the myth of independence
The word “independent” gets thrown around a lot - solo-preneur, artist, contractor - yet most of us never question what that independence actually is, or if it’s even real.
What does that mean to be “independent”?
If you truly look inside any career, not only artistic, there’s really no such thing as “solo”, unless you understand what independence actually means.
If your work depends on audiences, likes, ticket sales, committees, donors, presenters, critics, algorithms, timing, or the decisions of your work partners, you’re not independent…
You’re most likely within a power structure. And the fastest way to lose yourself is to pretend you’re not.
THE MYTHS WE WERE TOLD
I watched The Brutalist recently, and although it tells one immigrant-artist story, it cracked open something much larger for me: a portrait of global power dynamics. When I talk about power dynamics, I don’t mean secret schemes or hidden agendas. I mean the everyday structures that determine who gets access, who gets heard, and whose work moves forward. They’re woven into our workplaces and institutions so seamlessly that we stop noticing how much of our path ends up shaped by them.
As I watched The Brutalist story unfold, I suddenly recognized the architecture of my own and of so many people I’ve encountered across fields, professions, and countries.
And with that realization, my own classical pianist story resurfaced for what it truly was: a long, slow awakening to how dependency gets dressed up as opportunity.
When I stepped away from my pianist career, I wasn’t stepping away from practicing burn out, or lack of money, or loss of passion. I thought I was losing a battle. A personal one. I got tired of playing by the rules that “others” have made up.
It took me years to realize that when I stepped away, I began reclaiming my independence. And instead of blaming myself for failures, wrong choices, not working hard enough, not having what it takes etc, I started clearly seeing the dysfunction of the system.
What I craved was simple: real personal and creative FREEDOM.
Actual INDEPENDENCE.
If you’re not an artist, think about your workplace - the dynamics aren’t different.
Being a “solo” artist is one of the biggest jokes out there.
You’re independent in theory and utterly dependent in practice.
You were made to believe that the world is an ecosystem of people holding keys you supposedly need to unlock the door to your biggest dreams.
Some personal examples? Sure:
The producer who tells you he can make you a star if you “play nice” with his entire team.
The piano competition sponsor who gets you drunk the night before your round, sits too close, and whispers that your future depends on how far you’ll let him go.
The symphony CEO who invites you to pitch your dream project to the board… then takes your ideas, runs the project, and conveniently forgets your name.
The comedy club that makes you create, host, market, and perform an entire year-long series for the price of a sad weekly grocery run.
The manager who called you “unsaleable,” instructed you to become your own fake agent, and still expected his percentage on all your self created engagements.
Even the “well-meaning” ones still hold power. (The competition panel, the audition committee, the music booking conferences, teachers, universities)
The list goes on and on…
At the moment, none of it felt traumatic or dramatic.
It felt normal - the rules of the game. A part of the system.
And that’s the real problem.
WHEN THE RULES ARE INVISIBLE
Dreams make innocent people vulnerable long before power ever enters the room.
Not because we’re weak but because we care…too much.
Power dynamics feed on innocence and ambition.
“They” hold the keys because their dreams also depend on you.
You chase the doors because you assume they have your best interest at heart.
Most people don’t recognize this dynamic until they’ve spent years drowning in self-doubt, therapy, “burnout,” “anxiety,” “depression,” or whatever sanitized word gets assigned to the emotional cost of being repeatedly disempowered.
So the question isn’t: ‘Is this happening?’ It’s: ‘What are you going to do once you see it?’
so how do you actually claim your independence?
Awareness
Awareness is the moment you stop blaming yourself for outcomes that were shaped by dynamics you never chose and start creating real movement in the areas of your life that need attention.
Maybe ask yourself today:
Where in your life are you still waiting for approval?
Where are you saying “yes” when your entire being wants to say “no”?
Which dreams did you abandon because someone didn’t give you permission to live them?
Where do you find yourself dependent on what others think, say, or do?
Where do you allow your intuitive decisions to shift once you sense doubt and fear?
Awareness is uncomfortable at first, but it’s the door to your liberation that YOU hold the keys for already.
2. RETURN TO SELF
This is when recovery begins. The healing. The come back. The rebirth.
Once we realize that we have a CHOICE in every thought, action, decision and actionable step, we begin to ask:
Which part of me needs to be reconnected to? The one that existed before the gatekeepers, the committees, the opinions, the algorithms, the disappointments?
What did I truly want when I knew exactly who I was before anyone tried to manage, mold, grade, educate or monetize me?
What did I used to dream of?
What did I love to do?
Those parts still exist. The dreams are still there. Talents - never wasted.
And it has been waiting for you to call for it.
And it is not too late to return to them…
Return to self isn’t a memory exercise; it’s a decision to let that original version of you set the agenda again. To feel possibilities opening where exhaustion used to live. To feel that inner fire start to burn with direction instead of doubt.
3. CLAIM YOUR TRUE INDEPENDENCE
True independence isn’t about doing everything alone.
And it isn’t about torching every bridge, quitting your job tomorrow, or pretending you don’t need anyone.
Real independence is understanding the system so clearly that it no longer owns your worth, your vision, or your nervous system.
It’s when YOU own your talent, your vision, your ambition and move through the world on your own terms.
True independence begins when you CHOOSE to:
Let your own “yes” and “no” guide your decisions, even when it might disappoint people.
Treat every closed door as information, not a verdict: this wasn’t your door, not that you weren’t “good enough.”
Navigate your path with grounded authority: you ask questions, negotiate terms, and walk away when the price of entry is your self-respect.
Take bold, aligned action toward what you already know is yours to build, instead of waiting for someone to “discover” or “promote” you.
Release the old patterns that keep you compliant: over-explaining, apologizing for your needs, shrinking your rates, dimming your talent.
Recognize that fear is often a sign you’re stepping out of the role you were assigned and into the life you actually want.
Independence is a daily practice of choosing yourself in small, visible ways:
The email you finally send declining an exploitative offer.
The conversation where you ask for what you actually want.
The project you stop postponing until someone else validates it.
The boundary you enforce even when your voice shakes.
You may still work inside institutions. You may still collaborate, report to a boss, audition, apply, pitch.
But WHO YOU ARE inside those rooms changes.
So here is your invitation, wherever you are in your life, your age, your culture, your career:
Choose one place where you are still waiting for permission.
Write down what you would do there if you trusted your own “yes” more than anyone’s approval.
Take one concrete action toward that version of events in the next seven days.
And if this touched a place you’re ready to explore with support, reach out. I’m here for the real work, the honest conversations, and the changes that actually matter.
Yours (independently so),
Yana
Reach out here: https://www.inspojourney.com/contact
