They Said Pick a Lane. I Said No!
The moment I stopped apologizing for being "too much" and became a Creative Generalist
Quick poll, and tell the truth; how many different creative projects are you juggling right now?
Currently, I have two creative projects with another one bouncing around the back of my head looking for an exit. However, there have been times where I’ve had several going at the same, many of which were completely different than others.
I’m an artist, writer, graphic designer, and at odd times, a crafter. I work with paint and canvas, paper and glue, and typography and grids. I’ve made paintings, collage, zines, books, t-shirts, mugs, stickers, hand-carved stamps, custom notebooks, and a mountain of client projects ranging from logos and branding to video montages and websites.
And I could start doing any of those things again in an instant (except the client work — YUCK!). In fact, the hardest part about being a Creative Generalist (I’m coining the phrase; you heard it here first) is only sticking to a few projects at once.
If you could see inside my brain, you’d know it’s no small feat to stick to one or two core projects for anything longer than a Netflix series that was cancelled after a single season.
To Them, I am an Artist
My teenage son is an athlete, and if you have children who do school or club sports or activities, then you’ve likely established casual friendships with at least a few other parents in the group.
There’s another dad from my son’s team who I’ve gotten to know reasonably well to where I actually allow him to call me on the phone (I mean, anyone can call, but the chances of me picking up depends on how much I like you… and I really gotta like you).
Nice guy, always cordial and friendly; totally easy to get along with, but always refers to me as the artist. He knows I am also a designer, and he knows I’ve written multiple newsletters, books and other things, but because he cannot bear the weight of trying to understand all of that, he titles me an artist.
He’s not wrong, but at the same time, he’s so totally wrong. It’s to the point now that I almost dislike hearing it because it diminishes everything I know about myself to be true.
Some refer to this this disposition as being multi-passionate, which is a cute, fluffy term, and in the minds of the people hearing it, reduces us down to our impulsive emotions. Although my intent to try different projects is often based on impulse, emotion is rarely at the crux of it. I move into new project based more on curiosity than passion.
I want to learn from one project so that I can take that knowledge into the next, and do this into infinity. “What happens if…” is the most common thought I have in my creative pursuits, but normies in their colorless world see this and it breaks their brain. I regularly defy their notions of who I am and what I do.
I am a Creative Generalist and I will not apologize or make exceptions for it any longer.
I used to call myself a DowhateverthefuckIwantist, which is still true, but aside from the crassness, it was also too much of a mouthful. I still might put it on a shirt, though.
The Creative Generalist Checklist
I made a decision this week to stop hiding behind the mask of a single project. Lost Mixtape is still very much part of the picture, and will remain that way. I am committed and focused on that project, but if I want to talk about other project ideas that come to mind, I’m going to do that.
I know that not all creative people are gifted with the same creative generalism, and if you happen to be one of those with only one or two creative pursuits, we are still kin. At the same time though, maybe this will give you the confidence and courage to embrace those random projects that have been rattling around in your prefrontal cortex (or maybe it’s the cerebellum — I don’t know, I’m not a brain surgeon… yet).
If you believe you are a generalist but you’re unsure about the designation, let me share some names to help you understand that you’re in good company
Leonardo da Vinci — painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, anatomist, inventor. The original.
Benjamin Franklin — writer, inventor, politician, diplomat, scientist. Founding Father as side project.
David Bowie — musician, visual artist, actor, fashion provocateur, art collector. Reinvention as a creative system.
Frida Kahlo — painter, writer, fashion icon, political activist, cultural philosopher, all before she hit her 40s.
Janelle Monáe — musician, actress, producer, visual artist, activist, author.
Virgil Abloh — Trained as an architect, became the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, founded Off-White, DJed internationally, collaborated with IKEA and other brands.
Aaron Draplin — designer, author, storyteller, founder of Field Notes notebooks, which you probably have many.
Donald Glover — Actor, writer, director, musician (Childish Gambino), producer, comedian. Created Atlanta — one of the most critically lauded shows in recent memory
Amanda Palmer — musician, writer, performance artist, community builder. Wrote the book — literally — on the artist/audience direct relationship.
Pharrell Williams — Producer, musician, visual artist, fashion designer, filmmaker, and current creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear.
In other words, it’s cool to not just dabble, but embrace the dabbling and kick ass at it in public. If you’re somehow not sure if you belong in the club, ask yourself about these defining characteristics.
R E A D T H I S N E X T:
You might be a Creative Generalist if…
✅ You’ve started more projects than you’ve finished, and you’re weirdly proud of both numbers
✅ You can’t answer “what do you do?” without using the word “also”
✅ Your title has never fit on a business card without switching to a condensed font
✅ Your browser has seventeen tabs open and they’re all research for different things you’re building simultaneously
✅ You’ve been told to “pick a lane” by someone whose lane bores you to tears
✅ Every hobby eventually becomes a business idea whether you want it to or not
✅ You’ve introduced yourself differently at every networking event you’ve ever attended
✅ “I got bored” has ended more chapters of your life than failure ever has
✅ Your résumé looks like three different people applied for the same job
✅ You don’t have a five year plan, you have five one-year plans running concurrently
✅ Learning a new skill scratches the same itch other people get from finishing things
✅ The most dangerous phrase anyone can say to you is “have you ever thought about…”
✅ You’re not scattered. You’re just operating on a radio signal most people can’t pick up.
That’s a largely unscientific list, but let’s just say that if you said yes to more than two, you probably are a Creative Generalist — welcome to the club. We meet every Monday; please bring snacks.
Some Things I Found
Maybe like you, Kel Rakowski has been around long enough to see the coming-up of social media and it turning into the attention juggernaut it is now, and she’s rebelling against it with 3 ways to get your creativity back from the algorithm.
The 7 Most Important (And Counter-Intuitive) Things I Know About Building a Meaningful Life by Amelia Wilson is a thoughtful and personal take on how to find purpose in a life where it often may feel elusive.
I’m not sure if you’ll consider Brittany V Wilder’s article, I turned a mail club into my full-time job a success story, a cautionary tale, or both, but her journey to create a physical mail club with her poetry is a story fraught with both peril and inspiration.
This is spot on! I am a passionate creative generalist, too!
Omg this speaks to me. 😂 Thank you for putting it into words. 😭