I Was Ready to Quit — Until This Message Came In

Feb 19

There’s a moment every creative hits that nobody posts about.

Not the highlight reel. Not the “booked and busy” season. The quiet, late-night moment where you stare at your calendar, your bank account, your inbox… and you wonder if you’re actually built for this.

I hit that moment.

I was tired. Not “I need a nap” tired—more like soul tired. The kind that makes you question your work, your pricing, your talent, and whether anyone even notices the effort you’re putting in.

And if you’re a small business owner (or a wedding vendor), you already know the extra layer: when things slow down, it doesn’t just feel like a business problem. It feels personal

The quitting thoughts don’t show up out of nowhere

For me, it wasn’t one big disaster. It was a pile-up of little things:

Editing late into the night, again
Second-guessing every creative choice
Comparing my work to people who seem to have it all figured out
Wondering if I should just get a “normal job” and stop stressing
Feeling like I’m always behind—on emails, on timelines, on life

And the worst part?

I started telling myself a story: Maybe I’m not good enough. Maybe this isn’t working. Maybe I should quit before I embarrass myself.

That story is convincing when you’re exhausted.

Then the message came in

I wasn’t expecting anything. It was just another day of trying to push through.

Then my phone buzzed.

A message from a client.

Not a problem or a revision request — just a simple, heartfelt message that hit me at the perfect time.

It was the kind of message that stops you in your tracks.

The kind that reminds you your work isn’t just content.

It’s memory.

It’s legacy.

It’s proof that someone’s best day mattered enough to be told well.

I’m not going to share the exact words here (some things feel sacred), but the meaning was loud and clear:

“Thank you. You captured something we didn’t even realize we’d want to remember.”

Why that one message hit so hard

When you’re deep in the work, it’s easy to lose sight of the impact it’s actually having.

You start thinking your value is:

How fast you deliver
How many weddings you book
How clean your transitions are
How trendy your edits feel
How many views your reel gets

But the real value is simpler:

You were there.

You noticed the moments.

You preserved the stuff that disappears if nobody captures it.

And sometimes, the people you served don’t realize how much that matters until later.

The truth about “quitting”

A lot of the time, when we say we want to quit… we don’t actually want to quit.

We want relief.

We want a break.

We want to feel like our effort is worth something.

We want to stop carrying the pressure alone.

That message didn’t magically fix my schedule or my stress.

But it did something more important:

It reminded me why I started.

If you’re in that season right now

If you’re reading this and you’re in your own “I’m done” moment, here’s what I want you to hear:

You’re not weak for feeling it.

You’re not behind because you’re tired.

And you’re definitely not the only one who’s ever thought about walking away.

Before you make a permanent decision in a temporary season, try this:

Zoom out. Look at the work you’ve done in the last year. Not just the numbers—look at the people you served.
Get honest about what’s burning you out. Is it pricing? Boundaries? Over-delivering? Lack of systems?
Ask for proof. Go read old reviews. Rewatch a film you’re proud of. Screenshot the kind messages.
Take one small step. Not a full reinvention. Just one step that makes next week easier.

You don’t need a motivational quote.

You need a reminder that your work matters.