Pursuing creativity torn my life apart and pulled me back together

A quick note on choosing me -

I decided to resign from non-profit leadership three years ago.

The first year was difficult in more ways than one, but I was still happier than I had felt in previous years. It took awhile to clock how much burnout was affecting me—then it was impossible to ignore. I couldn’t handle crying in between meetings, constantly holding my tongue, and relentlessly questioning if I was doing enough.

Instead, I decided to resign, became a freelancer, and pursued a creative sabbatical, which was self-funded with support from community. I couldn’t stop creating even as the funds dwindled. I made zines, documented the early stages of burnout recovery, and found my footing as a multimedia storyteller. Choosing me kept me alive and thriving over the past three years.

I’m back working full-time for a non-profit, however I am in a position that I once fantasized about. Nah, I’m not falling for any more “dream jobs” but I gotta recognize how I landed here. This is the result of spending the past decade doing more than what was requested of me and building my own on the side, just so I could convince people to trust my creative instincts. It was worth it (but I won’t ever do that much shit for free again).

Lately, it has been a joy to bring my creativity back into my daily work life, and I deeply appreciate being able to trust myself again.

Here’s to another decade of choosing creativity, of choosing me.

Thanks for being here ❤️

Photo gallery details:

1. The writer Sula Found posing in front of the camera. A self-portrait in my bedroom studio, 2023.
2. A selfie of Sula in dim light outside, exploring outdoors on a summer evening.
3. Sula with their arms up in celebration, feeling relieved after the release of I Used to be the Sun zine.