Nice piece Alex. I love that Da Vinci biography. He was one of a kind. Lots of good points in here. I wonder if you have thought about how to square the reality you’ve discussed here, with the equal and opposite reality of people our age who flit around from interest to interest, relationship to relationship, and so on… without ever diving deep enough into anything to yield truly meaningful results.
Having a career and two side jobs, and a passion and a side hustle seems like the next ugly iteration of productivity and hustle culture, and a symptom of our times; refusal (fear) to go deep into something. But, everything you’ve said here seems to have some truth. How would you make sense of both of these perspectives?
A good book to understand what I am talking about is 4000 weeks, by Oliver Burkeman. Thanks
Separate the success and public validation out of it. Your life can be self-validated by your interests however small, to you can be large.
One man cannot be as inventive and impactful today as in the past. The complexity of discoveries is much higher and the creativity has been iterated on by many more people with records to show.
Thank you for this. I have six things I’d like to “be” or do. It drives my family nuts. I’m labeled “disorganized” by psychology. I don’t understand why I have to be only one thing and focus entirely on that- it feels inauthentic. But…money.
Alex, great piece. I wonder if David Epstein's book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World is next on your reading list. I've long argued that one of a business artist's greatest qualities to flourish is Versatility - literally the ability to "turn" in different directions to generate a variety of creative solutions based on their diverse, complementary skill sets and curiosities.
You also might check out the Dark Horse Project out of Harvard (headed up by two former college drop outs).
Over the long game, I've found that people who pursue multiple curiosities - versus a fixed "passion" - are more likely to feel fulfilled than not.
You've inspired to go back and watch Ken Burns's documentary.
And if you're curious about a polymath who's written a novel with DaVinci at the center and who has been using Substack as a key platform for "publishing" it, check out Marty Neumeier's The SCARLETT Files: https://martyneumeier.substack.com/
I love this line “I used to see these as false starts. Maybe they're just different facets of trying to understand how things work.” Thank you for this.
Thanks so much for this - it helps to not feel alone. At 27 I have studied international affairs, engineering, architecture, marketing, and finally graduated with a degree in psychology/minor in philosophy. Then I studied herbal medicine for two years. I have worked as a teacher, a behavior therapist, herbalist, and now I work at my family’s construction company selling playground equipment to architects. I paint, read, and write, and have a fascination with religion, nature, and energy. I’m seen as disorganized, and I do genuinely struggle with ADHD. However, I would rather be multifaceted than just one thing. It certainly makes deciding where to pivot for my next career direction difficult.
It’s hard to narrow it to just one thing - I think it ultimately comes down to a love for the human psyche and its depth, followed by sharing my knowledge to help others. I enjoy teaching/public speaking - whether i’m leading a guided meditation, counseling people about herbs, or even giving a presentation to clients. My current job is just a job for now, but I’m hopefully planting some seeds for something that is both fulfilling and financially feasible :’)
I enjoyed this piece. I def fall under the generalist category. Like yourself my expertise is ecomm ops but my journey’s been unconventional. I was a liberal arts major, i’ve worked in the food industry, education and tech, and fashion in customer success, buying, logistics, PM, UX, and ops. We’re entering a new era of work and there’s opportunity for us to imagine what else outside of the 9-5 box and to rethink new business models for consultancy. I’ve been working on a concept, I’m quite excited about. And seeing a post like this validates my looking to a new direction so cheers.
If you’re into YouTube, Adama Lorna speaks a lot about being a multi-passionate and how to use that to your advantage. I’ve personally gotten a lot of useful insights from her! https://m.youtube.com/@AdamaLorna/videos
As Whitman famously said, we contain multitudes — a reminder of the complexity, richness, and multidimensionality each of us brings to the table. Fun article to read!
Hi Alex, definitely resonate with this, I never liked the terms “generalist” or “polymath” etc as none of them quite captured what I was after in my own life. I landed on the Octopus as metaphor to illustrate how I move on the world. It’s not perfect but it’s more fun, organic, and less technical in trying to describe this kind of person.
I definitely think there is a growing movement away from specialism towards a broader way to live and work. If you think about it historically, specialism at work is the remnants of the industrial era factory, where people were assigned very specific tasks as a “division of labor” to optimize worker productivity, not optimize fulfillment.
In the knowledge worker era and more so now in the coming AI era, this factory mindset may not work as well when the AI does all the specialized tasks.
