Escaping the 9 to 5 Trap – Find Your Purpose Through Creative Entrepreneurship

Confined in a corporate cell
My talents obscured within
I hoped this job would serve me well
Instead I felt locked in

The years passed in soulless work

While fear held my dreams at bay
Awaking to my potential’s loss
I sought a new way

Armed with passion, voice and skill
I took the road less known
A path of many unknowns

While courage in others sown

No longer bound by old confines
I plea to my Greek Muse Euterpe
What passions have I forged
To feed hungry hearts.

So let your passions steer your course
And shed all doubt and dread
For creativity gives us force
To lead humanity ahead.

 Revelation

Akira fantasized for over a decade that the corporate world would allow him to make a positive impact on humanity. But after years of stagnation and a growing feeling of lifelessness in his job, Akira felt increasingly desperate and dissatisfied in his corporate job, as Thoreau described: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.” Akira recognized the “unconscious despair” concealed even in his daily routine. There was no passion or play left, only mindless work.

He realized this “pipe dream” failed to tap into his true potential. As Seneca would describe:

“The fates lead those who will; those who won’t, they drag.” — Seneca

No matter how many meaningless job title changes he went through, his duties remained the same. He realized he was expecting too much from the job to fulfill him—and failed to explore the entrepreneurship path.

Thoreau’s observation rang true: “A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work.” Like so many others, Akira fell into resigned desperation by buying into the false narrative of job security and failing to explore his passions.

Stricken with fear of the risks that entrepreneurship connotes.

In Maya Angelou’s words, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” This described Akira’s sadness, feeling his potential gone untapped in his corporate job.

As he tried, he grew more unsatisfied with office politics, being a cog in the machine, and the superficial interactions. His untapped potential disturbed him, and it grew distant from him. He was foolish to believe he could delegate his purpose to others, believing they knew what was best for him. How foolish of him to believe this.

Yet, he lived in quiet desperation and only embraced the fears about failures and successes, as Socrates points out:

“The unexamined life is not worth living,” — Socrates

Failing to see with courage that alternative paths held the potential for growth and fulfillment that await everyone who partakes in the journey into the unknown.

After the 2008 crash and the recent Rona event exposed the false security of corporate jobs, he couldn’t ignore his longing for more meaning and impact. Late one night, an idea sparked – he would research blogging and YouTube videos to share the life lessons he learned from the many books he’d read.

It was like Raleigh in the graphic novel Lost at Sea who goes on a transformative road trip to find her purpose and passions.

With each content, he realized their positive impact on others. He discovered a new sense of purpose beyond the confines of his office walls.

Rise of the Gig Economy

Akira’s story is for those in the 9 to 5 grind that feel lost. People who share this sentiment know intuitively something has to be explored yet directionless to figure it out, these folks have a yearning for some creativity of visible value. Creative and driven individuals had patterns in their hobbies or side businesses that others found valuable, but it’s uncertain if it can be a reliable source of income in the current environment such as:

• The inflated cost of college tuition has grown by 1200%, while CPI inflation has risen to 231% since 1980. A person with an engineering degree will have an easier time paying student loans than someone with a liberal arts degree.
• Productivity levels went up to 64%, while compensation has grown to 17% since the 1970s. They funnel most of the profits into the higher spheres in a company as corporations either offshore labor or replace most tasks with automation, keeping the growth of wages minimum.
• Many high-paying roles, like taskmasters, waste time in meetings without serving a real purpose.
• A disengagement rate of 70% is observed among North American workers.

Nobody is born or trained to run their own business. Since the internet and websites like YouTube, Etsy, and Fiverr, many creators can now support themselves through their work in ways unrelated to the traditional career route. This resulted in a growing breed of creative entrepreneurs in what we call a rise in the gig economy.

No longer beholden to one source of income and their time to a fixed schedule and commuting in horrendous traffic as more employers force employees back into the office in the name of “collaborative culture.” U.S. labor laws lump sick days with vacation days as “earned time off.” Meanwhile, many workers feel disconnected from their jobs.

During the pandemic, we observed widespread usage of telecommuting tools as Zoom. As a result, people no longer need to live in crowded cities for jobs. People can form communal groups with similar interests. Since the internet makes it easier for people to share information, it has the potential to increase democracy and decentralize authority.

Therefore, encouraging more people to seek alternative paths to cultivate purpose and meaning in their life by having the flexibility to explore beyond fixed boundaries. As Friedrich Nietzsche stated, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” When we find purpose and meaning through creative entrepreneurship, we can endure the difficulties of the path.

Thoreau noted that we must go “from the desperate city you go into the desperate country.” Similarly, more people are breaking from the corporate mold to pursue creative entrepreneurship and autonomy over the “desperation” of unfulfilling work.

This is quite visible as more Millennials and Gen Z freelance for flexibility and autonomy. One downside of corporations, as they grow more prominent to become more efficient, removes the employee’s individual identity. People want more freedom over their lives, and creative entrepreneurship fulfills that desire.

