Back in 2002, I officially started my writing business. For the next decade, I made my money by selling the words I create. I had some high points (getting paid, being creative) and some low points (stifled creativity, selling my writing to whomever would pay for it).
In the last few years of my career, I blindly took on projects that I didn’t care about, I had so many clients I didn’t have enough time for my personal projects.
It was awful. I burned out.
Healing from the Creative Burnout
Burnout stripped away the joy I once felt for the craft. I didn’t just stop writing. I stopped wanting to write. It felt like my creativity had dried up, and I didn’t know how to get it back. Everything felt transactional. There was no more room for curiosity, no more spark of inspiration. All I had were deadlines, deliverables, and the growing sense that I had lost the part of myself that used to light up at the blank page.
My healing began when I picked up The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I had heard of it for years, but never had the time—or made the time—to sit with it. This time, I was desperate for a reset. I committed to the process slowly and gently, allowing myself to move at my own pace.
Morning Pages became a lifeline. Artist Dates reconnected me to joy. I didn’t write “for work” at all during that season, and honestly, I didn’t miss it. I needed the break. I needed silence. I needed to remember why I ever loved writing in the first place.
I Missed Writing After I Healed
After a couple of years, something in me stirred. It started quietly—almost like a whisper. I found myself scribbling lines of poetry in the margins of notebooks again. I jotted down little observations, fragments of dialogue, half-formed thoughts. That slow trickle eventually turned into a longing I couldn’t ignore. I missed writing—not the client work or the constant pitching—but writing for myself. Writing that made me feel alive, curious, and connected.
Eventually, I also began to miss the business side of things. Not the hustle and overwhelm, but the satisfaction of creating something meaningful and sharing it with others. I felt ready for a new chapter, one that honored my creativity and my voice.
My Next Step: Joining the Ship 30 for 30 Cohort
That’s when I discovered Ship 30 for 30, which is a digital writing challenge that encourages you to publish 30 short pieces in 30 days. The structure was simple, but it held me accountable in all the right ways. Every day I showed up, and with each piece, I got clearer on what I really wanted to say. I gave myself permission to experiment, to be imperfect, and to reconnect with my writing rhythm.
Each essay brought me closer to my voice, my purpose, and the kind of writing I truly enjoy. This blog is the natural result of that journey. I’m now creating content that feels aligned—work that I’m proud to put my name on and that I know will help others.
And it all started with one decision: to write again, every day, for 30 days!