There's this temptation, a lull that entices even the strongest creative.  Being an artist, running a business, pursuing a dream often feels gratifying when we get immediate satisfaction.

[Booking a client.  Getting lots of likes and comments on Facebook.  Showing how busy! we! are!]

But what if we were to flip it?  What if we were more concerned with putting in the hard work, the ugly work, the unglamorous parts of the hustle?

Waking up everyday to balance bills, manage schedules, get kids off to school, not spill coffee, answer a pile of emails, and STILL find a way to create is the reality of what we do.

The hard work is the long game, it's our legacy.

At the end of our careers, I suspect we won't look back and reminisce about the time we got a 152 likes on an Instagram post, or revel in the ability to have shared a photo from Paris with the following caption:  #blessed.

What will mark our lives were the moments when we continued pushing forward, despite the odds.  Our highlights will be the times when we messed up, but found a way to continue moving forward.  I believe our greatest pride will be saying, “I didn't quit.”

That?  That's the legacy of a creative.