I think people often misinterpret rules/guidelines and what they represent.
Making music is like crossing a sea in a boat. No matter what happens there are fundamentals to crossing the sea.... the boat has to float, and it has to float quickly enough in a given direction otherwise you might starve to death before you get to your destination. You want to get to the right destination too for that matter.
They are all optional... but the consequences of not following them are very serious.
Then there are a number of more random things that you could do. You could dive out half way through and drown. It is certainly creative, and if your goal was to drown half way across it has perfectly achieved that objective!
Most guidelines fall into another category... if you don't follow them, it is recommended that you mitigate the negative consequences otherwise it could be a problem. For example, you could drill a hole in the bottom of the boat. If you do so, bailing is probably a good idea, otherwise your boat will sink. You could take something to plug the hole, could plug the hole and bail. You could row or put up a sail, or attach a motor etc etc. Every option has pros, and cons... only some of the risks are massive or the consequences could kill the project.
Writing songs is exactly like that. You could try and reinvent boats, or simply accept that to be a boat, certain rules have to be followed, or that if you do not follow them, you have to mitigate the negative consequences of other decisions.
Simple