I've spent the last ten years cultivating an identity that includes all of me. It was a strange journey for the reasons you shared. But now, I suppose, I'm right on time 😊
They are really all there now, not separate. My identity is myself and the things I do are part of the whole. They develop and emerge in different ways at different times depending on the focus in the present.
I do music, fine art, professional photography, writing, teach meditation and creativity practices, and do creative consulting and marketing... this is a result of my lived experience and the skills that I have and the need to create my own business model that supports my life needs rather than conform to established indstry norms.
Your perspective on future of work hit absolutely, the future of works belong to those who can connect the dots from different domain, synthesis them and blend technology advancement to new innovations
Currently I am building my substack and exploring my work , documenting my journey and anchor my creativity. Infact the name of my page is polymath author and I start the same with a vision that I will share everything and convert them into learning systems for other
Love this. I heard the term “multipotentialite” to describe a person with multiple interests and skills, who doesn’t want to be stuck on just one path.
The artist in me pushes the creativity, but also the 'How'. Corporate is always trying to quantify everything, so it can be duplicated by anyone, 'How' is all that matters. What they haven't been able to quantify is the journey, not the destination.
Nice piece Alex. I love that Da Vinci biography. He was one of a kind. Lots of good points in here. I wonder if you have thought about how to square the reality you’ve discussed here, with the equal and opposite reality of people our age who flit around from interest to interest, relationship to relationship, and so on… without ever diving deep enough into anything to yield truly meaningful results.
Having a career and two side jobs, and a passion and a side hustle seems like the next ugly iteration of productivity and hustle culture, and a symptom of our times; refusal (fear) to go deep into something. But, everything you’ve said here seems to have some truth. How would you make sense of both of these perspectives?
A good book to understand what I am talking about is 4000 weeks, by Oliver Burkeman. Thanks
Thanks for this comment Sam!
I hadn't thought about this perspective but this is fascinating. I have a close friend who is very qualified to talk about this particular dilemma.
@realcharlierogers
Perhaps it’s not a dilemma, but more of a dialectic. Two poles that we have to wisely balance between depending on circumstance and context
Interesting! I agree, the context and circumstance is hugely important.
Separate the success and public validation out of it. Your life can be self-validated by your interests however small, to you can be large.
One man cannot be as inventive and impactful today as in the past. The complexity of discoveries is much higher and the creativity has been iterated on by many more people with records to show.
Thank you for this. I have six things I’d like to “be” or do. It drives my family nuts. I’m labeled “disorganized” by psychology. I don’t understand why I have to be only one thing and focus entirely on that- it feels inauthentic. But…money.
Hahah I'm the exact same. But it's the way of the future!!
Alex, great piece. I wonder if David Epstein's book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World is next on your reading list. I've long argued that one of a business artist's greatest qualities to flourish is Versatility - literally the ability to "turn" in different directions to generate a variety of creative solutions based on their diverse, complementary skill sets and curiosities.
You also might check out the Dark Horse Project out of Harvard (headed up by two former college drop outs).
Over the long game, I've found that people who pursue multiple curiosities - versus a fixed "passion" - are more likely to feel fulfilled than not.
You've inspired to go back and watch Ken Burns's documentary.
And if you're curious about a polymath who's written a novel with DaVinci at the center and who has been using Substack as a key platform for "publishing" it, check out Marty Neumeier's The SCARLETT Files: https://martyneumeier.substack.com/
Keep up the fruitful work.
Thanks for your comment Jeffrey!
I've not heard of that book but it sounds right up my street! I'll definitely add it to the list.
Thanks so much for the recommendations, I really appreciate it :))
P.S. Huge fan of Marty and his work
You haven’t heard of Range??? Wow, you’re in for a treat. I look forward to reading your thoughts on it.
I love this line “I used to see these as false starts. Maybe they're just different facets of trying to understand how things work.” Thank you for this.
You’re welcome! So glad you liked it :))
Thanks so much for this - it helps to not feel alone. At 27 I have studied international affairs, engineering, architecture, marketing, and finally graduated with a degree in psychology/minor in philosophy. Then I studied herbal medicine for two years. I have worked as a teacher, a behavior therapist, herbalist, and now I work at my family’s construction company selling playground equipment to architects. I paint, read, and write, and have a fascination with religion, nature, and energy. I’m seen as disorganized, and I do genuinely struggle with ADHD. However, I would rather be multifaceted than just one thing. It certainly makes deciding where to pivot for my next career direction difficult.
