How to Build a Career That Works for You

The Creative’s Dilemma: Thrive or Conform?

You see the world differently.

Your mind constantly generates new ideas.

You imagine possibilities others don’t even consider.

But the system—corporate jobs, traditional education, and societal expectations—wasn’t built for people like you.

So what do you do?

Do you play the game—navigating the system while trying to protect your creative spark?

Or do you break free—choosing a path that values freedom over traditional success?

I’ve wrestled with this question for years.

I’ve worked in tech, startups, and wellness.

I’ve been inside some of the most “innovative” spaces in the world.

And even in tech, where creativity is supposedly valued—the reality is different.

If You’ve Ever Felt Like…

• Your creativity is stifled by structure and hierarchy
• You struggle between making money and doing what feeds your soul
• You’re constantly debating whether to “play the game” or leave it entirely

…then keep reading.

Because after years inside the system, I’ve learned one thing:

You either learn to work within the system—or you design an entirely new path.

Why Corporate Systems Suppress Creativity

The Education System Trains You to Follow, Not Create

From childhood, we’re conditioned to fit into pre-existing structures.

👉🏽 We sit in rows of desks, like factory workers

👉🏽 We memorize instead of solving

👉🏽 We’re rewarded for obedience, not independent thinking

The traditional education system wasn’t built to nurture creativity.

It was built for efficiency, predictability, and hierarchy.

George Land’s Creativity Study (1968):

98% of children tested as creative geniuses.

By adulthood, that number dropped to 2%.

We don’t lose creativity—we’re taught to suppress it.

To prioritize practicality over imagination.

Execution over exploration.

And the corporate world? It’s more of the same.

Why Most Work Kills Creativity

Your brain has two key modes:

• Divergent thinking – creative, expansive, nonlinear, exploratory
• Convergent thinking – structured, focused, analytical, outcome-driven

Most jobs force you into convergent thinking all day.

Slack.

Meetings.

Deadlines.

Output.

No time to reflect.

No white space to imagine.

No room to follow a thread that leads somewhere unexpected.

Flow State & Productivity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990)

Creativity requires deep work and immersion.

But most modern work environments are designed to interrupt that constantly.

What happens?

• Your imagination takes a backseat to performance
• Your energy goes into responding instead of creating
• You lose touch with your creative instincts

Even in “innovative” companies, this is the norm.

Because systems prioritize control—not possibility.

The Spiritual Conflict: Dharma vs. Samsara

In Eastern philosophy, this tension has a name.

• Dharma: your true calling, creative expression, soul’s work
• Samsara: the material world, work cycles, structure, and survival

If you feel stuck, uninspired, or constantly conflicted in your job—this is probably what you’re experiencing.

You’re being asked to prioritize productivity over purpose.

Stability over meaning.

Execution over creation.

But here’s what most people don’t realize:

• You don’t have to choose one or the other.
• You can integrate both.
• You can design your own balance.

Path 1: Stay in the System & Make It Work for You

Most people take this path. And it’s a valid one.

When I worked at Meta, I pivoted twice:

1. I had no experience in Virtual Reality, but I became obsessed with it. I networked, self-studied, and eventually landed a role on the Oculus team.
2. Later, I transitioned into online safety—working on parental controls to protect children in digital spaces.

Even though I struggled with corporate structure, I found small pockets of meaning.

How to Make the System Work for You

• Find something you care about, even if it’s one small part of your role
• Work for teams or leaders whose values align with yours
• Surround yourself with smart, creative people
• Use your job as a financial safety net while building something else
• Be strategic—inject creativity into your current role where you can

If you can accept the system for what it is, you can learn the rules—and bend them in your favor.

But for some of us, the system isn’t enough.

Path 2: Transition to Creative Freedom

Leaving the system entirely is harder.

But it also gives you the most space to build your own rhythm.

It’s easy to romanticize quitting your job to follow your passion.

But creative careers still require stability.

Which is why most successful creatives don’t jump—they transition.

Instead of quitting overnight:

• Stay in the system while building your creative career on the side
• Save money to create a cushion before the leap
• Shift into full-time creativity once there’s some foundation

Some people take consulting or part-time roles so they have more energy to focus on their creative work—art, writing, coaching, design, healing.

This is the approach I see working best for people who want autonomy without financial chaos.

My Personal Path (For Now)

I’ve tried everything.

• Worked in the system—Meta, Shopify, startups
• Built creative and spiritual projects—writing, coaching, content, wellness
• Lived in spiritual communities like Pisac
• Experimented with healing, teaching, consulting, and one-woman businesses

Right now?

• I use systems jobs for income and learning
• I take 6-month breaks to reset and create
• I’m slowly building models that make my creative work sustainable

And I’ve stopped pressuring myself to figure it all out.

I have time.

And so do you.

You Don’t Have to Choose. You Can Design Your Own Path.

• The problem isn’t your creativity—it’s the system.
• You don’t need to change who you are. You need a structure that supports it.
• You can adapt to the system or build a bridge out of it.

But one thing’s true either way:

Creativity needs space.

You have to protect it.

And that starts with being honest about what’s draining you—and what actually fuels you.