Generalists…Assemble!
Do you consider yourself a generalist? Is that a scary thing to acknowledge in a world where being a specialist seems to reign supreme?
Do you have a wide range of skills and interests as an artist? Do you feel stuck in your creative business or projects because of it? Does that inevitably keep you in a state of “analysis paralysis” and procrastination?
Whether reluctantly or not, do you think of yourself as a “jack of all trades”? An interesting piece of trivia — Did you know that the original phrase was about William Shakespeare, the Bard himself. The original quote was, “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” The phrase was meant as a compliment, not a judgment or reference to being less than because you aren’t a specialist.
Would you go so far as to call yourself a multi-hyphenate? Here’s a good one. What about multi-talented? I bet that one might have felt awkward. While we’re at it, I bet you are though. You know how I know that — because we all are. We just don’t want to say it out loud to sound like a narcissist. Do you know what is ok? It’s ok to acknowledge your talents and get paid for them. You can use all of them to the benefit of your clients. You’ve spent your whole life developing and honing your skills as an artist. Being able to come to the aid of your clients or audience is a blessing for you and “saves the day” for them, as they say.
I’m a total sci-fi, fantasy, and comic book geek. Some people cringe when they hear that yet another Marvel project is about to be released because they seem to dominate the big and small screen these days. That may be true to some degree. However, those people may not remember what it was like before that fateful day when Iron Man was green-lit and started a legacy that changed storytelling forever. Do you remember what it was like before CGI got advanced enough and the MCU was born? Did you ever see the old Captain America or Doctor Strange movies? The comic book and cinematic universe surrounding comics and graphic novels finally got to receive the credit and visibility it deserved, much less the lives of all the creative souls that have captured our imagination on paper and screen for over a hundred years.
Comic books were my favorite thing to read as a kid (as well as choose—your—own—adventure books). They fed my imagination, they taught me how to have a moral compass, and they shared powerful lessons about loyalty, relationships, humility, integrity, and perseverance. These are all meaningful characteristics to have as a human and are equally as important for us as creative professionals. Like the Avengers, we each have our special powers and are capable of extraordinary feats, especially when we work together. We have unique superpowers that save the day for our clients as their needs arise. They give us a competitive edge against our common enemy — a blank canvas. However, there’s an even bigger baddie perpetrating our minds daily, trying to act as our puppeteer (like the villain Kingpin), guiding us towards fear and failure — our inner critic.
In a world connected by the internet, mobile devices, and social media, we are bombarded by visions of success, how-to’s, get-rich-quick schemes, influencers living their best lives and retiring early, and so on. We see amazing people being amazing all day long. We see exceptional, mind-blowing artwork at the swipe of a finger and the scroll of a never-ending feed. We also hear about the need to specialize and that being a generalist, a multi-hyphenate, or multi-talented creative is wrong.
One of my clients has spent almost their entire life committed to mastering the arts. They’ve spent years honing their craft and developing their tool kit of artistry, yet they haven’t been able to call themselves an “artist”. They hold the term with such high regard they haven’t been able to do it — until now. I admire the level of passion, commitment, and loyalty to the craft and understand the reluctance to use the term which is why I was so moved when they were able to finally utter the words, “I am an artist”, during a recent coaching session. And then later a second time when asked — albeit with a little bit of trepidation. Then a third with a bit more feeling and fervor — slowly realizing that the title had been earned and was well deserved. It was a struggle to say it but then a new sense of confidence appeared. There was a realization that to get where they want to go they can’t be who they’ve been. It’s time to become something new, something better, and further evolved. It’s time to transform and achieve the dream that’s been manifesting in the chrysalis of years in the studio honing the craft, regardless of all the various techniques that have been learned and utilized during the process.
