A dear friend's creative career:

I.- Overview: Three cards representing past, present and future.

--> Short answer: Cards say your situation is stable, "doable", but maybe haphazard and too improvised. It will require heavy changes that are mostly internal because the only true obstacles lie within you. Insecurities and self-doubt are more tangible than anything standing in your way.

Past: Nine of Golds, a moment of financial plenitude, had it all in order. 

Present: The Hierophant inverted, meaning the contrary to tradition. Living an unusual lifestyle, not necessarily wrong or bad, just atypical. Imagine pairings where one partner is signifficantly older than the other and such. Surrounded by much envy - but you really do not need the cards to see that.

Future: The Devil inverted. Otherwise a symbol of vice, addiction and chains that bind, this card inverted relays not only a sense of rebellion against authority but also of reorganization of your life. Questioning yourself and the things you hold to be the law. Not a bad thing depending on how you depurate your struggle. 

II.- Outcome: Twelve cards to describe what you will do most likely.

--> "Short" answer: Though mired with the obligations of parenting you are still recovering from the ordeal of your former employment. Everything will be alright and you will return to profit through creative endeavors if you are able to navigate three main impediments.

Said impediments are self-doubt, budget reluctance and bad associates. The first two can easily be conquered respectively by over-productivity and finding cheaper alternatives, meaning that you can always overwhelm the public with different material than wait for its reception, and that said material can be good cutting corners.

An example would be what some musical artists do, which is release remixes of popular songs while they work on their main pieces. Another example is Tim & Eric's "Tom Goes to the Major" series which was produced (as far as I can tell) through Photoshop and computer editing instead of filming; though I am sure it was grueling labor nonetheless it required far less (theoretically!) than running a studio production.

1.- Signifficator, the reason to this reading: Seven of Cups. Shuffling between ideas that are closer to wishful thinking that serious projects. In other words, a rush of creativity but no focus, for now, on the logistics.

2.- Cause: Three of Cups. Joy is taking all of your attention. Happy family/union/friends. Family life.

3.- Crown, the visible reasons: Nine of Wands. Recovering from struggle. Something upturned your previous stability and though you are living a joyful moment, you are in a period of recovery.

4.- Root, the unseen reasons: Three of Wands. Success through support, the realization of a project that required partnership. Might refer to how you are finally parents (congratulations!). 

5.- Past: Knight of Swords inverted. Truncated projects, many rushed decisions that lead nowhere, time spent doing a lot only to end up shelving the effort.

6.- Future: Eight of Golds. The beginning of a profitable undertaking. Much profit but much more work.

7.- Emotions: Knight of Cups inverted. Self-doubt, but also the chance of dishonest characters in your life. If you take a group project be careful of being locked out of direction or its success, especially if your partners have a history between them. 

8.- Environment: Five of Golds inverted. New but unstable employment, searching into the spiritual to avoid financial responsibilities. 

9.- Hopes and fears: Knight of Golds. Starting a new, fruitful project. Wishing to jump into the details of making it work. 

10, 11 and 12.- Outcome: Inverted Four of Swords, Six of Golds inverted, Two of Swords inverted. Respectively meaning frantic renewal of activity, the unwillingness to disimburse and being trapped by self-imposed but false notions.

III.- Solutions: Six cards, two mutually-exclusive outcomes, depending on one solution.

 
--> Short answer: The key to your success is curtailing the control your partner has over your decision-making. I know she might feel you should do this or that, but she is inordinately worried for the time being.

1) Signifficator card, or the situation you are in: Strength inverted. Feeling that you will do a great show of effort that will be poorly received. It is a fear of failure where someone can tell you to just give up, that your talent is not up to date and that it belongs to your past. NAGGED TO DEATH, basically.  

2) Circumstances card, how you got here: King of Golds inverted. A downturn in stability, a project or employment that was ruined by mismanagement of the higher-ups. 

3) External influences, what keeps you down: The Star inverted. Upright? Good times ahead, moment to shine. Inverted? Well, literally the meaning of "disaster" ("dys" and "aster", Latin for "unfortunate star"). In other words, the veritable bad run brought on by pandemic. 

4) One ending: The Hanged Man inverted. Becoming stagnant and accepting of the current slowdown. Security in depression, assuring yourself that it is not in your hands.

5) Other ending: Three of Golds. Success through association. Being hired by talent hunters.

6) The pivot, of what depends any of the endings: Inverted Page of Wands. A lover being irrational, over-protective and authoritative. Does not have to be a lover, could be a business partner as well.