windows and allowing fresh air in, changing mood lighting, etc. I’ve also decided to prioritize what’s important. Dishes piling up, laundry everywhere, errands to run, I’m just going to let it be messy. Sometimes three dishes in the sink aren’t important enough to stop everything I’m doing or take up the time I create. I’m also going to follow my inspiration. I need to prioritize creating joy versus results. I’ve decided to let myself doodle more, daydream if I want to, and start doing Pinterest boards again for inspiration. Not everything has to be a money-making idea, and I lost myself in that once before and walked away completely from my creative life.

Balance isn’t something I’ve ever been good at, but I think that’s a big part of why I get overwhelmed so much. It’s something I need to practice even if I never master it. I’m going to spend the rest of the year trying to do it all with effort, honesty, and a whole lot of humor. If you’re out there juggling work, kids, creating, and feeling overwhelmed just know you’re not alone and I see you. You’re not failing and you’re not a failure. You’re just living life and that’s more than enough. If you’re struggling with an ADHD brain, I see you. I hear you. I plan to touch on that a bit in the future but just know you’re not alone. It’s ok to be a mess. 

XOXO,

Savi Monroe