Balancing 1000 Projects and Still Forgetting to Eat: A Creative’s Tale

One of the side effects of being the kind of person who jumps into projects first and asks questions later is... well, I do it a lot. I’m wildly passionate about the fantasy world I built years ago, and even though I never leave it behind for long, that doesn’t mean I’m always working on the same things.

Lately? The video game I’m building is the newest obsession in a long line of ongoing creative chaos.

I’ve also got a book, a short story, and a weird little epistolary project I’ve been tinkering with forever. On top of that, I run my main business selling crochet creatures and fantasy designs—and juggle two other jobs just to keep the lights on.

So how the hell do I manage it all?

Spoiler alert: I don’t.

I’m at a point in my life where I only chase joy. If I’m not excited or inspired, I don’t force it. And yeah, I know that goes against every piece of productivity advice ever—but honestly? I think art belongs to the artist first, and the people second. So I make what I want, when I want. And if that doesn’t work for someone else? That’s totally okay—it’s not supposed to be a one-size-fits-all.

Since most of my energy is already eaten up by life and work, I try not to beat myself up when I drop the creative ball. I’ve been lucky enough to land a night shift job that’s usually pretty quiet (knock on wood). So when the stars align, I can work on stories between tasks—just me, a notebook, and a pen.

So I manage to juggle it by putting down the projects that I’m not actively feeling excited about. So right now I’m only working on the video game and adding lore to the plushies I sell because that’s what's inspiring me most right now! Does that mean I’ve given up on my book or my short story, or the epistolary project? Not at all! They’re just napping peacefully on the back burner for now.

And someday, when I need a new flavor of inspiration, I’ll wander back to them. No pressure, no guilt.

Because there are no rules here, and I refuse to demand more productivity of myself than I can manage. 

But that’s just how I do it.

If you’d like to follow along as I leap between stories, stitches, and side quests, I’ll be posting updates right here on the blog. Want even more behind-the-scenes chaos? You can support me and get exclusive early looks at everything I’m working on over on my Patreon! (This post was available early to my patrons!)

Thanks for wandering with me.

See you in the next thread.

—Laney