burnt out gifted kid to burnt out corporate slave: how i quit my 9-5 to pursuit creative

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]As much as I hate capitalism, Nike was right about one thing that is "just do it."

[00:00:07]I used to take life very seriously growing up, and to make it easier to imagine, I was that strict Asian kid who set standards, reliable and trustworthy to adults.

[00:00:22]And I was somewhat highly critical of everyone else and myself especially.

[00:00:27]The older I got, and without realizing it, I became more and more suffocating, both to others around me and, no surprise, to myself.

[00:00:39]Eventually, I started to broke loose and take life way too fun, and ended up having to bear that side of the coin too: betraying and demolishing everything that I stood for, started to question myself, like, really, is this version even "me"?

[00:01:01]As time went on, one thing after another for sure, I started to mend things.

[00:01:06]Not to mend it back to where it was, but to how it could work for present me.

[00:01:13]And since I'm always changing, I will be forever mending those, adjusting little by little, letting go of what doesn't serve me, and introducing the unknown unknown into my territory.

[00:01:26]Terrifying, but it must.

[00:01:30]I've been drawing as a kid and enjoy it, but never truly had the gut to follow it seriously cuz the fear of being looked down of by my environment or upbringing.

[00:01:40]I was also, other than the fact that I was a creative kid, the smart kid.

[00:01:46]So naturally, as a kid, I would do more of what's being validated of me, which was studying, which was being academically gifted, academic achievements.

[00:02:01]And for a very long time, it worked.

[00:02:05]I never had to face the alternative universe, the alternative path, where I had to do art.

[00:02:13]Because it seems like for the longest time, I'm set for the girl-boss, corporate-ladder-obliterator, city life typa girl.

[00:02:21]I basically sort of destroyed my peers and dominated in a lot of academic areas.

[00:02:30]And eventually, I moved to a hyper-specialized school for nerds, you know what I'm saying, if you know you know.

[00:02:37]And off I went into the path everyone and myself at the time thought was the obvious choice.

[00:02:43]You know, you're smart, which is great, you're going to do smart things, you're going to hit the book, and then you're going to have a smart job and you're going to make crazy smart money.

[00:02:55]That's what the obvious choice was.

[00:02:57]Then things happened, like always, things happened.

[00:03:00]I entered University studying Business and Finance and all of that Only to realize that I HATED it to my gut I also interned at companies and had major existential crisis about what is it that is truly going on and does anyone know what they're doing?

[00:03:21]Eventually, you know, what come finally came.

[00:03:25]I quit I quit corporate. I was still only at intern/junior level, but honestly, I never want to touch it again. It gagged me to my stomach and back out and into my stomach again.

[00:03:42]Was it early into my c"areer that I quit?

[00:03:47]Like some of you might ask me, "Aren't chu a bit too impatient there, honey?"

[00:03:51]And the answer to that is: what the fuck no, and also, who asked?

[00:03:58]Now I'm a full-time content creator. Took me a hard... I'm still not familiar with it.

[00:04:05]And yes, I understand the risk that I'm taking onto me and my very highly floppable career, but then again, in times like this—war, crisis, Epstein file— the answer is who the fuck know, but, you know, in the most positive way possible, obviously.

[00:04:23]Nobody knows what gonna happen, there are simply too many variables that could affect our own futures.

[00:04:32]And even if you're a finance bro doing day trade with 20 hour plus screen time and 4 monitors telling me that, "Uh, actually, you can predict the market," then shut the fuck up.

[00:04:43]Just put your money in a diverse portfolio of index funds on a monthly basis and go check on your mom because she's worry sick.

[00:04:52]As I was saying, take it from me and do what you want to do.

[00:04:57]If you don't have the privilege to do it full time, do it part time. Do it at night, early in the morning, and just get it out there, and don't let the voices—I know—don't let the voices in your head telling you your work is shit and nobody cares.

[00:05:11]Because I CARE. Okay, I care very deeply.

[00:05:14]And I'm not nonchalant at all, I'm very, in fact, chalant!

[00:05:19]So post that damn draft and tag me in it, maybe! You know, make it for you, and not for the views, and not for followers or subs. And I don't care if it has 3 views, because you know what matters?

[00:05:31]You showing up!

[00:05:34]You will never be ready personally I don't think "ready" exists.

[00:05:40]Like in a race, for example, once you're on your mark, you get set, and then you GO!

[00:05:46]And when they say you go, you go.

[00:05:48]Nobody have enough time to overthink the shit out of that situation, so you just do.

[00:05:53]So same with you okay, just do.

[00:05:56]If it makes you feel anything better about starting your own journey... for my socials, I still have the profile pics... I still have the default profile pics up until like two weeks into the posting or something.

[00:06:13]And my Instagram account was an old account I forgot to use often enough, and my YouTube account was supposed to be about vlogging but I stopped posting after 1 vlog, I decided: You know what?

[00:06:26]Vlogging is not for me And so I stop And even after posting very consistently—not very consistently, but somewhat consistent for a week— I still have not updated my bio, link my socials, or ask people to subscribe more often, eventho my goal was 10k.

[00:06:48]And I still don't have 10k.

[00:06:53]At the moment of recording this, I have like 18 subscribers, and I'm so happy because I have 18 subscribers!

[00:07:01]So yes, if it makes u feel better, I suck too. Could I have organized, planned, coordinated my socials more seriously if I wanted to go full time right?

[00:07:13]I could, but I didn't, I just didn't care enough about it at the time.

[00:07:18]All I care about is to get my work out there to the world. Why?

[00:07:22]Because I want to signify that Jean.Atypical is now live out there in the world and I'm coming for all of you!

[00:07:30]All that aside, we all jolly eh?

[00:07:37]And hence why this video is basically my declarations, idk what would take of me, hopefully ill be violently attacked by love, support, and affections and not some god-know-what virus.

[00:07:54]That's all for today. Subscribe, I guess, um, like, share this to your friends, your family, help me hit another 10 subscribers to 28, that'd be great.

[00:08:10]Watch all of my shorts, and support me on all of my socials.

[00:08:15]And okay for real tho that's all for today video, love u friends, see you next video. Goodbye.