How to do everything and still be home for dinner
Specializing vs. branching out
Sharing your passion online requires curation so your people can find you.
The internet generation has been taught to “niche down” to reach a “target audience.” It’s true. The lady that’s into your adorable crocheted animals probably won’t be as enthusiastic about your apothecary jar collection.
But how much of what you pursue in your private life gets dictated by the maintenance of your “internet self”?
Growing up, my creative outlets were never niche. We encourage children to try everything. But as we get older, time feels sparse. It’s easy to make excuses why we still haven’t tried that one thing. And it’s hard to step outside of our day-to-day comfort.
Lately, I’ve been following curiosity wormholes from digital design and animation to how other mediums could directly intersect with sculpture.
Maybe this branching out is a return to my child self. I’m remembering how essential play is to the creative process. I’m following the what-ifs instead of being so rigid in this is what I do.
The more I push on the edges of my creative expression, the richer my work has been across mediums.
Finding a niche
My interest in metal began sophomore year of college. I was required to weld in Intro to Sculpture. But then I fell in love. I graduated quickly from sheet metal to rod, when I needed it to see an idea through.
But then something amazing happened. While I was working on that first steel rod sculpture (shout out to the Fantastical Ostrich), I sketched three new ideas, all requiring steel rod.
A niche can either be revealed or pursued.
A revealed niche is what happened with metal sculpture. I knew it was meant to be my primary mode of expression because the possibilities felt infinite.
But there’s another very valid way of finding a niche, and that’s through deliberate pursuit. What resources are already available to you? Is there a need or service you could fill with the right skills? What are your larger goals for your future? Is there a path that aligns to your big picture?
Learning is more accessible than ever.
Persistence is as powerful as innate skill.
Persistence is essential from the onset. It isn’t only needed to master a skill, but for the search. It takes patience to try many things before you find “the one.”
Downside to having a niche
The biggest danger is when a niche is too narrow. You need to feel you have a whole playground, not just one swing. I think folks that essentially do the same work over and over become too driven by audience expectations. If you’re successful in one small vein, it can be very hard to branch out.
The question I always ask myself is if I’m too comfortable. It’s great to make work that feels easy to complete. There’s a great sense of accomplishment in finishing a project. But if every project feels super manageable, you’re likely not pushing yourself. And if you’re not pushing yourself, you’re not growing. And I think continued growth is an essential aspect of being an artist.
Sticking with one medium or niche over a lifetime can have incredible results. You’ll be able to master something in a way few people do.
But what’s the cost of closing off other ways creativity can express itself?
Benefits of branching out
As an anxious person I’m surprised to hear myself say there’s actually a good kind of anxiety. Learning new things — and inevitably having little failures along the way — is uncomfortable. But it keeps you on edge, attentive and striving.
Seeing the gaps between where you want to be and where you are now gives you a clear path forward. If you don’t give up when things are frustrating, you’ll acquire a new skillset. Putting yourself through voluntary tribulations may even help prepare you for life’s other challenges.
Being creative in different spheres can fix creative block.
My current sculpture is so repetitious that I’ve just been in build-mode. And that’s never when I’m my most innovative. I’ve been putting off figuring out a key problem. Time and again, the answers crop up when I’ve finally, fully stopped trying to think of the solution. Stepping away refreshes and reinvigorates me. Engaging other creative outlets lets me look at my everyday work with a new perspective.
Downside of branching out
As I said initially, the internet requires you to curate yourself so your people can find you. If you have a steady online presence in one area of focus, let that space stay dedicated to that pursuit.
Either let your new pursuit stay private and offline, or set up new accounts if you want to it share publicly.
Though, make sure that separation exists only for the internet’s sake, or in networking scenarios, and not in your mind.
What has made my own branching out so exciting, is seeing how different disciplines can intersect and influence each other.
How to do all the things, sustainably
I’m a cyclical being. My energy, mood, and interests ebb and flow. I get distracted. I go on vacation. I get out of the house and spend time with other people. I have other obligations to tend to. Life happens, and sometimes it feels unachievable to do everything I want.
I don’t let getting overwhelmed or discouraged win over my excitement and curiosity. I accept I won’t be consistent with everything all the time. Balance doesn’t mean doing everything equally. Sometimes balance can mean I’m so focused on my art that too many of my meals are power bars and I forget to clean my house. But once that creative spurt is done, I’ll spend time away from my craft to focus on what I’ve neglected.
What if instead of consistency meaning day-to-day, it meant week-to-week, month-to-month, or year-to-year?
I view my creative pursuits as lifelong. It’s about steady progress over time. It’s about prolonged persistence.
You’ve have heard me say plenty, 10 minutes is better than no minutes. That mentality has allowed me to find balance and achieve what I want without great sacrifices.
Pursuing diverse interests means progress will be slower on all of them, but I’m committed and curious enough to see where each of them can go.
Why shouldn’t we walk down paths that interest us, for interest’s sake alone, and learn something new along the way?
In conclusion, every little thing is gonna be alright
You never know what beautiful places “a whim” can take you. Staying open to different interests literally has the ability to change your life.
Ultimately, it’s more important that I follow my curiosity than stay true to who I was yesterday.
I prioritize and value my creativity over any one form of expressing it.
Everything leads to everything else. Nothing learned is ever wasted. You never know where inspiration will come from, and what it can lead to unless you’re willing to relinquish a little control and explore.
Stay curious <3