In publishing her latest book, Jillian Tamaki says this about the importance of play to the creative spirit:
But I do sincerely believe that without personal work and comics, I might go nuts. For the most part, there is little Sense of Play in commercial illustration (there are a few glorious exceptions to this rule). And the Sense of Play is really what nourishes creativity and, ultimately, good work (paid or otherwise). Sometimes, I think, it’s actually more important than rigorous practice.
I have a day job that pays the bills, but my creative projects save my soul.