{Personal Image}
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” my third grade teacher asked the class.
As we went around the circle, I was amazed at how all the other kids picked just one thing. Then, it was my turn.
“I’m going to be a teacher, an artist, a writer, a person who trains dolphins, and maybe some other things, too,” I said.
My teacher looked at me disapprovingly and said, “You need to pick one.”
“Why?” I asked.
I don’t remember her response. But, this has always been my life.
I’ve always wanted to explore many careers and many more hobbies. I changed my major in college from fashion design to early childhood education to human development and psychology. And, I would have loved to stay in college even longer to get more degrees. Unlike many of my friends who were excited about graduation, I wished that I could be a lifetime student.
I pursued social work for my master’s degree. I spent thousands of dollars on that education, worked incredibly hard at my internships, and then practiced therapy for 3 years while my fiancé got his law degree. I thought I had found my “it” but other interests kept pulling at me. I started writing, and soon made more money with freelance writing and editing work than I did as a therapist.
When I first realized that I didn’t want to practice therapy anymore, I felt defeated and lost. I wondered why I couldn’t pick one thing and just stick to it like a lot of other people.
For a while, I thought I was alone. It seemed like everyone else had it figured out. They all knew the one thing they wanted to do every day for the rest of their lives.
Of course, now I realize that isn’t the case. A lot of people struggle with their vast interests and passions wondering which ones to follow through on and which ones to let go. One of my first revelations that there are many others who struggle with this same issue was when I delved into the creative community.
Can you be an expert at multiple things? Or, do you need to do the same thing every day in order to master it?
These questions have been on my mind for a long time, and this idea is constantly discussed. My parents taught me that I needed to be really good at one thing and do that one thing each day. This was the mindset that they had grown up with, and they wanted me to be financially stable. They thought that consistency was the key to financial stability.
With my parents’ generation, you worked for the same company your entire life building loyalty and working your way up the ladder. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work out, especially with the economic issues we’re dealing with now. People who’ve worked for the same company for years are being let go.
I know that doing the same thing doesn’t equal financial stability—BUT, do you need to do the same thing to be successful? Some say yes and others say no. I’m reading two books right now that basically have opposite viewpoints.
In The Creative Habit, Twyla Tharp argues that you need to practice your craft daily. She says that you need to pick one thing and constantly practice in order to be one of the best, and she uses Mozart as an example. Mozart knew what he wanted to do as a child and he was one of the best at what he did.
In The Renaissance Soul, Margaret Lobenstine argues that there are lots of successful people who do multiple things. One of her examples is Ben Franklin who was a printer, inventor, scientist, author, and diplomat. Another is Leonardo da Vinci who was a famous painter—but also built canals, designed bicycles, musical instruments, and weaponry. He studied many things including geography, music, and botany.
After contemplating this myself, I’ve decided that you can be great at something without making it your only life’s work.
When I finally allowed myself to believe this, I felt relieved. Thank goodness I wouldn’t have to pick just one thing. But, I also felt anger. Why couldn’t I be one of those people who knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life? That seems easier.
But, I’m a renaissance soul. And, if you have a really hard time choosing between your passions, you might be one, too.
If you struggle with multiple passions and picking between hobbies, get bored with an activity once you’ve mastered it, and feel sick to your stomach when you think you’ll have to do the same thing every day for the rest of your life, you’re probably a renaissance soul. And, if you struggle with how you can make good money, which activities to choose, and managing your time due to your renaissance soulfulness, I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of The Renaissance Soul immediately.
In the meantime, I’ll give you a few tips that have allowed me to take my multiple passions and turn them into a strength instead of a weakness.
1. Narrow your focus for now.
It’s hard to narrow your focus if you believe that whatever you choose has to be your focus forever. But, it’s a lot easier if you tell yourself that you’re allowed to change. And, when I say narrow your focus, I don’t mean that you have to choose one thing. Instead, narrow your focus to two to four things.