What is a Creative Entrepreneur?

In what ways is a creative entrepreneur different from an entrepreneur? Aren’t all entrepreneurs creative? They solve problems and fulfill desires uniquely in the market. However, the emphasis is on creativity, and this definition helps describe the meaning from The Balance Small Business website:

The creative entrepreneur uses their creative or intellectual knowledge and skills to earn a living, usually in a business or as a freelancer. This differs from traditional entrepreneurship, which mainly focuses on manufacturing and industrial products.

The young woman in the novel Lost at Sea sets out on a soul-searching trip to understand her talents and find fulfillment, just as creative entrepreneurs design careers tailored to their passions and gifts.

With the thought of creative entrepreneurs, we can envision YouTube content creators, authors, bloggers, painters, musicians, and graphic designers. These entrepreneurs create value, whether it’s information, inspiration, education, or entertainment. These folks tap into their creative intellectual assets to make money, hence the entrepreneur part.

Look at the bard from The Bard’s Tale games – he uses his musical abilities and wit to defeat enemies and become a hero. Like the bard, creative entrepreneurs can empower themselves and impact on others through their talents.

There are several reasons to venture into creative entrepreneurship, either as a business or side hustle:

• Get paid to excel at what you love.
• Control over your work
• Flexibility
• Designing a profession that fits your lifestyle goals and values

Of course, we don’t live in a fantasy world, so there are potential negatives:

• The tedious and often monotonous business tasks
• Inconsistent income from each source unless you were wise enough to develop multiple streams of income to make it feel like there is consistent cash flow.
• Turning a creative passion into a “job” could drain the fun factor.

For an author, the positives and negatives of creative entrepreneurship depends on perspective, in my case which are:

• The creative expression
• Satiating the demons within and slaying the dragons
• Personal and professional development, by nature, requires imagination, curiosity, and creativity combined with reflection, courage, and logic to venture into the unknown and create something of value from chaos and fear.
• Carving a lifestyle around something they enjoy and skilled at by giving value to others and
• Building their dream rather than someone else’s

They may not consider negatives, except for paying taxes, which are rarely enjoyable:

• Business tasks are features securing aspects of the business and offering peace of mind, for instance, submitting and paying copyright fees to protect their assets over a lawsuit. Plus, they feel productive when they complete a task. They are small wins that compound toward long-term goals.
• Monetizing a passion feels like a “job.” The author could have several passions: writing, studying mythology, philosophy, psychology, and playing video games (treated more as a relaxing activity than monetizing it), so the author is never doing one singular thing that would entail removing the joy from their work.

Frankly, to each their own, everyone has their ticks. Suppose someone is in that phase where the passion feels like a job. If that’s the case, it’s recommended to branch out to other interests, explore new hobbies, or mix them up to add variety and shuffle the scheduling for each task.

Creative entrepreneurs leave a better world

Creative entrepreneurs are not just individuals who seize an opportunity that’s filling a gap in the market. They also provide value to others by educating, informing, inspiring, or entertaining. Regarding education, a YouTube educator teaches millions of viewers how to code through accessible video tutorials. Their instruction enables many to gain this valuable skill. As for inspiration, an Instagram artist shares their unique illustrations and uplifting messages. Their creativity motivates followers to express themselves through art.

This is akin to the mythical musician Orpheus whose beautiful lyre playing could charm even inanimate objects, creative talents can have a transformative impact. Orpheus’ captivating music moved the god Hades to allow him to retrieve his deceased wife, Eurydice from the underworld. This exemplifies how creative talents can work wonders.

On a philosophical level, they’re innovators, cultural preservers and progressers, soothsayers, and jesters; they raise a mirror on humanity in all its forms, warts and all. If we take, for example, cultural preservation, a documentary filmmaker records the stories and customs of indigenous communities. Their films preserve cultural narratives for future generations.

The impact of these folks on the world ranges from an amateur author who plucked the heartstrings of love with poetry to a Twitch streamer who brought joy and humor into the sometimes mundane lives we live as forms of escapism. Also, pioneers like Elon Musk challenged the status quo in space and automobiles to progress humanity rather than uninspiring new releases of iPhones each year.

Life can be daunting, boring, and even meaningless when you don’t have an established belief system that guides you to something larger than your ego. Creative entrepreneurs provide many people the comfort or solutions to make life more enjoyable.

As social creatures, we’re moving towards an ideal future for the betterment of humanity while preserving cultural values and traditions. As creative entrepreneurs, our value is direct, tangible, and immediate. In the corporate machine, it’s challenging to see the big picture or how your work is affecting the world in a better place than when you left it. Many jobs in that bureaucratic landscape are filled with bullshit jobs where people don’t even see the meaning and impact of their work.

