Entrepreneurship as Revolt: The Quest for True Freedom in the Age of Separation
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that nowadays everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. But I would say that — as we (societally) continue to evolve — we are observing the unearthing of our deeply repressed desire for True Freedom.
This looks different for everyone, but I believe — at the core — people just want to feel & be valued for who they truly are. And in order to experience our most authentic selves, we must first know True Freedom.
In my previous life as an Executive Assistant, I found it difficult to integrate the “real” Jen with the Jen that showed up to her desk from 9 to 5. I felt segmented, stunted and unseen.
This was not the fault of any one particular employer, company or workplace culture. Rather, I was simply experiencing the ever-pervasive dismay that naturally fatigues most humans in light of the Agreement we have collectively co-created: The Agreement of Separation.
We see this Agreement demonstrated best in Western Society:
In Schooling — our teachers taught us different Subject in different classes, providing no context for how each aspect of the history we were taught worked together to create the reality we are currently experiencing.
In Medicine — the majority of our practitioners focus on resolving the symptoms of the parts of the body verses treating the root cause of symptoms with regard to the whole body.
In Relationships — we treat each partnership as individual and separate points of reality instead of observing through-line patterns within each connection & seeking to understand ourselves more deeply; we format our ideas of successful partnership based on perceived points of success or milestones (dating, engagement, marriage, babies, etc.) instead of focusing on the original intention of said milestones: deeper connection & intimacy through shared experiences.
And, in the Workplace.
We shake hands in Agreement with the idea of separating our professional and personal lives. Our LinkedIn selves sit at the desk from 9 to 5 and our IG selves crop and curate everything else we show to the world. And somewhere, floating in the ether of existence, is our True Self — unsure of where to sit, where to rest, where to expand.
Our True Self (Higher Self, North Star, Spirit, etc., etc., etc.) is on a Quest for True Freedom. As the Collective awakens, we will continue to see trends like entrepreneurship grow. But it is never about the trend at hand — it is about the journey of integration of the True Self. And sometimes proper integration requires the dismantling of old structures and the reassembling of new ones.
Entrepreneurship is more than just status-symboling or an ego-drive desire for recognition. It is the act of revolt against the Agreement of Separation.
It is rebellion.
It is power.
Jennifer Cortlandt is the Founder of Kreativ Collective, an Integrative Brand Strategy Agency headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Email: hello@kreativcollective.com