Once I realized that I could pick four things to focus on and still make it work, the pieces have fallen into place. My four things {for right now} are: Blacksburg Belle/ARTrepreneur, writing fiction {one of my most favorite things}, photography, and working out at least 4 days per week. You might be surprised by my four things if you’ve been following me for a while, because I didn’t include making jewelry or mixed media on this list. I’ve realized that I enjoy making jewelry but not enough to make it one of my focuses. I’ll still do it, but only when I have extra time. And, I realized I loved photography so much while photographing products. It’s not something that I’m trying to develop into a career, but I do want to make an effort to take pictures every day because it lights me up.
Can you narrow your focus—at least for now? Remember, it can change. There was a time when my focuses were: Blacksburg Belle, nonfiction writing and editing, making jewelry, and setting up an Etsy shop. Things can change.
2. Don’t fight it.
I’m at my absolute worst when I try to fight and resist that this is who I am. My passions and interests are varied. When I embrace this, I get a lot done, enjoy my life and career, and feel fulfilled. When I try to fight it and pick one thing to focus on, I get bored and crave change. I also give myself a hard time instead of rolling with it.
When I decided that I wanted to change my career and stop practicing therapy, I had multiple meltdowns, because I was fighting it. I kept telling myself that I just needed to work past “the rut,” because I had put so much time and energy into building this career. That made my life miserable for months. If I had accepted it for what it was, I would have been much happier.
This doesn’t mean you should quit your day job if your interests have changed. I spent close to a full year saving and planning before I quit my job as a therapist. And, sometimes you can make your day job more fulfilling, especially when you allow room for hobbies and other focuses.
3. Make your diverse background a strength. Use all of your skills.
I use a lot of the skills that I learned when practicing therapy in my consulting practice now. I also use the knowledge I absorbed during that career to help creatives deal with their inner critics, push past barriers, and work through issues such as poor time management and lack of focus.
Even though I’m not making jewelry regularly or working on my Etsy shop regularly anymore, I learned so much from doing those two things. I know what it’s like to sell on Etsy, so I know how to help people who sell on Etsy. I know what it’s like to sell in a saturated niche, so I can help others who sell in saturated niches. I’m taking all of this knowledge and using it as I move forward. I’ll continue to sell on Etsy and do one craft show per year, but it’s not one of my main focuses. At this moment, I just enjoy other stuff even more.
And, I’ve got more for you.
This topic is not one that I feel I can completely cover in one post. And, I’ve received tweets and emails asking me for advice on choosing creative business ideas and new projects, so I’m putting together a free class for you: 10 Questions You Should Ask Before Starting a Creative Business. You can also apply this to new projects.
This class is for you if:
- You don’t know where to focus your creative business
- You don’t know if you should start a creative business
- You don’t know if you should start a big project within your creative business
- You struggle with completing projects
- You feel stuck in your creative business and want to make some changes.
This is definitely a topic I struggle with. Ugh! Thanks for opening up the perspective…I think there is no right or wrong way to be…we often say that in many avenues in life…why not also career paths and passions?! Choosing one or many… I think we have to do what feels right…and not judge ourselves.
I agree–there’s no right or wrong. Unfortunately, I feel like I’ve been told that there is a right and wrong for a loooooong time. But, doing what feels right to you sounds like the best plan.
A brilliant post – thank you! I’ve come to realise that to be really good at something you *do* need to repeat it and spend time on it – but it doesn’t need to be the *only* thing you spend time on. It doesn’t need to be your life’s work. I like the idea of focusing on four things, because I do struggle with what to focus on sometimes!
I am going to look up your recommended book on the UK Amazon site – it sounds like it’s just up my street – thanks for that too!
Thanks Wendy! I think you’ll love the book.
I’m with ya–you do need to repeat and spend time on something to be really good at it. That’s where I was struggling the most. I didn’t realize that could mean spending five years on something to really master it and then using that skill in a different way. I wasn’t allowing the idea that it doesn’t have to be your life’s work to be a part of my thinking.
Really thought provoking post today! I was one of those people that knew since I was 5 years old that I wanted to be a teacher. In the end, that didn’t happen. I was told by a teacher that certain subject decisions I had made at school meant that I couldn’t be a teacher. Of course I later found out that wasn’t true, but at the time it seemed so final. So I went into Early Education instead, and from there got a job in a Social Work Department.
