I think making time to be creative is something most creatives struggle with. Or not just creatives but everyone ALL of the time, there's alot to do, we want to eat healthy, exercise, spend time with our family and friends, help humanity, maintain our lives with things like bill paying and laundry, have some fun... I could go on, and on, and on.
So if you have a side hustle that fills your heart with joy and gives your life meaning (which is how I feel about creating) it's something that takes alot of consideration and commitment trying to fit it in with everything else. It can be hard and tiring and sometimes there is more falling asleep than sketching drafts happening. I manage my illustration 'job' (side hustle small business) alongside my design job-job (reliable, regular, wage paying) I enjoy both but it's a balancing act between making self-directed work and making the work I need to for others.
It is interesting how my design and illustration work inform each other and how structure, inspiration and motivation bleed back and forth between them. I've found that the structure of working full-time can sometimes help me be more productive, having to fit things in and carve out time means I use the time I have well. An open day can mean more absentmindedly looking at my phone and scrolling through other illustrators work (which quite often leads to a creative confidence crisis.) Sometimes finishing a personal illustration project feels like more of a trudge than working on a new editorial design, the creative joy of one feeding fuel for the other. Making time to be creative has also helped me draw boundaries, as someone who has struggled in the past with saying 'no' I have learnt I need to make time to create to be the best (and kindest) version of myself. I now will happily say, 'no, this is my creative hour', 'yes, it is important', 'no it's not a waste of time' and 'yes, it does matter'.
Ultimately making time to be creative is a priority for me, and though I don't always have the amount of time I want to do the things I want, who does? Having any time at your disposal to make things is a privilege, which I will remind myself of next time I throw a tantrum about not being able to stay up another 3 hours to finish drawing pictures of sausage dogs.