There are so many stories of creators who got over the hump of creating while working full time by “waking early.” (I proudly chose this practice for many years, writing from 4:30-6am.)
Just get up a little earlier, they say, and do your work before the world wakes up and demands things up you. Give up an hour a day and it will add up quick. Or, as a friend and inspirational thought leader wrote recently, “The question is not ‘How can I find more hours?’ The question is ‘To whom or what does my first hour belong?'”
This is all true. Starting the day with your creative work is a wonderful feeling. But it’s not the only way to do it, and if you’re not a morning person, don’t sweat it.
These days, my first four hours are basically scripted every day, and includes activities that bring me joy: walking, cooking, spending time before school with my kids, yoga with my wife. And I am not currently willing to extend my day to starting before 5am in order to create. I write my bars when the time is available, and that’s just fine.
Do your practice in your time. Don’t follow anyone else’s, and don’t think there’s only one right answer for how to create.