Part Two: Be a Jack (or Jill) of All Trades
Migrating Geese , watercolor and gouache
Pursuing a Variety of Arts-Multidisciplinary Artists
Last week I brought up the term “Jack of All Trades” which has come to be somewhat of a criticism describing someone who is a dabbler and “master of none.” Many describe success as being singularly focused or specialized but there is an advantage to being an explorer of creativity and many artists, including myself, love diverse mediums and techniques. This multidisciplinary approach feeds and grows our base of knowledge and we meet a variety of creatives along the way.
Originally “Jack of All Trades” was meant as a compliment because it implied that a person has broad knowledge that can be applied to many of life’s pursuits. I see now how many of the hobbies I’ve tried, brought me to a better skill level and experience to do the painting that I do every day.
Being an Art Dabbler vs. Going Deeper with One
Although I’ve dabbled in many arts and crafts, I now enjoy going deeper with painting and I’m able to enjoy the process of stepping into its’ challenges. I grow from the daily ups and downs of practice. I’ve also come to appreciate the winding path it took to get here. I think our work culture praises getting from A-Z quickly and efficiently but many of us have real life obligations; relationships and other goals that draw our energy and attention so we need to appreciate that it’s about the road, not a destination. These other life pursuits like having children or volunteering can be seen as distractions but, really, they enrich us to be better artists later in life. I did not have children but a lot of my energy and time has been spent on exploring the world, friends of a variety of cultures, and trying out various art forms.
Beginner photography sessions from childhood with my model, Tilman, in the 1970's.
The constant thread through all my creative pursuits?
My love of storytelling, color, and creative process. Here’s some of what I’ve learned as a Jill of All Trades. I hope it inspires you by showing the value of trying out the variety of what you are curious or passionate about.
PHOTOGRAPHY: My interest in photography began as a kid when I got Polaroid camera for Christmas and took instant pictures of my cat posed with jewelry and sunglasses. I still remember its’ sound as it instantly spit out the photos. Years later I graduated to a 35 millimeter camera. Those early amateur photography years I learned through trial and error about composition of pictures and “seeing” which impacts my work today.
VIDEOGRAPHY: Armed with a clunky heavy video camera from my parents I directed a quirky college documentary about the poet, William Blake, and spent vacations creating horror films and artsy films with cousins and friends in Boston.I enjoyed the collaboration and free flowing beer during these gatherings. Again, composition, an interest in story telling, and even editing skills were a foundation of skills for my social media and art making.
STAINED GLASS:My hobby of making stained glass windows, lamps and home decor started when rehabbing a house in the first year of marriage. I saw a broken window over the front door and decided I’d replace it with a stained glass original so I signed up that week for an adult community class. It drew me into the world of playing with color. Although the craft skills are radically different from painting, I combined shapes, colors and patterns with attention to light and shadow. I fell in love with rummaging in glass stores for color glass and I realized the importance of having a studio space where I ended up making windows, ceiling lamps, and sconces for our properties.
American Renaissance Theater Shakespeare performance in Maine, photo in Casco Bay Weekly May 1992 by Calim Malakie
THEATER:My experience with theater began in high school and progressed to community theater. Set design work helped me work “big” and step away to see the stage canvases differently. My acting experience taught collaboration. Working as one of the theater geeks I found my tribe of creatives and began to trust the process of storytelling and my humorous voice with rehearsals and improv. I still love characters, setting and humor in my paintings.
BELLY DANCING: Many current friends don’t know that I took belly dance when I lived in Portland, Maine. I learned to be patient, pay attention to my intuition, and breathe through pain. I also learned perseverance because it’s not an easy style of dance. You find you’ve got to strengthen muscles you don’t even know you have. This adds to my discipline and resiliency in other aspects of art today..
BEADED JEWELRY MAKING:My attempts at making beaded jewelry and mosaics helped me with patterns, color, patience, and discipline as I enjoyed completing a pair of earrings after working long days teaching in public schools and fundraising in Nicaragua. Although I struggled with selling them and technology websites, on reflection I realized formal lessons and depth of practice would have helped.
VOICE LESSONS AND SEWING :Even failed attempts shape where I am. I took voice lessons because I wanted to be in community musicals and when I recorded my voice I discovered I couldn’t carry a tune. The voice teacher had politely suggested I audition for comedic characters. I quit paying for voice lessons.Then I bought a sewing machine but never sewed a straight line making a quilt for our bed, but the design and colors were awesome and I put the quilt on the bed and retired the machine back in the closet.
WRITING: I still love writing. It’s been a huge part of my life including classes, workshops, an unfinished novel, lots of personal journal writing, family books and children’s stories and now a blog. It’s a love I think I inherited from my father and makes me feel close to him. Trust, commitment to process, love of quirky characters and settings, and playing (with words) all inform my painting today.
Your CHALLANGE: Take the myriad of hobbies, volunteerism, jobs, and career paths of your life (even the slumps and failures) and chart how they inform what you love and do today. In this way you can see how the past helped shape your skills; you can be kinder to yourself about the misdirections or mishaps, and you can see the common threads that you carried through each pursuit.
No energy is wasted.
Yes, there’s merit in depth and focus, but there’s a richness and ability to apply skills that come with the varied experiences of those who are Jack (or Jills) of All Trades.
And remember, have fun.
watercolor blue bird painting, creating animal characters is fun.