I Left the Ad World for 4 Months and Realized Nothing Matters

Serious time away sparks a quiet revelation

I love being an advertising creative. I really do. But working in this industry can sometimes feel like being stuck inside a pressure-filled, awards-obsessed bubble. We compete for acclaim while imposter syndrome runs rampant. It’s exhausting. And it ignores a massive truth about the real world.

For the last four months, I’ve been exactly there: IRL. I was on maternity leave, so I was off my laptop. Most of the time, I was knee deep in baby bodily fluids or glazed over in front of my comfort shows, praying my son would sleep for more than 20 minutes. I didn’t read a single industry headline. I watched a lot of good and bad commercials in the wild. And I came to terms with the fact that being an ad creative is a made-up job. Please take a moment of silence for my ego.

Before going on leave, I was terrified of being away for “so long” from an industry that moves so quickly. I set up meetings with my creative directors so I could beg them not to forget me. I poured even harder into my last project, so I left an extra good impression. And then I went to birth a human and would never be the same person again. Those uninterrupted first months with my son were draining and glorious. My head was no longer stuck in the ad sand—and what I noticed felt life-changing.

I saw people being … people. Normal, everyday, non-industry humans. They rode bikes and washed cars and stayed up late reading. They excused a pile of laundry sitting in the corner while hosting a 20-person Passover seder in their studio apartment. They concluded that a commercial with a lowbrow pun was the funniest one on TV, even though they still would’ve skipped it if they could. They’re desperate for connection beyond screens. They’re exhausted at jobs they can’t stand. And they’re thinking about themselves far more than they will ever mull over our 360 Gen Z AI experience or whatever. Yes, it matters. But it’s not everything.

Upon my observations, I realized I’ve been taking myself too seriously. My “need” to succeed in the advertising bubble was the thing holding me back from success.

At the end of the day, I get paid to come up with ridiculous ideas. To write jokes. To laugh with amazing people all around the globe. Sometimes we work way too much and sometimes we get stuck in a rut that feels like the end of the world. But it’s not. If anything, it’s a reminder that the world is still out there doing its thing and we should get back in it every one in a while.

After four months away, I was able to remember how small I am in the grand scheme of things. And somehow, that allowed me the freedom to think bigger, sillier, funnier and crazier than before.

Now, I have a little one watching my every move. He sees what stresses me out, what I obsess over, what I find important and how I spend my time.

My goal is for him to see as much of his mom having a damn good time as possible—collaborating, creating and turning everything into something we can laugh about. I believe we need more of that.

My mom has a little saying about perspective: “Make fun where there is none.” On paper, there’s nothing fun about work. And sometimes, there’s nothing fun about life. But against the backdrop of the real world, those of us in the ad biz get to make fun where there is none.

What an incredible privilege.