Creativity or Stability? How to Balance a 9-5 And Your Passion
Don’t let go of what makes you happy! Here’s how you can use your job to fuel your craft.
Courtesy: Instagram/@Photobydela
Figuring out your career in your 20s can feel like choosing between two different lives. There’s your dream life— the one that tugs at your heart and makes you feel most like yourself. Then, there’s your real life, the one where you have to pay bills, afford rent, and maybe even help out your family. When you add up these demands with today’s economy and the job market freeze, chasing your dreams can feel unattainable.
So what do you do when your passion doesn’t immediately pay? Or when your 9–5 drains so much out of you that you have nothing left for the thing you love? For a lot of us, quitting to follow our dreams just isn’t realistic. And yet, we still feel called to create, to express, and to build something that feels personal. That’s where we find ourselves at a standstill, caught between balancing the daydream and the day job.
But here’s the thing: more and more young people are finding ways to live in that middle space, especially Black creators who are proving it’s possible to honor your creativity while securing the bag.
Turning Passion Into a Career Without Quitting Your Job
Good news! You don’t have to choose between your 9-5 and your passion–you just have to figure out how to make both work. Or, as I like to put it: mix business with pleasure (wink, wink).
The key to making both work is using your day job to support your hustle. I’ll be real, it's hard work, but it’s not impossible. If you’re out here trying to do both, here’s how to make it work without losing yourself along the way:
1. Use Your 9–5 to Fund Your Passion
There’s a whole trend on TikTok called “My 5–9 after my 9–5,” and yep, it’s exactly what it sounds like. People clock out of work and jump straight into their side hustles. The concept isn’t new, but it’s really cool to see our generation take it and run with it. It’s like the advice the OGs gave us about hustling, but now it’s turned into something that feels all our own.
I came across a video by @Myfinancescrapbook, a corporate girlie who shows how she transitions from her 9-5 into her real estate and investing business. As soon as she’s done with work, she goes straight to her personal office to record content, plan, and work on her ebook. Watching her juggle it all reminded me that, with a little focus, your 9-5 can fuel your passion projects rather than hold them back.
2. Block Out Creative Time
If your passion matters, it deserves a spot in your schedule, just like meetings, errands, or that gym class you swear you’re gonna take. Free time sounds cute in theory, but let’s be real—you’re probably spending it doom-scrolling on TikTok or stressing about everything else on your plate. Instead, treat that time like a standing date with your creativity. Maybe it’s Sunday morning. Maybe it’s your lunch break. Even an hour can help you stay consistent and keep that creative spark alive. You don’t have to go all out every time. Just show up.
3. Use Your Day Job to Learn Skills for Your Dream Job
Your 9–5 might not be your dream, but that doesn’t mean it’s a waste. Take Davida Jones-Roberts, a former senior brand strategist turned creative health coach. In her TEDx talk, she explained how she used her corporate job to build skills that aligned with her passion for helping others. She worked with CEOs, managed branding and PR, and wrote for major companies—all of which laid the foundation for her empowerment program, Woman2Woman.
Now, she helps single and expectant moms through coaching and community. And it all started by learning how to lead and build in a space that wasn’t her “forever” job.
So while you’re clocked in, ask yourself: What skills can I take with me? What’s here that could help me later?
4. Build in Public
If someone can go viral for posting in their bonnet, you can post your creative process, flaws and all. You don’t need a fancy setup or perfect results to start sharing.
Nobody’s saying quit your day job to become a full-time content curator. Rather, use social media as a tool to help you find opportunities. Post the behind-the-scenes, post your struggles, and post your small wins. When people feel connected to your journey, or your work, they’re more likely to root for you—and maybe even open a few doors. So post that content! You’ll be surprised by the opportunities that come.
Real Ones Doing Both
It’s one thing to talk about balancing a job and a passion, but it hits different when you see people actually doing it. Here are two creatives who’ve figured it out and dropped a few gems along the way.
RYNNE – Musician + Visual Art Director
RYNNE, a multidisciplinary artist, opened up about her creative breakthrough. For her, the key to balancing a creative and professional life is letting go of rigid routines. Instead of forcing herself to create, she just goes with the flow.
She also stresses the importance of using your 9-5 to leverage transferable skills. Her three key tips are: 1. only work jobs you’re genuinely interested in, 2. be intentional about gaining skills, and 3. treat your job like a mutual relationship.
DeAndre Shack – Barber Turned Clothing Brand Owner
While watching a TikTok Live clip, what DeAndre Shack said really stuck with me: don’t step into the business world with no money. That was the truth!
Before pursuing his clothing brand, Hollywood Hideout, Shack had to build a steady income through barbering. He recommended viewers do the same–use your 9-5 to save up money, and then invest that money into other ventures.
“Once you get that under your belt, and you’ve got your chunk of change on the side, you can start branching off into other assets and things you like. Mine just happened to be the clothing brand, and I took the skills from barbering and applied them over here.”
You Don’t Have to Choose One Path
The rumors are true: working a 9–5 and chasing your passion can coexist. I’m doing both—and no, that doesn’t make me any less serious about my dreams. It means I’m smart enough to build while still getting paid.
You don’t need to explain your timeline to anybody. Take your time. Stack your checks. Pour into what lights you up. The path might not look like what you expected, but it’s still yours—and it’s valid.
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