Jack of all trades? Or a Multi-Passionate Creative?
I spent over 30 years working in education, from my years as a classroom teacher to post- graduate training in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and working with children, families and schools as a SENCo and a Specialist Advisory Teacher. Neurodiversity was all around me and these days, nothing makes me happier than seeing adults (and especially women), investigating their own sparkly brains and at last, understanding why they think and behave as they do.
I will be honest, there have been times when I’ve been frustrated with the way that my brain works and I have wondered whether I have Inattentive type ADHD. My life is a series of projects, pivots and passions, many of which are unfinished or abandoned, as I become distracted by the next (usually creative) shiny thing that I want to learn, to try or to experience...
But with my professional understanding of neurodiversity, I know that I actually have pretty sound executive functioning skills - by which I mean, I can generally manage my time, think flexibly, retain focus to get things done when I need to. I can hold things in my working memory and usually control my impulses…(mmm biscuit anyone?), and so, I know that the ADHD profile doesn’t really fit me, and yet …
My brain is rarely quiet, I see inspiration at every turn, I’ve only once stayed in a job for more than 4 years and as well as my teaching career, I’ve had my own businesses; making curtains, running art classes and ‘arty parties’ for children, specialist dyslexia teaching and now life coaching and running creative women’s gatherings. I’ve loved them all and they’ve been successful! I’ve also bought more courses than I’ve finished and my creative WIP cupboard is overflowing - I’ve tried a lot of hobbies and enjoyed them all… painting, printing, mosaic, stained glass, fused glass, knitting, crochet, felting, quilting, collage, wreath making, pottery, stenciling, silk painting, macrame, applique, dressmaking, origami… So what is going on?
The term ‘Jack of all trades and master of none’ has definitely come to mind on more than one occasion! But it’s not a saying that makes me feel so good and it doesn’t tend to be used in a flattering way but I recently learned that there is another part to that saying…
It was just a couple of years ago that I came across the term ‘Multi-passionate Creative’. Now this was interesting! I began to read and research and found D’Ana Joi - multi-passionate creative coach and entrepreneur and it all started to make sense. Joi’s website https://joi-knows-how.com/ is a huge well of information for the multi-passionate creative community. It was here that I learned the rest of that saying… ‘Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one…’
Now that changes everything doesn’t it?
Joi identifies 5 signs that you’re a Multi-Passionate Creative:
An MPC not only has many interests but many talents.
This goes beyond being curious about things and having a go to actually being good at things that you try.
2. An MPC may be triggered by the ‘Jack of all trades’ phrase.
I certainly was until I heard the rest! What a rich life I have lived because I have allowed myself to try so many things and run with them rather than restrict myself to just a few things.
3. For an MPC, choosing one thing feels like torture!
How could I choose one hobby? One craft? One profession? I want to do them all! (Well, not all - I have no desire to be a banker or a doctor but you get what I’m saying!) In Joi’s words - “Our process of “choosing” looks different than most. We need time to dabble, explore, and express ourselves in multiple ways before we can settle on one thing. Even then, our “one thing” tends to be a combination of a few creative outlets at a time.”
And this is why I have kept all my ‘titles’ close to my heart - teacher, mentor, coach and creative - and I’m edging ever closer to creating a wonderful way to bring them all together and to fully embrace what it is to be a multi-passionate creative.
4. MPCs have an inherent desire to share our gifts.
Building a business, sharing on social media, building a community and teaching what you know are all incredible ways to share the many gifts and skills that we have and all these are a part of my daily life.
5. MPCs struggle with prioritisation and focus.
So back up at the top of this piece, I talked about the brain and executive functioning. I know that I can manage my time to run my life and business but Joi hits the nail on the head when she identifies how multi-passionate creatives can struggle with having clear priorities, and staying focused on their priorities once they choose them. And how right she is!
For instance, if you’d like a glimpse inside my brain, in the time I was writing this blog I found out it was ‘love your pet day’. So of course I immediately stuck a post on Instagram, was distracted by a post on my feed featuring a crochet jumper, popped over to Etsy to buy the pattern and jumped onto Canva to find a picture of a busy brain… and then back to my writing.
But I DID get the post completed in the time I had allocated in my day! I may even get it posted (after I’ve gone back to Insta to check what’s happening and I’ve printed out my new crochet pattern…)
I’m currently learning about my focus style (apparently it’s called Passive Focus or ‘Dreamy’) and the ways in which I can harness this to both enjoy my multi-passionate creative ways and actually finish a few more projects before starting the next!
So why am I writing this today?
I was thrilled a few weeks ago when a new coaching client told me that describing myself as a multi-passionate creative, was what had made her want to work with me and made me stand out for her from other midlife coaches. But I haven’t really talked about it until now… The more I explore my creativity and allow myself to follow a creative path that embraces all the things I love, the stronger my business becomes. Understanding what it means to be a multi-passionate creative has opened the door to realising that I don’t have to choose just one! Within my business I can be a teacher, a mentor, a coach AND a creative and enjoy the process of bringing it all to life.
And if this resonates with you and you are wondering if your busy, creative brain and love of ALL the things might mean you are a multi-passionate creative too, please do say ‘Hi!’ to me! And if you want to know more and learn with me, D’Ana Joi’s website is a great place to start with quizzes and resources you can dip into straight away. And if anyone wants to compare their cupboard of ‘works in progress’ with me, I’m up for the challenge!
Jo x
Teacher, Mentor, Coach and Creative