To specialize or not?
What is the best creative path?
I’ve often thought of how we can best realize our creative potential. Do we do it by focusing our energies in a single area of creative practice? Or is it better to sample a smorgasbord of creative activity?
For years as an advertising creative director I doled out the same advice to all the kids who said they’d do anything to get into the industry. “Hey, you better figure out what you want to be.” I’d tell them, “Because if I can choose from someone who is focused and putting all their energies into, say, art direction, I’ll take that person over the flounderer who ‘will do anything’ most every time”
Now I have a nephew about to embark on a career. He’s a film and animation major. But he’s also a graphic designer, a photographer, a DJ, a music composer, an actor and singer. And, did I mention that he’s very good at all of them? (That’s him above, Michael Langan, in a frame from his demo reel.) So, what should I tell him?
In spite of my fairly steady position on specialization to young grads I can certainly see the other side of the argument. In many ways I have lived on the other side. I’ve been an ad guy, an antiques dealer, a creative thinking coach, a pop talent developer and a designer of high-end garden houses (don’t ask.) If I counted the “careers” I had before I had a career, well, this page isn’t large enough. Have I succeeded at all? How would you define success?
I have certainly learned a lot from all these varied “professional” experiences. No question about it, they have given me a very broad lifeclopedia to draw upon from one creative pursuit to the next.
Okay, so I talk this side of the discussion and I walk the other side. What gives?
Actually, I believe in both paths. But depending on what your goal is, or where you are on the path, one could be a much better choice than the other. Actually, my advice for newbies and vets is usually diametrically opposed.
Going back to the student about to enter the workforce, there I do espouse the single focus for most people. For the best jobs in any field the competition is fierce. What does it take to get the edge? Often everything you’ve got. For those situations I say stay the course and don’t get distracted or the other more focused person will be shaking your prospective employers hand before you know it.
Of course, there are many exceptions. For example, if you’ve got your heart set on working at a small company, particularly a start up, then being a generalist might work best for you. Hell, they may need five positions filled but can only afford one. Can I hear a chorus of “I’ll do anything?”
However, in this position one runs the risk of getting good at many things but not great at any. And in the long run that may be the worst thing you could do.
None of this is absolute. Because another person might thrive in a diversified role, where wearing all of the hats makes them better at the one thing they enjoy over all else. The caution here would be to not fool yourself, even if you can fool your employer.
I often tell young people, don’t get worried about whether your first job is the absolute best slot (they say 65% of college grads are in different careers after five years). But that doesn’t mean you don’t give career focus some serious thought.
And how about people who have been in the workforce for a while? To them I say, “Variety is the spice of professional life.”
Getting back to the primary theme of this article, for creative growth there’s nothing like an ever-changing landscape. To totally oversimplify the reason, when we’ve been in a job, or in a company, or a career or even a field for many years, there’s the tendency to start thinking you’ve figured it out. And that, my friends, usually marks the end of creative growth.
So there you have it. There is no right answer for everyone. And, I guess, there is no right answer for anyone at every point in your professional life.
The one guiding principle I believe in, on this topic, is summed up in a sweet little saying attributed to Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, “Are you green and growing or ripe and rotting?”
Did you know Mr. Kroc was 52 before he owned his first McDonald’s and turned it into the hamburger empire it is today?
As for my nephew, I don’t know what to tell him. He’s family. It’s so hard to be objective. Now, if you take a look at his portfolio on line maybe you can give him some advice. Or better yet, give him a job.
© 2007 Tom Monahan, all rights reserved.