I’m happy in my job all the while I am learning and being challenged. As my qualifications are in childcare and my job i in a Social Work Department I still have a lot to learn. And for that reason I love it! I’m growing and developing and that’s great. But as soon as I get too comfortable in a job and I stop having as much to learn or as many opportunities to develop, then I get restless, and my mind starts to wander to other interests which I would like to pursue. Generally they are things that I find interesting without knowing too much about them. I always want to do things that give me a lot of room to learn and develop my skills. That’s partly why I have taken up crafting simultaneously to working in social work.
I do have many other skills I would like to focus more time on developing, and sometimes it’s very hard to choose. But in setting up my own business, selling my crafts, I have actually found that I am able to incorporate a lot of my interests into one project – I think the Renaissance Soul calls it an umbrella. Creative business allows me to pull together crafting, using the internet, reading, researching, photography, writing and so much more besides! It’s a great solution for me.
Thanks for sharing Suzi! Finding a project or career that allows you to utilize lots of skills can be a great solution for a Renaissance Soul. I often pick projects that push me to learn a myriad of things, too, and it helps to hold my interest for much longer.
I also appreciate you talking about having a career as a social worker while setting up your own business. When I was practicing social work, it was really helpful for me to do other stuff in the mornings, evenings and weekends. I finally learned how to cook, spent lots of time scrapbooking, and spent time writing. It helped me stay excited about things.
I love this post! I’ve always wanted to be many different things. When I was younger it was a graphic designer, photographer, fashion designer… but now it’s writer, artist, designer, personal development expert, coach, etc. Thanks for sharing your wise words! xo
You’re welcome Stephenie! Glad you could relate 🙂
Great post, I totally relate to this!
I had the same pattern in school… i finished my first diploma and worked a few years… then I went back to school and changed my mind 3 times… Not because I was confused of anything but there are so many things I want to do!
Thanks Marie! I get it. There are so many times when I think, “I’d love to go back to school for….x,y, and z.”
When I was in seventh grade I” knew” what I wanted to be; as long as it was a lawyer, doctor, or social worker working with kids:) I recognized even then that I was a listener and that people of all ages would tell me things–tell me their stories. Luckily, I was able to participate in a program in high school that showed me that I did not want to be a lawyer and I hated math so that left out the thing with the doctor.
I never wavered from wanting to be a helper but I also experimented with different classes in college. I took landscape architecture (loved it!!) and took a year taking animal science classes (because you never knew when you would marry a rancher or a vet! Seriously, milking cows and palpating them to determine gestation were priceless opportunities).
And when I made the decision to stay home, I cried and felt like a failure. What about my degrees and all of the awards I had won? How did all of that education translate to staying home and raising babies? Out of those tears I learned that it was perfectly acceptable to do other things and to do them well.
I am also reading The Creative Habit and the idea that we have this deep-in-our-bones passionate response to something resonated with me. I am crazy passionate about education but I doubt I will return to the in-the-box work I was doing before the kids. I have had time to reflect and recognize that I still want to be that listener and educator but in different ways. Where I verge from the book is that I do believe that it is possible to have gut reactions to more than one thing.
And the act of discovery is well worth the naysayers that think you are nuts!
Thank you so much for sharing your story Erika! I don’t know if you’ve talked about this on your blog, but if you haven’t, you should. I’m not a mom yet, so I can’t completely relate to that yearning to stay home versus work–but I know that when I have children, I’ll have an internal battle between wanting to work and wanting to be with my baby.
But, the “what about my degrees and awards” definitely resonated with me. I was saying the same thing when I decided to quit practicing therapy. But, it was the best decision for me to make.
There are a lot of things that I LOVE about The Creative Habit–it’s a book I would recommend to any creative person, because it’s a really good read. And, so many ideas make sense and are helpful. I just really struggled with the idea that you have to pick one thing. The author says that she also really loved painting, but she’s glad that she just focused on dance. That made my heart sad until I realized that just because something worked for her doesn’t mean that it works for me.
Perhaps this is the challenge of giftedness and enthusiasm: that everything seems interesting!
On the bright side, I have more *focus* now than I ever have had before. I arrived at a calling that engages all my life experience and passions. So even though my journey seemed meandering and directionless at the time, I how have the perspective that it was all for something — that is was all purposeful.