Those who work bullshit jobs are often surrounded by honor and prestige; they are respected as professionals, well paid, and treated as high achievers – as the sort of people who can be justly proud of what they do. Yet secretly they are aware that they have achieved nothing; they feel they have done nothing to earn the consumer toys with which they fill their lives; they feel it’s all based on a lie – as, indeed, it is.”  ― David Graeber,  Bullshit Jobs: A Theory

Whereas creative entrepreneurs offer products and services that come from understanding human nature and its condition, these folks recognize their creative work’s value and effect. Thus, with that understanding, what types of creative entrepreneurs exist?

The Types of Creative Entrepreneurs

Creative entrepreneurship encompasses a wide range of types and is constantly evolving. It’s a better idea to place creative entrepreneurs into four categories:

Artist

The archetypal artist is Orpheus, whose lyrical music tamed fierce beasts and moved trees and rocks. Creative entrepreneurs in the artist category produce works like music, writing, or illustration that move their audiences like a fantasy novelist builds immersive fictional worlds. Readers can escape everyday life and enjoy entertaining adventures through their books.

Makers

Someone produces something tangible by curating or molding natural elements to create aesthetics, such as florists, jewelry makers, painters, and chefs.

Such as the example of an entrepreneur developing an app connecting users to freelance designers. The app makes it easier for small businesses to create branding assets and grow.

Movers

Someone motivates others to use their body magically, whether self or with an object, such as folks that are dancers, musicians, fitness trainers, and yogis.

The bard in The Bard’s Tale uses both musical and physical prowess on his adventures, similar to athletic movers. His creative talents propel the journey forward, much like an entrepreneurial mover progresses by motivating others through their gifts.

Shakers

Someone educating, inspiring, entertaining, or informing: coaches, therapists, bloggers, educators (thought leaders), creative consultants, video game streamers, comedians, and podcasters.

It doesn’t mean one person is one of these distinct types. Instead, it’s far more common that the creative entrepreneur encompasses multiple types. Because there is a drive within these individuals to extend their reach, improve the quality of their work and give more value to others.

That becomes the natural course when the creative entrepreneur wants to scale a business.

For instance, an author is both an artist (author) and shaker (blogger), expanding their reach by scripting videos for YouTube, podcasting, and developing courses because they believe in the entrepreneurial spirit: individuals motivated by the core values of curiosity, growth, imagination, creativity, passion, and autonomy.

As Sahil Lavingia states in his book, The Minimalist Entrepreneur, “if you’re always learning, you’ll always have something to teach others about their own next best steps.” Many would identify with his message because curiosity is human nature. It would be selfish of us not to share what we know, have learned, or have experienced that can help guide, inspire, and amuse others to help them advance toward the life they picture.

Creators, as Sahil points out, “you don’t have to be a genius or pretend to be a genius. You just need to be a step ahead of your audience in at least one thing.” So why feel guilty if we know we’re authentically sharing or teaching something important that moves us and inspires someone else?

Like Raleigh in Lost at Sea who finds herself through a journey of self-exploration, the corporate worker discovers a sense of purpose by pursuing the creative entrepreneurship path.

The Gist

After months of preparation, Akira took a deep breath and finally clicked “Publish” on his first YouTube video. Despite the small number of views, he felt a great sense of accomplishment and purpose.

He vowed to continue creating impactful content. He decided to quit his corporate job and set up his online business.

On his way to tell his boss the news, he spotted a “Now Hiring” sign in the window of a local coffee shop. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of friendly chatter drew him inside. He suddenly saw his future clearly… he would work from this cozy cafe, where he could connect with like-minded creatives.

Rather than the corporate cage, this community would nurture his content and YouTube channel. He took it as a sign that he made the right decision. With a smile, he walked out of the cold, steel, and concrete building ready to fully embrace his fresh path as a creative entrepreneur.

As Thoreau wisely stated, “It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.” Akira walked away from corporate desperation by embracing his creative talents. He found purpose in inspiring others through his entrepreneurial work rather than resigning himself to an unfulfilling job.

Creative talents can feel mystical in their impact, as seen in the myth of Orpheus, whose music charmed Hades to return his lost love, Eurydice. When we turn our creative gifts into purpose-driven work, we too can achieve miracles and better the world.

• We may buy into narratives that prestigious corporate jobs provide security, impact, and fulfillment. But in reality, these jobs often leave us feeling stagnant and disconnected from our potential.
• It’s easy to put off pursuing our creative talents and entrepreneurial dreams due to fear of risk and failure. But the path of complacency robs us of purpose and impact.
• Life’s unpredictable turns expose the myth of corporate security. And deep down, we know we’re meant for more than cubicles and office politics.
• Within our passions lie the seeds of a life with meaningful work, joy, and positive impact. By sharing our creativity, knowledge, and skills with others, we can find inspiration and community.
• The corporate ladder measures success vainly through titles, salaries, and ultimately profits. But fulfillment stems from applying our talents passionately and spreading ideas that uplift others.
• We honor our humanity when we turn creative gifts into purposeful work. So take the risk of letting your passions guide you. Discover the enrichment of inspiring minds, touching hearts, and making change through the work only you can do.

As Howard Thurman wisely said, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Let your creative talents guide you to purposeful work.