My favorite types of clients to coach are multi-hyphenates or generalists because I am one myself. I love helping clients like this connect the dots in their lives so they can uncover what they truly want to do in life even if it might scare the living shit out of them. I’ve felt that way in my life. Over the last several years I’ve had my own realizations. One that I realized was that I had achieved one of my childhood goals when I was touring with my band and releasing albums. I hadn’t realized it at the time though. But just as we were picking up momentum as a band I buckled under the pressure of the fear, the success, the failure, the low income, the debt, and the uncertainty of my future as an artist. I finally got what I’d moved to Denver to do then ended it once I started to feel the success of reaching that goal. It was time to just keep doing the work and achieve the next goal and then the next, and so on. The thing I missed at the time was that it includes more of the boring, difficult parts as well as the triumphant ones. I tried the corporate creative route to be the solution because it was what I thought I needed at the time. Like all superheroes on their hero’s journey, it was a learning lesson on my path of self-discovery and growth. Continuing on the path of creativity and discovery led me to expand my skills and solidify my place in the land of misfit toys with the other multi-hyphenates and generalists. What I help show clients now is that it adds to our tool kit, which is one of the things I want to speak to.
As my client steps into the title of being an “artist”, they are beginning to see the benefits of their massive “toolkit” as they’ve been mastering and honing their craft over the years. They’ve not only been sharpening those tools but adding to them. The metaphor I like to use is that it’s like being a Swiss Army knife or a Leatherman tool. I don’t know about you, but both have come in handy many times in my life. You see, being a generalist isn’t wrong and neither is being a specialist. They both have their place in the world and can find success. Just like each of the members of the Avengers, we are not our talents, gifts, or specialties. We are so much more. The key to success as a multi-hyphenate or generalist is purpose.
Purpose is what drives a superhero to stand up for what is right and to save the day when the time arises. It is purpose that will help focus your many talents on a common goal or cause that needs your help. Purpose guides us to our destiny and allows us to use our talents and skills with confidence because we know that all of the things we’ve learned along the way are supporting our abilities to serve others, whether that’s clients or witnesses of your artwork. Being an “artist” creates the permission to have many skills and to use them all to get to the outcome or result that you want with your artwork. It’s the purpose that acts as your North Star rather than the specialty. My childhood friend wanted to become a doctor when we were growing up. He ended up becoming a dentist, marrying, having kids, a dog, the house with the white picket fence, the whole bit. My creative career was a winding, convoluted path more akin to the board game, Chutes, and Ladders. LOL! I used to think my winding path was a curse but it’s not. Specialists have their place in the world and so do generalists. The key is knowing what you believe in and why. Then you can use those skills to share your unique voice in the world. The truth is, we are all multi-talented. I also believe that we are all inherently creative. Some people just don’t practice or use that muscle as much as others. Creativity shows up in strange and different ways for people. Harnessing all of your skills and talents in your “toolkit” gives you the ability to be free with your creativity. Focusing on the work that matters clears the way for greatness.
Connecting the dots in your life to the things that mean the most to you will help you as you discover your purpose. Knowing what you stand for is so important. You can use your core values to guide you as you choose your path in life and business. What you love to do and are good at doing might be a laundry list of awesomeness but if you spend your days lost and uncertain of where to focus your creativity you're not going to be able to realize your true potential. Superheroes beat the villains and save the day because they have purpose driving them and because they practice their skills every day in the trenches whether it’s a big baddie or a small-time crook. It’s also about focus. Focusing on your talents, strengths, and interests can help to clear away the distractions that keep you from doing your great work. You might be thinking that this means you won’t be able to have the freedom to create the way you want to. Ironically, focusing on the work that you really want to do matched with purpose will allow you the freedom to put all of your energy and creative juices into creating your great work. Then you can use all of your talents and skills on what you truly want to do without the distractions of the “busy work” that’s been keeping you in a state of inertia. If you’re not focused on doing great work, you might not be ready to answer the call when the time comes. You never know when that next opportunity is going to appear. If you are saying yes to the bad/good work then you are saying no to the great work. Reaching your true potential takes focus, hard work, practice, and purpose, whether you are a superhero or an artist. It takes time to become great. No superhero just starts out great in their story, whether it’s Spider-Man or Wonder Woman. We all have our story arc chock full of self-discovery and growth that reveals itself as we work towards greatness.
Are you permitting yourself to do the great work that you’ve been dreaming about your whole life? Don’t you think it’s time? Be proud of who you are and what you bring to the world. You have many unique talents and skills that are meant to be shared with the world. You deserve to be seen and heard and you will thrive if you focus on your great work. Please know that you are enough and are worthy of success and greatness. The journey of your life will continue to teach you all you were meant to learn so that you can share your unique voice. As the acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman says, “Make good art”. That’s all we have to do. Oh, and keep being ärtful! ;)
