Pressure is a privilege

Heyyya lovely souls!

Quick lil’ disclaimer: I don’t create with “viral” or click-bait in mind. My inner control freak just wants things to feel neat and like they actually belong together. I think it’s because my brain is basically the equivalent of a stereotypical teenager’s bedroom, so keeping my platforms cohesive gives me a sense of tidiness - which usually means my posts aren’t likely to go viral.

I have always applied a crap-tonne of pressure on myself - from my 7-year-old ballet-dancing days, to my “running a certain pace” days, all the way through to simply baking a cake for a friend. That pressure seeps into every avenue of my life, so with my business I can’t seem to help but apply an extra sprinkling of sweet pressure.

I’ve been building my business… for what feels like forever, but it’s only this year that I finally feel a sense of, “Damn, this thing might actually be working?”

The internal pressure is undeniably still there, but now it’s accompanied by external pressure. It wasn’t until a recent Substack post went somewhat viral that I realised - huh, I suppose I can no longer respond to every comment… but naturally I want to. Huh, how do I answer an extra 50 emails in between deadlines, orders, and market prep?

The pressure I applied internally in the pursuit of getting to this point in my business has slowly been brewing external pressure. It took me a minute, amongst my stressy head and messy studio, to realise: it’s pretty damn lovely to be under pressure from something I once dreamed about as it slowly unravels into reality.

You know that cheesy saying “pressure makes diamonds”? Well, I feel less shiny and precious and more raw and bumpy, like a little rock.

Pressure changes a lot about who you are and the life you lead. It often comes at the expense of not being able to please everyone - which I realllly struggle with. Saying no, choosing one thing over another, cutting something out…change - all things I can’t say I’m a pro at. Now I find myself spread thin, with blurry boundaries.

It’s bittersweet, really. But maybe that’s okay?

Some moments are sweet, some prove to be sour. Both are simply evidence of growth - evidence that something I once wished for is now tapping me on the shoulder. Evidence that people do in fact care enough to show up, to comment, to email, to support - and whilst I’ll do my best to respond to as much as I can, I also can’t indulge in the sweetness of responding to 300 comments.

Pressure doesn’t have to feel like a weight; sometimes it’s a gentle nudge that whispers, “Hey, you’re doing the thing. You’re really in it.” Pressure can allow me to evolve without burning out the parts of me that love creating in the first place.

If you’re in a season of pressure too - internal, external, or a chaotic cocktail of both - I hope you can pause, take a breath, and recognise the privilege tucked inside it.

We get to care about something this much.
We get to build something worth being overwhelmed by.

And honestly? That’s pretty damn beautiful.

Thanks for being here with me - bumps, rocks, diamonds and all. ✨

Since we’re talking about pressure, privilege, and growth… this video feels like a full-circle moment for me. Working with a sponsor on YouTube was one of those goals I quietly hoped for but didn’t think would happen any time soon. I was just posting my silly little chats, drawings and winging it really.

And now… it’s happening.

If you’d like to join me for a cosy little day-in-the-life, plus a free course, courtesy of Skillshare… yup you read that right…Skillshare (I’m still in disbelief too). you can watch here…

Until next time,