{ twitter = @danenow }
I agree! I always say that it’s a gift and a curse…
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Great post April! I have been struggling with this for a long time now. (I’m working on my seventh (and hopefully last) business!! I finally figured out what was “wrong” with me.. I’m just multi-passionate. So, now my new business will be focused on branding me as a person and work with me as I change focuses. I can’t wait for your free class! Perfect timing for me. 🙂 Thank you!
Awesome Kristal! Sometimes it takes some missteps to really figure it out–and I think branding your business around you is the best way to go. If I was going to do things over, that’s how I would do it 🙂
This is a really great post, April! It completely hits close to home for me.. I’m just like you in that I’ve never really known what I “wanted to be when I grew up,” which is completely the opposite of my sister who always wanted to be a teacher and I constantly felt defeated in comparison. I found myself getting a degree that I really enjoyed, but once I got into working, I realized that it wasn’t what I wanted to do day in and day out. I worked in market research for 2 1/2 years and quit in December. I’ve spent the past 6 months trying to “figure it out” by starting an etsy shop, started blogging regularly, and trying to listen to myself and figure out “what I want to do”… but I’m kind of at this stand still, where I too feel like I have too many things I want to pursue or too many ideas that I’m not putting into action. I know the things that light me up, but I still haven’t made the push to start making these skills and loves work for me (in terms of making money at them), which is my ultimate goal. I’m lucky enough to have a husband who supports me financially and we’re very money savvy, but I need to get my act together to focus in and get action to those things that I do love. Thanks for this post – I think picking some of the top ideas will really help me move forward and focus on making something of what I love!
I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of The Renaissance Soul to help you figure out which ones to concentrate on and how to figure out which ones can make you money. She has a bunch of exercises in the book that can really help you to clarify that stuff.
It’s nice to know that there are so many of us out there, isn’t it? I still wish I was one of those people who knew exactly what I wanted to do forever and ever–but I’m not.
Thank you for this! I struggle with this almost daily right now as I am starting to try and make a living working for myself. I have read that you have to pick one thing to be successful in an online business, but I have also read that having multiple revenue streams is a must. I am so looking forward to this class and I am also so thankful to not be alone in this feel! 🙂
I meant feeling, there at the end. Clearly I need more coffee in order to proofread myself properly. And also… how does your website know the last thing I posted to my etsy shop? That is super cool! 🙂
Hey Laura,
It is sooooo nice knowing that there are a lot of us out there and that we can be successful, too!
As far as the listing, I use comment luv–it’s a plugin for WordPress and it uses the link that you put in when leaving a comment to display your last post or listing. I think it’s super fun 🙂
Thank you sooooo much for this post! I jumped majors like crazy in school. Communications, sociology, human development, animal science, english, and history. It got to the point where I was so flustered and had no clue what I was doing that I quit! Now that I’m running an Etsy shop I feel much more at ease. I’m able to pursue the craft that I love while still being able to explore my photography (I had never done product photography before so this is a lot of fun!) and learn how to run a business. There’s so much going on when running a shop that I feel like I’m able to use multiple skills and interests instead of being stuck with just one. Will I do this forever? Probably not. But it’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one who couldn’t decide as a child and still can’t decide today what I want to be when I grow up. I guess I’ll just have to keep growing!
You’re welcome! I’m glad that so many people could relate to it. You definitely have to learn a lot of new skills when building a business–so it’s fun for us renaissance souls 🙂
I can totally relate to the feeling of wanting to be a life time student. I love learning, and I loved the course I did in accounting, and wanted to further it when I decided to stay home with my kids, but it didn’t work out and I started to feel like “just a mom” even though we all know those words don’t mean sh#t. I was getting resentful of the fact that I couldn’t pursue any of my dreams, so when I realized that I was good at knitting, I went at it full force. But now there’s so many other things I want to do in the realm of knitting, and I felt like I couldn’t do those things- until I read this post. I don’t know if I am a Renaissance Soul, but I do know that I want to expand. It’s how to get there that I am working on. 🙂
I’m so glad that you found knitting–because you do rock at it! And, I don’t see any reason why you can’t expand within your niche. You can do it!
