Some folks don’t work for money like slaves. They invent businesses, work their butts off, and get other people to work for them for money like slaves, or they go off the grid and live by bartering. Look at Bill Gates as an example of the former (he literally started Microsoft in a garage).
Unfortunately, I can’t offer much in the way of examples of folks who live off the grid because by-and-large they live off the grid. There are a couple of Hollywood types (Ed Begley, Jr. and Daryl Hannah) but they are known for what they do or did on the grid, not for living off it. However, you can read about it here and here.
Some people use their brains while others prefer to operate on autopilot.