You Can Do All the Things
being a multi-passionate creative isn't a bad thing
Please note this is a cross-posted post from my Ink and Inspiration for Writers page but for my fellow creatives, it is still relevant.
I am a jack of all trades. I write, edit for myself and others, create videos, do public speaking, run a publishing company, work for an ************** who doesn’t deserve me, and I still find time to be a mom of three, wife, and doggy mama.
Looking from the outside in, all of that may seem disjointed. I even used to think it was. I just wanted to pick one thing and become a multi-thousandaire (millionaire would be nice but I heard beggars can’t be choosy). But I couldn’t pick just one and it felt like the world, and definitely social media, kept saying, “We don’t know who you are because you’re into and do so many things.”
This made me feel unfocused and scattered, which in turn led me to believe I was unserious about whatever trade I’d chosen at the time.
But what if your purpose can’t be contained in one lane?
Creativity needs space to breathe, stretch, and take different shapes.
I believe many creatives feel as I did but it shouldn’t be that way. When I interviewed Rachel Cargle she spoke about the shame that often comes with being a jack of all trades.
*Watch Rachel’s full interview.*
However, instead of running from that label, she embraced it. She basically said that even though she’s a jack of all trades, all of those trades connect back to a single mission: supporting marginalized people.
That really sat with me as I realized all of my trades had one central focus, storytelling. It’s where I use words to heal, connect, inspire, and teach.
I think so many of us, especially multi-passionate creatives, feel that tug-of-war between wanting to explore all our gifts and wanting to be seen as focused. But maybe the real win isn’t in choosing one thing, it’s in choosing one why. One purpose.
So if you’ve ever been told you’re doing too much, or that you need to pick a lane, don’t shrink, stand tall and give them the finger. I kid, I kid. Maybe.
Because being a jack of all trades doesn’t mean you’re scattered and unfocused. It means you’re great. You’re big and you’re bold for believing you can do M O R E.
Cori is always down to tell a story, eat a sweet and spicy pickle, or chew gum (not necessarily in that order). She is the author of Black women’s fiction under the pen name of Chichima Cherry and the author of the Curiously Cara African Queens children’s books series under the pen name of Karen Mae.