Forgetting Your Why

Somewhere along the road of creating, we forget why we started. The late nights turn into deadlines, the joy turns into pressure, and the spark that once felt unstoppable gets buried under expectations, algorithms, money, or approval. What began as a need to express something true slowly becomes a task to maintain. That’s the danger of any artistic journey—when the process replaces the purpose, and we keep moving without remembering the reason we ever took the first step.

Reconnecting with your why isn’t about starting over; it’s about remembering. It’s about peeling back the noise and returning to the original feeling that pulled you into creating in the first place. Here are three ways to remember your why and keep it strong:

1. Take a snapshot of your current life and show it to your younger self.
Look at where you are, how you live, what you’ve built, and what you’ve compromised. If your younger self—the one with the raw dream and the fearless spark—were standing in front of you, what would they say? Would they be proud? Surprised? Disappointed? Inspired? That honest reaction is a powerful compass pointing you back to what truly mattered when you began.

2. Revisit the moment you fell in love with creating.
Not the first success, not the validation—but the moment when you didn’t care who was watching. Go back to old notebooks, early songs, rough sketches, first short films, or half-finished ideas. There’s truth in those imperfect beginnings. They remind you that the work was never about perfection—it was about expression.

3. Protect your purpose by creating without an outcome in mind.
Schedule time to create with no goal of sharing, selling, or impressing. Make something just for you. Purpose grows when it’s not constantly being judged. The more you honor the process instead of the result, the closer you stay to your why—and the easier it becomes to keep moving forward without losing yourself.

Your why didn’t disappear. It’s just been waiting for you to remember it.