It's hard to stay creative, when you don't have money for food
How I rose from the ashes and tackled the financial crisis
Dear,
I’m inviting you to step into my year 2023. It had its ups and downs—neither all good nor all bad.
As always, I’ve recorded an audio version for those who prefer listening. Apologies for the stuffy voice this time around! You can also read this post in Finnish here:
Before you dive in, a quick reminder: Our Substack writers’ groups are back after holidays! You’re welcome to join us on Mondays—10 AM for the Finnish group and 12 PM for the English group.
Cheers!
Nani
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Stretching new year
The first thing I ate in 2025 was Brie cheese at a hotel breakfast. I sized up a suitable portion myself—large enough to satisfy but not so indulgent as to draw attention from neighboring tables. If you're a cheese lover, you're probably already measuring the perfect piece in your mind.
This holiday season I invested in cheeses. They became my quiet rebellion against scarcity—a delicious promise that times indeed had turned brighter. My mother-in-law was in on the scheme too, when one package revealed a platter full of cheeses. "They were in the fridge until the very last moment," she assured.
Such indulgence was unimaginable a year ago. When your bank account lacks balance, luxury items like cheeses remain firmly on the shelf.
Back to business
In 2023, I invoiced 12,000 euros plus VAT. With a photographer’s cost structure, I ended up with roughly half of that. Needless to say, living like royalty wasn’t an option.
This figure reflected many choices. I had opted to stay home with my child longer—a decision I don’t regret for a moment. Simultaneously, I was searching for a new direction in my career, imagining a return to portrait photography.
Here we go again. Wonderful job. This is my calling.
Or was it? Despite my intentions, I did little to reclaim my pre-pandemic footing. The market had shifted—inflation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine meant that photography, as a non-essential service, had taken a back seat.
Is this the end of my business?
Downturns are inevitable, and no year is like the last. Despite tightening our belts, we managed. My spouse’s salary, savings, and investments supported us, alongside home care allowances and municipal supplements.1
During winter, I picked up some smaller communication gigs and even flew to Levi for a family photoshoot. The world felt open again. On the flight back to Helsinki, I feverishly anticipated spring and summer, dreaming of endless photography sessions.
A year earlier, I had begun my Moody Plants series, a deeply personal project. I eagerly listed ideas for new photos. Yet when April arrived, my calendar was still bare—I hadn’t booked nearly enough work.
It was time for Plan B.
What would I like to do if entrepreneurship ended here?
Perhaps teach.
Since graduating in 2009, I’d regretted not completing pedagogical studies. Now I enrolled in education courses, aiming to qualify as a vocational teacher. First, though, I needed to survive the season.
Creativity, where did you go?
As spring thawed the forests and streams gurgled to life, I felt ready. Yet early trips into nature left me uninspired. One May outing had me returning home disheartened.
"Is it normal that I can’t find anything worth photographing?" I asked my spouse.
He likely offered comfort, but my realization stuck: my camera felt heavy, my creativity stifled.
I hoped Italy would restore me. A long-awaited trip with friends was just around the corner.
"In Italy, I’m going to photograph sooo much," I declared.
But then autumn arrived, photography season ended and my work still felt off. Client projects brightened the summer, but I felt detached from the role I’d occupied for over a decade. Anxiety lingered where excitement once thrived.
Maslow, you knew it
In late summer, I launched Plan B. Alongside studies, I sought substitute teaching positions at local high schools. It was fun and paid well.
Autumn 2023 was consumed by studies—group work, lectures, and essays. Though my mind remained heavy, I adapted. While wrestling with one essay, it dawned on me, and the diagnosis was clear. Oh, Maslow!
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, introduced to us in high school during Mrs. Nyblin’s psychology classes, but it hadn’t crossed my mind while in the rut. However, Maslow already knew it. If a person's basic needs aren't met, it's futile to yearn for self-actualization – like creativity, hello!
Maslow illustrated this with a pyramid starting from basic physiological needs like food and rest.
Yes, we had enough money, but constant pondering about where I'd conjure up the next gig or teaching job shook my sense of security. The worst might have been not knowing when the situation would end.
It was easier to breathe now. When I understood the issue, I just had to tolerate it. Fortunately, I also knew that downturns end too.
Nurture creativity with steady income
I’ve always been practical about money, and kept a financial cushion, knowing exactly how I’d use it. Already at age 9, I bought a stereo with my own money.
As an entrepreneur, I only pay myself what I need. You can disagree with me about this practice, but despite my frugality, I know I consume everything I find in my checking account.
Only a year-long hardship showed me the power of financial security. Though I’d struggled before, it had never lasted this long.
At the end of 2023, things started happening, and in 2024, my revenue returned to its own channels. However, I didn't survive without major changes. I never returned to being a photographer but started making money instead.
What does that mean?
At the end of 2023, I received two job offers, both of which materialized. Later, there was a knock on the door a third and fourth time. I had returned to being a communicator.
There's power in regular billing. I was still a full-blooded entrepreneur, but now I was able to pat the work done during office hours. And best of all? Financial stability allowed me to dive into my new passion: Substack.
My head overflowed with ideas.
A non-suffering artist
For some, raw creativity might work. Some know how to make art from empty bank accounts. And although it might be that the concept of a suffering artist is thoroughly romanticized, I've pondered it for myself too.
Would I be better if there had been more adversity in my life?
I don’t think so.
Each of us tolerates different amounts of uncertainty. It's clear that my glass is quite small, and I’m a non-suffering artist.
Part-timer takes the best of both worlds
My creative communication work finances my Mondays. Those Mondays? Reserved for photographing and writing freely.
I feel privileged to create without financial pressure—a stark contrast to 2023 when monetary strain stifled my creativity.
Though I’m still a full-time entrepreneur, I’m no longer solely a photographer. The biggest shift? No more relentless self-promotion on Instagram.
It. Feels. Wonderful.
Being able to create without pressure intoxicates like the scent of lilacs on a nightless summer night—a reminder that financial stability nourishes creativity just as rich soil nurtures a thriving garden.
Years ago, I spoke on my podcast about part-time entrepreneurs having the best of both worlds. The same applies to entrepreneurs who balance structured, but creative, work with personal artistic pursuits.
Here too, perhaps, less is more. By creating less, I become more of a photographer, more of a writer, and more of a creative entrepreneur.
Here’s to that. And cheese.
The Finnish parental leave system is designed to support families by providing time off work and financial compensation for parents to care for their children. Our son was 2.5 years old when he started daycare. This was possible in part because I am an entrepreneur, and able to schedule my work flexibly. Neither my husband nor I have set working hours, allowing us to share responsibilities at home.
It's sad but true that some people think suffering (no money) increases creativity. Neither does "you are nothing, you are worthless" help to generate brilliant new business ideas or to be more creative. Well, that is also explained in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.