Ep. 31: From big tech and law to gold and clay: Two founders on creativity, identity, and the courage to pivot

What does it really take to leave a prestigious, intellectually demanding career and step fully into a creative life?

Two women who did exactly that join us for this episode of Closet Philosophy. Erin Hupp and Subikksha Balaje come from wildly different professional backgrounds (law and data science, respectively), yet both found their way back to creativity through clay, metal, and a pull toward working with their hands.

Erin Hupp is a former child welfare and land use lawyer who now runs Erin Hupp Ceramics in the San Francisco Bay Area, creating sculptural dinnerware, lighting, and objects for restaurants and private clients. Subikksha Balaje grew up in Chennai, India, built a successful career in Big Tech, and later launched Gold Stories, a fine jewelry brand rooted in storytelling, cultural memory, and wearable art.

Recently, Erin and Subikksha collaborated on a stunning fine jewelry collection that transforms Erin's signature folded ceramic forms into silver and gold—future heirlooms that honor both precision and imperfection.

Together, we talk about:

• Why midlife can be a powerful creative awakening—not a crisis

• The vulnerability of shedding a "serious" professional identity

• Imposter syndrome (before and after success)

• How collaboration sparks ideas AI never could

• The tension between perfection and imperfection in handmade work

• Why stories matter more than ever in a tech-saturated world

• And how personal style, craft, and creativity are deeply human acts of resistance

This conversation is a love letter to creative courage, curiosity, and the belief that it's never too late to claim who you really are.

Whether you're considering a pivot, craving more creativity, or simply want to hear how two artists think about meaning, work, and making—this episode is for you.