Throwback Thursday: Building the Fire

I’ve been dragging this week.

It’s not burnout. Not a crisis. Just that slow, creeping mental weight that settles in after long days. I work from home, so there’s no drive to decompress. Just the soft handoff from the day job to the side hustle. Normally, stepping into the shop feels like coming home. This week, it feels like stepping into a backlog.

The projects are there. The ideas are waiting. But instead of excitement, I feel behind. Like I’ve got to catch up. And that’s a hard place to create from.

I want more hours in the day. I want to pour everything into the creative side of me, but the reality is... I’ve got bills. I’ve got people depending on me. I can’t just walk away from stability to be a starving artist chasing the muse.

And yet... I know this will pass. It always does.

When I talk to others in this spot, I always say the same thing:

Give yourself some grace.

Rest isn’t quitting. It’s part of building something sustainable.

You don’t start a fire by tossing a log on a cold steel grate.

You start with a spark.

Then a coal.

Then you build that into something strong enough to warm the room.

This week, I’m looking for the spark. And yeah, sometimes you do have to push through, especially when there’s a deadline. But pushing through doesn’t mean punishing yourself. It means finding the smallest flame and protecting it until it grows.

If you’re feeling that weight too... you’re not alone. And if no one else has said it to you lately, let me be the one:

Give yourself some grace.