Being a hardcore girl boss is so hard!
This ain’t for the weak. Literally. I know I am not the only one to feel bad when I “oversleep” on the weekends because I could’ve been doing this or that.
Am I using my time wisely
I am 25, and I feel that, for the most part, I do use my time wisely.
A lot of my time is spent either at work, working on 6:23, my small business, or coming up with ideas for my content creation page, DiaryofChan.
Coming up with ideas versus creating
It took me deleting TikTok to realize I was spending too much time consuming other people’s journeys rather than working on my own.
I would spend hours just doomscrolling on TikTok, sending over 50 videos to my friends, and then one day I was like, “this isn’t normal”.
When I found myself engulfed in TikTok “Lives”, I knew it was time to come back to center, come back to me, because there was no reason I was that invested.
Don’t get me wrong, every once in a while, it’s okay to scroll, get a few laughs in, and get some inspiration, but you have to put your phone down.
I eventually did.
It felt great.
An artist has to create more than consume
I know what you’re thinking, girl, you say you’re a business owner, a journalist, a creator, now you’re an artist?
YES.
Been! I’ve been creating art since I was a kid, from drawing to painting to writing. I’ve been an artist since I could pick up a utensil.
Being an artist is subjective, but I know that it’s my true identity; it’s me. I literally do create artwork from the editorial photoshoots on Instagram to the prints I make for 6:23 or even my blog posts; this is all work of an artist.
I lost my artistry as I grew into adulthood
December was that month for me. That month, I said, “What are you creating that’s true to you? That feels real, that feels like it was created from scratch?”
Once I got in my groove of just sketching, no inspiration, just me using my imagination, thinking about my experiences, I realized that I wasn’t creating from scratch like I used to.
It felt second nature when I started working on new designs with pen, paper, scissors, and glue, but I really had to return to my creative roots to build myself back into my calling.
You gotta put the digital media down
While everything is so digital-based, sometimes you have to go outside and see the blank canvas.
My artistry journey began in December, but my groundwork started in spring 2025 when I had no choice but to find something to keep my mind occupied.
I was jobless for a few months in 2025, and I spent a lot of my time at Belle Isle, a local park in Detroit.
So much of my time there was either taking pictures of wildlife testing my photography skills, or writing. Relaxing and enjoying the sun, but also being intentional.
I didn’t want a complete project every single time, but I wanted to explore like a tourist, walk around on foot, not just drive around it.
Writing by the water, letting the wind direct my pen.
Some days I created nothing and just sat. I just sat and watched other people and observed or I just sat.
You can create so many stories just by seeing the blank canvas of life.
What is the blank canvas
The blank canvas, in my opinion, is the beauty of life. It’s looking at life with an optimistic lens and finding opportunity to create something from it.
For some, it could be sitting by the water and listening to the waves and creating a scene from it or a lyric. For me, it’s showing up in a new city and finding buildings or nature while incorporating my outfits into those spaces.
It’s about using nature, city life, or rural land as your canvas. You add whatever you want to it.
You create a new art print, photograph, music, or style from it.
But, it’s okay to rest too
I needed to sleep this weekend.
My body craved it, and so did I. I’ve always been an on-the-go type of girl. Always needing to be moving because I hate the idea that I’m wasting time or running out of time, but in actuality, I am not.
Never was.
Because nothing in my life has felt delayed.
So, why is it so hard for me to rest? Why am I afraid that taking an hour nap is bad?
It’s not.
It’s okay to rest because how can I perform if I am drowsy from the night before?
I’ve seen it with my business flow
I was the business owner who pulled all-nighters before pop-up events. Up baking at 9 p.m., icing cupcakes at 12 a.m., cutting vinyl at 2 a.m., icing cupcakes, baking, cutting vinyl, pressing shirts at 7 a.m.
That’s not efficient, and it’s stupid.
Why?
I was always unprepared, while some may say, “Oh, that’s the grind,” no, it’s stupidity.
I burnt myself out before the pop-up even started. Guess what? I can’t perform now.
When I stay up all night, I would literally just look at the time and sigh. Daylight would come, and I would look at the mess in the kitchen, at my items, and sigh because while they were ready, I had no pictures, no evidence.
My car isn’t packed, I hadn’t showered yet, my hair would be a mess, and you could tell I wasn’t ready.
Customer service? A pitch for my customers?
Girl, just buy this cupcake.
I had nothing to give because my mind would be on, “ I gotta clean up the kitchen, my craft space looks crazy.”
It’s still a process, but guess what? I ain’t staying up all night no more.
If it’s not done, it’s not done. However, I am planning better now. I am working on projects waaaay ahead of time than the night before.
You should work hard but also rest; it’s a balance
It’s okay that one day out of the week, I don’t work on 6:23 or DiaryofChan. I am a human, not a machine.
While I want my business and my brand to prosper, I also know that it can’t if I am tired.
My body tells me now, “Rest, girl!”
When I can’t come up with that idea or the printer can’t get that line right, I know it’s time to rest and start again tomorrow.
Stressing myself out about it is not going to make me a millionaire; it’s going to make me a burnt-out fool.
It’s not easy to step away, but sometimes, for the sake of what I am creating, I have to, and that’s the point I am trying to make.
You can’t make great art if you’re TIRED
And I feel that’s with anything in life. If you’re burnt out or tired, you literally can’t perform. Your body shuts down, your mind goes blank, you get stale.
NEVER GET STALE.
How do you avoid getting stale?
REST. Take a step back, and when it’s time, you will know. You will feel rejuvenated, and the ideas will flow.
Sometimes take that walk, that drive, let the ideas come to you. Get out of the scene, go somewhere else, and find inspiration or LIVE.
You can still use that muscle by experiencing and learning, but still take some time away from it.
Your passion will thank you.
Don’t burn yourself, don’t let yourself be so caught up in the metrics that you lose yourself.
Let’s Talk About It
Are you going to rest when you need it, or are you going to burn out?