I originally thought this article was going to be a part two. But after searching through my archive, I realized I never wrote part one. So this piece includes both the realization and what happened after. 

When Creativity Became the Escape Plan

As social media grew, so did the visibility of creators building careers outside of traditional employment. Suddenly, leaving a 9-to-5 job no longer felt unusual—it started feeling aspirational.

For my own personal journey, it has been inspiring to watch all these creators making enough money to quit that dead-end job and live the creative artist life. No more commutes, corporate politics, or doing mindless tasks in front of a computer for 8 hours a day, 5 days out of the week. Inspired by their stories, I became obsessed with finding the creative pursuit that would eventually free me from my own 9-to-5. Then life decided for me. I never found that creative breakthrough, but my employer eventually released me from those corporate shackles through a layoff, lol. I did have a nice severance package, so it wasn’t all bad. 

The Freedom I Thought I Wanted

With my newfound freedom and my strong will to make lemonade out of lemons, I interpreted that layoff as a sign from the universe that now was the time to get on with my creative endeavors. I was throwing everything at the wall, hoping something would stick. But after each throw, I only became more frustrated with the lack of creativity. I felt an array of emotions, with frustration being the strongest, because my reality was not matching the one I was seeing on social media. Yes, I know comparison was the first mistake, BUT it was a necessary part of the journey.

For the next year, very little happened creatively. I didn’t end up going back to a corporate job; however, I did land a job that I thought would be more flexible. And in some ways it was, but it is not a job that could keep me feeling creative most of the time. And that main reason was due to the low pay. If this is your first time on the blog, I am a school bus driver at the time this post is being written. I mostly took on that role because of job security and because I could take my daughter with me to work. Daycare was expensive, and I didn’t want to be away from my daughter for 8 hours a day. So in some ways it served its purpose, but the bad was starting to outweigh the good. 

So I worked, and nothing continued to happen. I did make some slow progress, but it wasn’t the progress that I imagined and saw online. And due to the current job I was in, I was not able to be creatively free because of financial stress. 

The Person Who Was Holding Me Back

It was at this point that I knew I was bamboozled, not by social media, but by myself. I was fooled by the unhealed version of myself, the lower self. The more I reflected on it, the more I realized that I wasn’t actually chasing creativity. I was chasing relief. I thought creative success would solve the discomfort I was feeling internally. Instead, it exposed everything I had been avoiding.

If I could narrow it down, I would say these bullets are the reasons that I was fooled by my lower vibrational self: 

• Striving to recreate someone else’s journey to creativity instead of figuring out my own ( I guess I thought that was easier).
• Allowing resentment to quietly shape my decisions.
• Believing that creativity was this romanticized, easy journey.

Basically, all of those things were easier to do rather than sitting down with myself to bring my shadows to the forefront so they can be healed. I ended up on the path of healing because life was kicking my ass with lessons left and right. I was so upset from where I was in life and how everything I worked hard for was stripped away from me. Job, relationships, etc. 

Learning to Work for Myself

I knew there was something worth pursuing because the same qualities that helped me succeed professionally were the same qualities required to build something creatively. I was more than capable of being consistent, managing my time effectively, learning new systems/processes, and so much more.  In fact, if there was something I didn’t know, I would hyper-focus on it until I knew how to do it. All of these qualities were just being used differently, and the ones that I didn’t know, I learned pretty quickly. 

The struggle that I feel like I just overcame is figuring out how to use those same skills, but for myself. I’ve always pondered the question of why it is easier to build someone else’s dream or goals instead of building your own. And this was a hard personal question for me. It was hard to acknowledge this question because it revealed a lot about myself that I was trying to ignore. 

Acknowledging the parts of yourself you’ve been avoiding is a humbling experience. The image that was being portrayed was being torn down, leaving you exposed, but in that exposure, you have the choice to rebuild your image exactly the way you want. I chose to rebuild it most authentically because I never wanted to lose sight of the real me I was slowly discovering. 

Returning to the Corporate World

Three years later, I find myself coming full circle and attempting to return to the corporate world. Or at least attempting, because the current job market is terrible. The only reason I left the corporate world was that I was forced. Had I not been part of the layoff, I would be celebrating 8 years this year. 

For my own journey, two things can be true at the same time. I can be deeply committed to my creative ambitions while also appreciating the stability and structure that a professional career provides. Things can be learned in a professional setting that can help build your personal dreams. At this point in my creative journey, I need to maintain a consistent and safe routine while I’m figuring this creative shit out. I need to be free to create with pressure; I need it to be fun. Money brings pressure. Financial freedom through my creative endeavors is the end goal, but it’s not what I need right now. 

I need to be able to experiment and create with ease. Not worrying if it will make enough money to cover my bills. I’m trying to tap into that unique creative energy that was made for me, and in order for me to do that, I need to be free to create until something sticks. I need inspiration, a muse, a routine, and exposure to different scenarios to become inspired. And for me, the corporate 9-5 is the perfect muse. 

Going to lunch with colleagues to talk about the work day, or whatever is happening at home, inspires me. Heading into work while listening to my favorite radio show inspires me. Having small talk with clients and learning something quirky or sharing a laugh inspires me. Interacting with people and being a part of something is the inspiration I need to get my creative juices flowing. Human interaction is vital to my creativity. 

The Job Was Never the Problem

So, to end this article, and hopefully tie everything together, no, I am not too creative for a 9-5. The corporate job is something that I can manage while taking my time with art. Because if we want to do something right, we should take our time. Slow and steady wins the race. Yes, the corporate job is not perfect, especially with the corporate shenanigans, but if we use it to our advantage, it can serve and then hopefully catapult us into what we really want. 

Use the 9-5 to your advantage; the same discipline, consistency, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities that help someone succeed professionally can also help them build something meaningful for themselves. Recognize the skills that you have that got you that promotion, and figure out how to apply them to your dreams. It’s all the same skills; the corporation is just benefiting from it. You are not your career. Wherever you have to land temporarily, give it everything you have. There is a lesson to be learned everywhere you go; seek it out, acknowledge it, learn it, and then move on. And lastly, never stop believing in yourself.