What It’s Like Being a Creative Entrepreneur with a ‘Real Job’ Past

Jun 30

Let’s get one thing straight: I didn’t exactly fall into creative entrepreneurship—I ran into it full speed after surviving years of squeezing myself into boxes that didn’t fit.

Before I was the chaotic force behind Nicko Creative, before I was slinging branding with Big Nicko Energy™, and long before I ever dared to dream out loud—I was someone trying to do the “right” thing. You know, the job with the title. The benefits. The steady check. The boxes society hands you like a sad little corporate starter pack.

Spoiler: It was never for me.

Chapter One: Fonts, Deadlines, and the Smell of Newsprint

My first love was design. Like, old-school design. I cut my teeth doing graphics for a newspaper—real ink-stained hands, last-minute changes, and the occasional panic when someone misspelled a politician’s name in 72pt bold. It was chaos. I thrived.

But even back then, I knew I was different. Neurospicy as hell (though I didn’t have the vocabulary yet), I didn’t just see design as layout—I saw it as translation. Taking a messy brain-dump and turning it into something that makes people feel something? That’s art. That’s power. That’s me.

Still, I got the memo that I needed a “real job.”

Chapter Two: Lab Coats, Clipboards, and WTF Am I Doing

So I pivoted. Hard. Into medicine. (Yes, you read that right.)

I spent years working in healthcare environments, living a version of myself that looked great on paper but felt all wrong in my bones. Don’t get me wrong—I respect the hell out of medicine. I even married a brilliant doctor (shoutout to Dr. Kiona). But I always knew I was a creative trying to make sense of systems that weren’t built for people like me.

I was masking. Performing. Burning out.

Turns out, no paycheck is worth feeling like a background character in your own story.

Chapter Three: Lighting the Match

Eventually, I said “f*ck it.” Loudly. I left the “shoulds” behind and committed to the wild, unpredictable ride of building my own thing.

Nicko Creative started as a side hustle. It was where I let my full, unfiltered self come out to play—no rules, no dress code, just bold-ass branding and pure chaos magic. Over time, it grew. Word got out. People weren’t just hiring me for logos—they were hiring me to translate who they are into a brand they could finally be proud of.

And damn, I’m good at it.

Chapter Four: The Empire Era

Now, I’m full time. Running this thing my way. Creating merch, digital tools, courses, podcasts, even throwing in some music and speaking gigs. I call it the Coleman Empire—because why the hell not?

But here’s what they don’t tell you about leaving the “real job” world: You’ll constantly fight this little voice in your head that says you’re making it up. That your path isn’t valid. That you should be more “stable.”

To that voice? I say: watch me.

Final Thoughts from a Formerly Boxed-In Creative

Being a creative entrepreneur with a “real job” past means I know both sides. I know what burnout tastes like. I know what it’s like to dim your light. But I also know what it feels like to wake up and actually want to do the thing.

If you’re reading this stuck in a job that doesn’t light you up—consider this your permission slip. You don’t have to do it their way. You can build your own empire from whatever scraps of passion you’ve got left.

Just make sure it’s got your name on it.