A Jack and Jill of all trades: a person who lacks focus or the best kind of creative?
So on Saturday my husband Peter reminded me of this quote:
“Jack of all trades, master of none, oftentimes better than a master of one.” -credited to Robert Greene, 1592.
I’ve thought a lot about this over the past 10 years and often wonder if it’s my blessing or my curse? I’ve mentioned before that I used to feel like this one trick pony. I was a ceramicist with enough general artistic talent to try a few other crafty projects but I never considered myself a "Jill of all trades." The confidence was never there. I remember so many long conversations with my husband and my parents about potential businesses or million dollar ideas and at the beginning of the 2008 recession when you are newly married and have just moved across the country to the Pacific Northwest, taking whatever job you can get, your mind is constantly working overtime daydreaming and pining for something better.
After making ends meet as a nanny and then as an indoor soccer coach I found myself back at Anthropologie. And I give Anthropologie all the credit because this is where I really got to fine tune those alternative Jill of all trades skills I thought I’d never have to use. And to be completely honest I thought my art making/crafting days were long gone. At that point I had zero clue what I was going to do. Being poor and directionless was just the swift kick I needed to finish my PRAXIS tests to get my art teaching certification, but by then school specials like art and PE were being cut and classroom sizes were growing. So that was looking pretty bleak. I’d have to say that finding Anthropologie again was just what this one-hit-wonder needed. Working 7 years as a Display Coordinator for such a creative and imaginative company really forced me out of my comfort zone and over that time it molded and shaped the artist I am today.
I was applying the tools that I hadn’t used since my freshman year introductory sculpture classes to everyday mundane objects and turning them into larger-than-life displays. Adding in the addition of quick timelines made this the ultimate crash course in the “I can do it all” mentality. Talk about a confidence builder, using cardboard to creating life-sized gingerbread house towns and store fronts for an entire store in a short time span can make you feel superhuman. And while I hung my cape up almost two years ago none of those skills have left me nor has the confidence.
Despite all the confidence I still have that thing that I think all of the Jacks and Jills deal with: lack of direction and focus. When you can do a lot of things how do you pick one thing to focus on? In my last post I mentioned that I’m going to just do all the things see what sticks. And that is just what I plan to do. Because if there is anything I’ve learned about myself it’s that I’ve wasted too much time trying find the thing that I’m "supposed to do." The perfect “thing” when this Jill of all trades should have just used all her skills to make more than one thing her “thing”. Being a master of none has given me so much confidence and freedom.
During this crazy time I’ve created Texture Tuesday where I put some of those Anthropologie skills to use by dissecting everyday objects and using them to create different textures. This process once again forcing me to step out of my comfort zone and feel the freedom of exploration in an art medium that has been so comfortable and mundane. I've grown to love my mastery of none.
Has this pandemic forced you guys to step out of your comfort zone? Has being a master of none helped or hindered you in your creative process? Tell me how all of you Jacks and Jills handle your plethora of skills, especially during this time.
Until next week!
-Lindsey
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