Multipotentialites, unite!
Multiple interests and passions are not just allowed; celebrate them too
What did you want to be when you grew up?
If you had lots of interests in your childhood, chances are that question became more pointed the older you became, especially if your parents were Baby Boomers. They might have worried that you wouldn’t be able to commit enough to get the skills to succeed.
If, as an adult, you regularly move to different companies or types of jobs, people around you might not understand. Being a “lifer” at one employer was expected not that long ago.
“Flighty” is a common accusation. The US has a strong culture of highly driven ambition focused on one thing. Labels like “jack of all trades and a master of none” probably come your way.
Sadly, even websites about having multiple hobbies can have a judgmental tone.
When you can name something, you can deal with it.
Barbara Sher’s 2006 book, Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams (Bk), was the first place I encountered in which multiple interests were celebrated, not discouraged.
She uses the word “scanner” to describe those with lots of passions. I’m not fond of it because it suggests our interest is at a superficial level.
We’re not alone, and we have a champion.
A multipotentialite is a person who has many different interests and creative pursuits in life. —Emilie Wapnick (2015: YouTube TED talk)
Thanks to Emilie Wapnick’s popular video, you and I finally have a word to describe our situations, “multipotentialite.” Yes, it’s a mouthful, but it does the job.
She describes well the feeling of being a square peg trying to fit into a round whole when you don’t live by other's expectations.
The antidote is to accept three “superpowers” Emilie says we have:
Idea synthesis. Combining two or more fields and creating something new at the intersection. This is an especially valuable skill for navigating today’s complicated world.
Rapid learning. When we become interested in something, we go hard. And we’re used to being beginners. We bring everything we’ve learned to every new area we pursue.
Adaptability: The ability to morph into whatever you need to be in a given situation. You are a handy person to have around when a problem or challenge appears.
By the way, having one or two passions works just as well and offers plenty of advantages, too. Multiple interests just seem to invite more criticism from the outside world.
A life of exploring
I’ve had my fingers in lots of creative pies since my teen years. Reading is my life-long love and intersects with all my hobbies and professional interests.
I was blessed that my curiosity and eagerness to learn new things also found a home in my information technology career. They allowed me to explore programming, computer security, website design, management, training, human development, and much more. I rarely stayed in any job for more than 2 years, transferring to other positions within the company or moving to another.
My active passions now are sewing (quilting and other pieces), needlework (crochet, knitting, embroidery, cross-stitch), drawing, watercolors, acrylics, lettering, bookbinding, stenciling, art journaling, and, of course, writing. As part of keeping all that in line, I also love organizing and stationery.
I’ve finally accepted that variety works for me.
Can I do them all at the same time? No. But I feel freer to cycle through them. I’ve stopped feeling guilty or worrying about what others think.
I enjoy the ability to easily switch, even if it means leaving a project unfinished.
Making room for that variety
True, the number of creative outlets you pursue affects practical aspects such as how you manage your space, time, and resources.
Whether you have one or ten interests, they can affect your relationships with the people you live with or near (if any), the amount of time you have to spend with people you care about, and even where you live.
My newsletters will explore these things.
My goal here is to support and encourage all readers in their creative passions, regardless of how many you have.
Creativity Resources
The Renaissance Soul: Life design for people with too many passions to pick just one by Margaret Lobenstein (Bk).
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