The Creative Nest

Some people don’t annoy you — they just don’t fit . And the older you get, the faster you learn that forcing the fit is exhausting. You know the type. Nothing technically wrong with them… but your spirit tightens the second they walk into the room. That’s not you being dramatic. That’s your nervous system filing a formal complaint. The first rule of avoiding someone you don’t jive with? Stop explaining yourself. You do not owe anyone a PowerPoint presentation on why you’re suddenly “busy,” “running late,” or “headed the opposite direction with intention.” Short answers save energy. “Well, it was good seeing you!” is a complete sentence. Next up: master the strategic exit. Bathroom break. Phone call. Refilling your drink… very slowly. Checking on something that absolutely does not need checking. If you disappear long enough, most people assume adulthood happened and move on. Then there’s the soft fade — an elite-level skill. This is not ghosting. This is a respectful...

So let me tell you what happened to me the other day. I was minding my own business on TikTok. Just scrolling. Innocent. Vulnerable. Coffee nearby. Life was fine. And then… she appeared . A woman calmly explaining how she feeds a family of four on $300 a month . Not per week. Per. Month. She had spreadsheets. She had freezer organization. She had confidence. And suddenly, my very reasonable $75 a week for one adult human started feeling like I was personally financing a yacht. I closed the app and just sat there like, “…am I bad at groceries or is she living in an alternate universe where eggs are still 99 cents?” This is the weird thing about watching “different” content online — it sneaks up on you. One minute you’re entertained, the next minute you’re questioning your choices, your budget, and whether you should apologize to your checking account. Here’s the thing though (and this is the important part): Context matters. That creator might live in a low-cost area. ...

Let’s talk about side hustles. Not the glamorous “I work four hours a week from my laptop on a beach” version. I’m talking about real-life side hustles , run by people who already have a full plate, a backup plate, and something burning in the oven they forgot about. Because the people with side hustles are not just hustling. They are meployeed . They have jobs. They have families. They have kids. They have pets that need things at the exact wrong moment. They have calendars that look like a game of Tetris played by someone under stress. And then—on top of all that—they decide to add a side hustle. Side hustlers are the people who work all day, come home, make dinner, help with homework, attend practices, answer emails, fold laundry, mentally plan three future meals, and then say, “Okay cool, now I’ll just work on my other thing.” The other thing being a blog, a shop, freelancing, reselling, content creation, crafting, consulting, or something that started as “just for fun” and...