Jack of all trades, master of some

I’ve always loved trying something new. I find the thrill of a new challenge, and (just as important) the escape from the drudgery of routine, is great for my mental wellbeing as well as getting untapped creative juices flowing. The best thing is it doesn’t actually have to go anywhere. There is no end goal, no brief to fulfil, no client to please. If I find out through messing around that I actually have a Van Gogh-like aptitude for painting then incredible, but if I’m still brushing badly proportioned stick figures in front of a box house that resembles a 6 year old’s pride and joy on the fridge, then so be it – it isn’t worth cutting your ear off over. It’s the process that matters, not the result.

This can often be hard to accept for people working in “creative” industries (air quotes here because all jobs can be creative in different ways). As a writer, designer, director, musician, editor or actor you’re always striving to give your best work. While you grow a pretty thick coconut-like outer shell over the years, there will still be certain types of criticism that will knock you off your perch, and sometimes hammer right into your soft centre, leaving you shy of confidence for a bit. So the idea of making something that is embarrassingly low quality in your own eyes is daunting.

The key is to remember you aren’t making this for anyone else, it is for you. It may not be of the standards you’d expect from someone 15 years in the trade who’s making an advert for a popular fizzy drinks brand, but that is by the by – it isn’t what you’re aiming for. If your purpose is to try something different, test yourself, learn new things and enjoy it along the way then by golly you’re a GENIUS. You’re soaring with flying colours into new heights only limited by the necessity to eat, sleep and drink Coca Cola.

Not only does attempting different skills get your brain firing in alternative ways that will compliment your normal creative outlet or profession, it also starts to give you a greater understanding of other people’s crafts. The more you begin to see how both your skills interlink, the more focused, expressive and ultimately creative choices you can make. Be it your understanding of light, camera lenses, words, negative space, rhythmic timing, body language or colour. You’ll be able to ascertain why you like certain work in greater depth and translate this to your own.

My first creative job out of University was on the set of a feature film. While the film itself was perhaps not the best written, it exposed me to a plethora of skill sets and how they all work in tandem to create a larger piece of work. Everyone in that crew has to appreciate each other’s specialty and work with and around each other to achieve a desired outcome. At its helm was a director that had previously been in several different roles (if I remember correctly, he’d been a script writer, video editor and cameraman among others). When I watched him coordinate his crew and scenes, you could tell that his understanding of various disciplines fed beneficially into his work and gave him greater control over his creative vision.

Fake it 'til you make it

A clichéd adage it may be, but it holds a lot of weight. On the aforementioned film set, I was a music graduate who was suddenly thrust into being an Art Department Assistant. A fact that scared me even more knowing I wasn’t particularly skilled with my hands – while I loved the thought of art or woodwork, I was never any good at them. I’d also never been on a film set before, so imagine turning up as a fresh faced 21 year old at the beginning of the day, not knowing who is who or if there is a certain person I should introduce myself to (or not, and offend some “talent”). Could I even have breakfast from the food van or was that only for certain people? It was terrifying.

When most of the crew had already left, mumbling unhelpful things when I asked questions to try and find Julian, the Set Designer, I spied a grumpy figure was making himself a coffee. With barely anyone else around this was my last chance, either it was him or it was one of the only people I could ask before I was left sat alone. As I approached him warily, I noticed he had put the milk in with the coffee grounds before he was about to add the hot water. Without thinking, having worked in restaurants part time, I said to him, “Oh, that’s the best way to make it. Stops you burning the coffee with hot water which makes it too bitter”. Suddenly the morose figure lit up, he was enthused by the fact I’d noticed, and that he made coffee this way for that exact reason. It turns out this was in fact Julian, so I lucked out on a great first impression. Thankfully he was just having a bad morning, and is actually one of the funniest, loveliest and weirdest people I’ve ever met. It is such a shame it was the only time I worked with the eccentric German, but we still talk from time to time, and it was his support throughout the shoot that made me realise you can do things you don’t think you’re able to. You just have to approach it with an open mind, ask questions, soak everything up and you’ll keep improving.

It is a life lesson that has paid dividends over the years (figuratively and now literally from my own company). I learnt to video edit while working as a runner, using the skills I already had from audio mixing. I developed and honed my writing skills in a variety of disciplines from script writing to print campaigns. I directed my first shoot and subsequently directed more for broadcast television. I wrote songs that have been used on award winning television promos. I’ve even acted in a couple of televised promos. What I always try to remind myself is that at the start of any of these endeavours, I had little knowledge or experience of doing them. It was only by trying them, making mistakes and learning from them that I find myself where I am today. If I’d been too scared to ‘fake it’ then I would have ended up sat next to Shirley in HR for the rest of my life. Now I’m sure Shirley is lovely and loves her job, but it wasn’t where I wished to be, I always wanted to make stuff in some guise.

Know when to keep it real

With all that said, it is just as important to keep a realistic hold on your current abilities and where to avoid faking it in the work sphere. As I’ve already said, when exploring for your own enjoyment it isn’t about the result. For an employer or client, it is. There are certain industries I avoid copywriting for. I know I wouldn’t have the knowledge (even through research) to comprehensively write legal, finance or medical B2B copy – in my mind those sectors require you to have at least studied if not have actual work experience in the field, to accurately and convincingly write about the complicated ins and outs of the subject.

This doesn’t always have to stop you but be aware of your current limits. If you really want to venture into new pastures then be conscious of the time, effort and development it’ll require to get to the necessary starting point. I dabbled in using Photoshop’s freeware equivalent, GIMP, making imagery for the various bands I’ve played in. I moved this on to some basic Photoshop in my own time which allowed me to take on more social media content work, not only writing the copy but creating the images. Again, even here I started basic, resizing and adding branding to existing photography. I’m now at a stage where I’m comfortable creating more complex imagery for social media but I’m aware that I do not have the knowledge or skills to make professional enough imagery for print, packaging or broadcast. Yet.

It takes a conscious mix of knowing where you are skills wise, finding a job that is a little beyond that (but not too much) and muddling your way through to get to that next stage. Then repeat. If you hit a ceiling or lose interest in progressing that ability, then don’t feel guilty. If it isn’t for you, what you’ve done is expand your way of looking at the world and opened up the creative avenues that are possible in different disciplines.

Keep playing

Coming full circle back to how this started, not everything has to be for employment’s sake. You don’t have to pursue everything you try, exploring it is the important thing. Gone to a pottery class, enjoyed the 6 lessons but came out with a wonky vase and no real passion for the craft? Not a problem. What you’ve garnered from that experience is a greater understanding of the material clay, a better insight in shaping structures, a resilience to failure and the reward of being better than when you started. Subconsciously these things will slip into future projects, casting a different perspective to mould new ideas without you noticing. Don’t kiln something off before you’ve tried (terrible pun, but I’m sticking with it).

I have just tinkered in, been average or become considerably experienced in copywriting, video editing, directing, design, music composition, audio mixing, radio presenting, vox pop interviewing, playing in bands, writing stories, painting, acting, singing, sketching and furniture making. Regardless of how good or bad I am at each of them, or whether it has directly become a skill I’ve decided to pursue professionally, they’ve all influenced my creative work for the better over the years. They’ve allowed me to collaborate with other people more productively and make the words I write come to life more fruitfully. They’ve broadened my approach to a brief and where it might lead.

I don’t need to be good at everything, just good at experiencing it – I’m happy to be a jack of all trades, master of some.