My pleasure! Wow quite the squiggly career!
I love how broad your story is. Has there been anything that has connected these experiences together?
It’s hard to narrow it to just one thing - I think it ultimately comes down to a love for the human psyche and its depth, followed by sharing my knowledge to help others. I enjoy teaching/public speaking - whether i’m leading a guided meditation, counseling people about herbs, or even giving a presentation to clients. My current job is just a job for now, but I’m hopefully planting some seeds for something that is both fulfilling and financially feasible :’)
I enjoyed this piece. I def fall under the generalist category. Like yourself my expertise is ecomm ops but my journey’s been unconventional. I was a liberal arts major, i’ve worked in the food industry, education and tech, and fashion in customer success, buying, logistics, PM, UX, and ops. We’re entering a new era of work and there’s opportunity for us to imagine what else outside of the 9-5 box and to rethink new business models for consultancy. I’ve been working on a concept, I’m quite excited about. And seeing a post like this validates my looking to a new direction so cheers.
Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Best of luck with your new project!
Thank you for seeing me.
You’re welcome!
If you’re into YouTube, Adama Lorna speaks a lot about being a multi-passionate and how to use that to your advantage. I’ve personally gotten a lot of useful insights from her! https://m.youtube.com/@AdamaLorna/videos
Oh cool thanks for sharing.
Great article! I wrote on this same theme in an article called “Generalization in a Specialized World.”
For an expanded take on this topic, check out the book: Range, by David Epstein— It’s a fascinating read.
Thanks I’ll check out your article!!
As Whitman famously said, we contain multitudes — a reminder of the complexity, richness, and multidimensionality each of us brings to the table. Fun article to read!
Thanks very much, I'm glad to hear you liked it.
Hi Alex, definitely resonate with this, I never liked the terms “generalist” or “polymath” etc as none of them quite captured what I was after in my own life. I landed on the Octopus as metaphor to illustrate how I move on the world. It’s not perfect but it’s more fun, organic, and less technical in trying to describe this kind of person.
I definitely think there is a growing movement away from specialism towards a broader way to live and work. If you think about it historically, specialism at work is the remnants of the industrial era factory, where people were assigned very specific tasks as a “division of labor” to optimize worker productivity, not optimize fulfillment.
In the knowledge worker era and more so now in the coming AI era, this factory mindset may not work as well when the AI does all the specialized tasks.
Love it! I think that it's got to be this way, AI and automation in general has completely forced the change.
I've spent the last ten years cultivating an identity that includes all of me. It was a strange journey for the reasons you shared. But now, I suppose, I'm right on time 😊
Nice! Which of your identities feel most "at the surface"?
They are really all there now, not separate. My identity is myself and the things I do are part of the whole. They develop and emerge in different ways at different times depending on the focus in the present.
I do music, fine art, professional photography, writing, teach meditation and creativity practices, and do creative consulting and marketing... this is a result of my lived experience and the skills that I have and the need to create my own business model that supports my life needs rather than conform to established indstry norms.
Your perspective on future of work hit absolutely, the future of works belong to those who can connect the dots from different domain, synthesis them and blend technology advancement to new innovations
Thanks a lot Mohan! I really appreciate the comments. What are you working on at the moment?
Currently I am building my substack and exploring my work , documenting my journey and anchor my creativity. Infact the name of my page is polymath author and I start the same with a vision that I will share everything and convert them into learning systems for other
Love this. I heard the term “multipotentialite” to describe a person with multiple interests and skills, who doesn’t want to be stuck on just one path.
Hahaha totally...love this word!
Same here. From personal experience videogame development has always been the closest to encompassing the many roles.
Alan Moore said writing is being a warlock/magician casting spells.
Maybe we can steal it somehow.
I write about “magicians” too! Would love more likeminded eyes comment on it: https://open.substack.com/pub/persuasion1/p/ai-is-capturing-interiority?r=c8gos&utm_medium=ios
Love this! Thanks for sharing your personal experience!
Just realized I posted someone else's article I was in the middle of reading. Anyhoo: https://maybegreat.substack.com/p/why-should-you-care-about-attention
Ah okay will check it out!
The artist in me pushes the creativity, but also the 'How'. Corporate is always trying to quantify everything, so it can be duplicated by anyone, 'How' is all that matters. What they haven't been able to quantify is the journey, not the destination.
The journey is what really matters after all!