One year after opening its doors, the Pixel Dreams Vietnam headquarters in Hà Nội hosted its first official FRIducation. The milestone event took place in June 2025, with special guests from the Toronto team: CEO Khalid, Creative Producer Karis, and Senior Producer Kevin as moderator.
FRIducation is a PD tradition that blends lecture, conversation, and community into a workshop-style gathering meant to inspire and educate (on a Friday). The Vietnam team was honoured with a double feature: a talk about dreams by Khalid, which offered much food for thought, and a fireside chat between Karis and Khalid on the concept of a creative’s origin story and how to enjoy the journey of one’s career.
Dreams on Dreams
Most people don’t know what they want. That’s why the question is important.
Khalid opened with a simple truth: most people don’t know what they want. They follow paths set by others, inherit goals that were never truly theirs, and sometimes wake up years later wondering what it was all for. This lack of clarity can quietly shape their lives, leading to dissatisfaction, resentment, and for some, a subtle sense of drift.
Instead of avoiding the question, Khalid challenged us to confront it directly. Because when we stop dreaming, we stop designing our own lives.
To help us navigate the question, he shared a framework of three types of dreams – each worth exploring, but not all equal in weight.
#1. The Dreams of Possession
What do you want to have?
These are the material wants like a Ferrari, a house, or a dream vacation. These are the kinds of things we often hesitate to admit out loud, but they live in us nonetheless. There’s nothing wrong with wanting nice things — just know they offer short-term satisfaction. These dreams are valid, but they can be the most fleeting.
#2. The Dreams of Experience
What do you want to feel, do, and live through?
These are the dreams that shape us, like travelling the world, or falling in love and starting a family. Perhaps you want to face hardship and grow stronger, or experience art, music, and nature in ways that move you. Unlike possessions, these moments stay with us. They deepen our character and shift our perspective.
#3. The Dreams of Identity
Who do you want to become?
This is the most important question. These are not dreams of having or doing, but of being. Maybe you dream of becoming a confident person, a wise parent, a graceful leader, or a stronger thinker. These dreams define our inner evolution. They’re what remain if we lose everything else.
Khalid emphasized that while all three categories matter, the third deserves our greatest attention. If we focus on becoming the person we dream of being, the rest tends to follow. And when we achieve those material or experiential dreams, we will be in a better place to enjoy them.
You won’t realize every dream. The point is to stay in the conversation. To keep dreaming, keep asking, and keep becoming.
Khalid reminded us that Pixel Dreams is more than a company. It is a platform for personal growth. And if we’re paying attention, it can be the very place where we begin to become who we’re meant to be.
WATCH IT HERE:
What Is Your Origin Story?
Have you ever been asked how you got into what you do? How do you describe your raison d’être to a new client, collaborator, or teammate?
In a fireside chat with Khalid, Karis shared her view that part of being a successful creative is telling your story in a cohesive, compelling way. As creatives, we are part of our work, and our work is shaped by who we are.
Karis shared her own “origin story” as an example for the audience. Karis is the daughter of a philosopher and a visual artist. She grew up in a home filled with art, ideas, and open dialogue. She decided she wanted to be a filmmaker at age seven. As an adult, she questioned that path and detoured through interior design before returning to her first creative calling, becoming a director and producer. That is how Karis defines herself to the world. The goal, she told Khalid, is to craft a way to describe yourself and continuously refine it.
Today, being a new member of the Pixel Dreams Team, Karis has discovered that her greatest strength is not only in the technical realm of filmmaking but also in the mental realm. She is a curious thinker. Karis reads a room, synthesizes disparate information, and brings new meaning to whatever she touches. This perspective is instrumental in Karis’ definition of herself as a creative.
Curiosity requires a certain amount of energy. If you’re not feeling curious, it’s time to ask what’s going on.
Your origin story is not a fixed timeline or a list of jobs. It’s a living narrative, a reflection of how you see yourself, and how you share it with the outside world. Whatever you have overcome, whatever you value, and wherever you’re heading next – these are all valuable parts of your story.
Like any story worth telling, it can and will evolve.
Have you taken time to reflect on your story?
The dreams you had as a child.
The people who shaped you.
The various identities you’ve claimed, melded, or had placed upon you.
The experiences that forged your values.
Does the story you tell about yourself elevate you?
Does it serve your purpose?
Does it remind you of your worth?
If not, rewrite it.
You are not a side character in someone else’s story.
You are the author.
So ask yourself:
What is your origin story?
And what do you want it to be?
WATCH IT HERE:
Planting Seeds, Growing Dreams
The talks sparked a wave of questions and led to thoughtful exchanges between hosts and the audience. Ideas flowed freely, and curiosity shaped the conversation. Team members asked about everything from prioritizing dreams to rewriting personal narratives and navigating moments of doubt.
What made this gathering stand out was the atmosphere: the openness, the curiosity, and the sense that everyone was genuinely present and fully engaged.
And there is going to be plenty to look forward to. More events are already in the works, and this first Hà Nội FRIducation felt like the beginning of something that will continue to grow and take root in new and exciting ways.