April, this was so good to read:) Since I was little I envied my friends who knew exactly what they wanted to do…and when I finished college I had 4 more ideas of what I wanted to do. It has always been this way, and it made me feel as you said, that I’m not a “master” at one thing. But thanks to this article, I know that other people have felt the same and that its ok…hey, God has just blessed us with crazy talents and passions, right?!?
Thanks:)
Erin
Hmmm, so there is a name for it, I will have to check out the Renaissance Soul. Thanks so much for sharing on this subject. Being right and left handed, right and left brained, I have always had so much switching back and forth going on. People get frustrated with me. I’ve heard the, “Just pick one thing” too. Just one thing makes me nuts. My right brain needs something juicy and creative to keep energized while the left brain needs something really technical and detailed.
So I have run a real gamet of education and jobs in my life: nurse, health plan administrator, administrative assistant, bookkeeper, office manager, staff accountant, sales coordinator, sales representative, media specialist, editor, content developer and now freelance web designer / developer. Getting in to web design / development was the best move of all since it combines both art and technical programming. The right and left brain are both happy, most of the time. I have a really quirky sense of humor that needed expression, so bring on the hobbies with graphic design, art and other crafts.
Thanks again!
Thank you so much for this post. I’ve felt especially torn lately, almost like a complete failure for wanting so many different things. I will definitely have to check out the book recommendation and make peace with the my many loves. 🙂
I’ve just commented on your post on http://www.imaginativebloom.com/ with pretty much the same thing.
I seem to have so many ideas, about so many different things, from so many walks of life that I find it hard to know where to start, which often means I don’t start at all, or I leave lots half finished having been distracted by a shinny new idea. I’ve found solutions and systems that seem to work for me – my journal that goes everywhere with me being the best one!
Frustrating? Yes, but I wouldn’t change it. The alternative of not finding inspiration in almost everything is unthinkable to me.
I felt like you were describing me the whole time. I’ve jumped from hobby to hobby and frombusiness to business my whole adult life. My husband jokes at tax time about the number of ways I’ve found to make money. He is a dear since I k ow that makes our filing process very complicated.
I’ve always felt like I was playing with pieces to a puzzle but the box was lost so I didn’t know quiet how to put them together. I k ew there was a common theme. Within the last month I have finally seen the shape that all the skills I’ve been developing can form when worked together. It’s a really cool feeling!
I always envied the people who knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. But know I realize that without my multiple passions I could never have gotten to this place.
Thanks again for the post. It’s nice to know I’m not alone and weird. I’m excited to pick up that book. I wonder if the library will have it?
Wow……and I thought I was a moron! Thanks for this post, it’s so comforting to know that its okay to be who I am. I am so glad to know that I don’t have to view my love for several different things as a negative. Having several different passions and being good at several different things can be a struggle. Sometimes its all the more difficult to balance my time and decide what to do, but I’ve been learning some great things lately and it’s really helping.
GREAT post! I am so much more Ben Franklin than a master of one single thing. I have had a gazillion jobs over the years and have finally found that I, like you, can use all of the things I have learned over the years in different roles to become a well rounded person. Great advice and so comforting to know that there are others that deal with the same challenges!
This was a really good post. Sometimes its hard to break out of that mold Ms. Twyla was talking about once you’ve really established yourself in one particular interest.
After pursuing the design field for nearly 5 years, I still seem to end up pigeon-holed into my former endeavors. Its a hard shell to crack through.
But its time to leave the boxing-in behind, and finally feel confident in the choices I make in my entrepreneurial endeavors, despite what others say.
I loved reading this and soooo totally get where you’re coming from. I’ve been a tour/cruise guide, a teacher, foster parent, scrapbook teacher/creator, photographer and so many other things I can’t remember. I seem to be the same as many others if I get a job that I can learn too quickly I get bored with it. I want to be challenged and growing even if it’s a “nothing” type job. Ah well!! I figure it just because we’re smart and don’t want to quit growing.
GREAT post! When I was practicing social work, it was really helpful for me to do other stuff in the mornings, evenings and weekends.
You’re so awesome! I do not suppose I have read something like this before. So great to discover someone with a few genuine thoughts on this issue. Seriously.. thank you for starting this up. This website is something that’s needed on the web, someone with a little originality!
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