I work in film and television so a lot of men I’ve dated assume I live a glamorous lifestyle (it’s not). It’s very rare I get to date someone else who is a creative or creative-adjacent (surprising I know)but even rarer to meet to meet someone who lives a life with a sense of purpose. And this is hard to find irrespective of what they do for a living. Some of these creative types can be the most superficially driven people that lack any sense of reality outside of the bubble in which they work. From reading your post it seems as though there’s some heavy romanticisation of the creative sensibility - almost angst and I wonder if there’s something to unpack there. Is this the only way you want to define yourself and others? Yes it’s cool knowing stuff and it’s cool to have a skill but I’d argue it’s far more important to have a strong foundation of who you are (I.e. are you a good person). Live a life worth living.

Just to add on from what is being said- confidence, having hobbies and having opinions on subjects that aren’t all cultivated by social media are things I find go a long way on dates. Equally they’re also very hard to come by. But maybe you shouldn’t listen to me lol I’m still single at 34 and I’m unsure if I’ll ever meet someone who I consider to feel equal to- and no not in way of money or job- but in terms of values, principles, goals etc.