Back during my short-lived stint at art school, I used to cry every time I did my homework. I'd do it in 8-hour nonstop stretches because I had procrastinated so badly due to my mental health issues. Having to do work that would be critiqued and graded made me so anxious that I couldn't function. I got bad, coped in ways I'm not proud of, etc.
Just now, I accepted a job at... a fast food restaurant. Part time management after I get trained up. I'm going back to school for computer science after I settle a debt that I incurred 100% because of my procrastination and mental illness. I always thought I'd be a writer, but now I see a future of screens and lines of code. Life doesn't always work out the way we want it to, but that's okay. Your passion doesn't need to be your livelihood. Sometimes your livelihood can just be a means of being able to comfortably pursue your passions.
You didn't get to animate Saturday morning cartoons, but... you created this. You touched people's lives with your work, stirred up emotions and memories in your audience (which, as I recall, is a tremendous feat).
Thanks for creating this interactive essay. I really needed to see this. I've been feeling really lost. I'm 26 and I'm just now figuring my life out.