The Delicate Dance

Feb 33 min read

Navigating Fatherhood, Freelancing, and Creativity

One has a 5 minute attention span, the other is a 4 year old kid.

"Growth is a slow grind—whether in art, career, or life. There’s no skipping the process. Keep pushing, keep adapting, and keep leveling up."

The Ultimate Challenge

Balancing life as an artist, a freelancer, and a father is harder than a Soul Level 1 run in Dark Souls—seriously. There are no extra lives, no respawns, and definitely no pause button.

For me, the real challenge isn’t just keeping up with projects—it’s the fact that I’m not tied to any company. That means I hunt for clients, pitch my work, negotiate contracts, and keep my studio running—all while raising a 4-year-old. And let’s be real: a toddler’s schedule is more unpredictable than a bug-ridden game launch.

Still, I’m not here to complain. I’m here because I know I’m not alone in this struggle. If you’re an artist trying to balance work, personal growth, and family, you probably know this feeling all too well.

The Struggle of Growth (for Both Kids and Artists)

Earlier this week, my daughter had an assignment: memorize a poem and recite it on video. It sounds simple, right? But for a 4-year-old, that’s like being thrown into an open-world RPG with no tutorial.

She struggled. She got frustrated. I could see it in her eyes—the self-doubt creeping in, the feeling that she just wasn’t getting it. I knew this wasn’t something she could master in one night, but we kept practicing. Line by line, word by word.

In the end, she didn’t memorize the entire poem. But she got parts of it. She tried. And that was enough. A small win. A step forward.

And that got me thinking about my own journey.

Years ago, when I started my studio, I trained young artists who had passion but no experience. They struggled at first—just like my daughter. It took months, even years, of mentorship and hands-on practice. But today, those same artists can handle projects independently, delivering work at an international standard.

That’s when it hit me: whether it’s raising a child, building a career, or mastering a skill—growth is a slow grind. There’s no skipping the process.

Embracing the Grind & Finding Balance

So how do we manage it all? How do we juggle art, freelancing, and family without burning out? Here’s what I’ve learned:

Break It Down – Just like my daughter memorizing her poem, I take things one step at a time. Big projects? Divide them into smaller, manageable chunks. The same goes for parenting—tackle challenges one day at a time.
Accept Imperfection – No one gets it perfect on the first try. Not my daughter. Not the artists I trained. Not even me. It’s okay to fail forward. What matters is progress, no matter how small.
Adapt & Innovate – The industry evolves. Parenting evolves. Life evolves. You either adapt, or you fall behind. The world isn’t slowing down for anyone, so learning how to pivot is crucial.
Make Time for What Matters – At the end of the day, success isn’t just about art or money—it’s about the people we share our lives with. Work is important, but so is quality time with family. I remind myself to step away from the screen and just be present.

Keep Leveling Up

Whether it’s my daughter learning a poem, an artist perfecting their craft, or me trying to balance it all—the process is the same. We struggle, we adapt, we improve.

So to all the artists, freelancers, and parents out there: keep going. Keep pushing. Keep leveling up.

Your next breakthrough might be just around the corner.

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