Career & Business Coaching Blog for Creatives & Entrepreneurs.
Inspiration, guidance, and practical strategies for multi-passionate professionals who refuse to choose just one thing.
The 5 Portfolio Career Models: Which One Fits You?
If you're a creative generalist or multi-passionate entrepreneur who's been told to "pick one thing" your whole life, here's some good news: you don't have to.
A portfolio career lets you combine multiple income streams, honor all your interests, and build a professional life that's as unique and versatile as you are. But not all portfolio careers look the same.
After working with multi-passionate professionals and creative generalists for a decade, I've identified 5 distinct portfolio career models. Each offers a different approach to structuring your time, managing your energy, and building financial stability for entrepreneurs and multi-passionate creatives looking for career clarity and freedom.
Let's explore each model so you can find the one that fits your life right now.
Model 1: The Main & Sides
One central income source + several smaller creative projects
This is the most common starting point for portfolio careers. You maintain one primary job or client (your "main") that provides financial stability, while developing smaller projects (your "sides") that add variety and supplemental income.
Who it's for:
People who value security but crave creative expression. Perfect if you have financial obligations requiring a steady income, or if you're just beginning your generalist or multi-passionate creative journey as an entrepreneur. If you’ve been searching for career coaching for multi-passionate creatives and want a model that supports your many talents, this is a powerful place to start.
What it looks like:
Sarah works full-time as a marketing manager (her main). On the side, she blogs about sustainable living, sells pottery at local markets, and occasionally consults on social media strategy.
Time commitment:
Your main job dictates most of your schedule. You fit side projects into evenings, weekends, or dedicated days off.
Income timeline:
Main provides immediate income. Sides can take 6-12 months to become profitable, but there's no pressure for them to be major earners.
First steps:
Secure or optimize your main income source. Choose ONE side project to develop first (you're not choosing for forever, just for right now). Block out 3-5 hours weekly dedicated solely to that project.
Model 2: The Equal Parts
2-3 well-developed income streams contributing equally to your time and income
You're a true "slashie," designer/coach, developer/musician. Each of your income streams is a serious professional endeavor, not a hobby.
Who it's for:
People who thrive on variety and context-switching. You have multiple skills you want to actively pursue, and you're excellent at juggling.
What it looks like:
David splits his week between freelance UX design contracts, co-hosting a paid podcast for tech professionals, and running paid masterminds for junior designers.
Time commitment:
You control your own schedule completely. You might theme your days (Mondays for coaching, Tuesdays for design) or split days in half.
Income timeline:
Takes 1-2 years to establish multiple equally profitable streams. Often evolves from Main & Sides as a "side" grows into a second main.
First steps:
Identify your top 2-3 interests with the highest income potential. Build one for stability, then layer in the second. Create a clear marketing message connecting your "slashes."
Model 3: The Seasonal Rotation
Work shifts dramatically based on the time of year
Your professional life has distinct seasons. You might spend summer leading expeditions, fall and winter on web development projects, and spring at conferences or on sabbatical.
Who it's for:
People who love deep, immersive focus and hate context-switching. Ideal for work tied to seasons (tourism, agriculture, tax prep) or for those who want project-based living.
What it looks like:
From May to September, Chloe runs a B&B in a tourist town. From October to April, she works remotely as a bookkeeper for creative businesses.
Time commitment:
You manage energy in sprints and rests. Intense focus for a period, followed by intentional downtime. Your year is planned in months or quarters, not weeks.
Income timeline:
Cyclical and often lumpy. You might make 80% of your annual income in 6 months. Requires disciplined financial planning and saving during "off" seasons.
First steps:
Identify 2-3 types of work with opposing high seasons. Analyze your annual budget to understand the minimum earnings needed during your "on" season.
Click here to download the Portfolio Career Starter Kit
Model 4: The Passion + Good Enough Job
A stable, job funds your purpose-driven passion project
One reliable job or business pays your bills (the "good enough job"), providing financial and psychological safety to pursue work you love deeply, but that isn't (or may never be) profitable.
Who it's for:
Artists, writers, researchers, nonprofit founders, or anyone whose primary calling has a difficult path to monetization. A pragmatic model that separates financial security from creative expression.
What it looks like:
Ben works as a data analyst for a stable tech company. The job is predictable and pays well, allowing him to spend evenings and weekends writing his first fantasy novel without worrying about sales.
Time commitment:
Demands fierce boundaries. The "good enough" job should ideally be one you can "leave at the office," freeing mental and emotional energy for your passion in off-hours.
Income timeline:
"Good enough" job provides immediate stable income. Passion project operates on an infinite timeline; it's allowed to grow organically without monetization pressure.
First steps:
Find or optimize a low-stress "good enough" job with clear boundaries. Formally schedule time for your passion project as if it were a paying client. Define success for your passion, independent of money.
Model 5: The Exit Plan
Build multiple businesses as assets to eventually sell
The serial entrepreneur's path. You're building businesses with the intention of growing them to sellable value, providing capital infusion for your next venture, or for financial freedom.
Who it's for:
Highly ambitious, risk-tolerant individuals motivated by entrepreneurship, growth, and scale. You think in systems, intellectual property, and market opportunities.
What it looks like:
Murielle starts an AI coaching brand called CoachMila™ while developing an AI coaching app for individuals and companies. Her goal: grow the brand to $10M revenue and sell it, along with the app.
Time commitment:
Your life revolves around your ventures. You're ruthlessly focused on the highest-leverage activities that drive growth. Long hours, but ultimate schedule control.
Income timeline:
High-risk, high-reward. Often requires significant upfront investment with zero initial income. Timeline of 3-7 years before profitable exit.
First steps:
Deeply research your market to validate your business idea. Create a lean business plan and financial model. Look for entrepreneurial mentorship. Start with the smallest possible MVP to test the market before going all-in.
Which Model Is Right for You?
The truth? Your ideal model will likely shift throughout your career and life stages. Many people start with Main & Sides, evolve into Equal Parts, then eventually structure Exit Plans. Throughout my career, I've circled through pretty much all of them. And right now, I'm a mix of Main & Sides, Equal Parts, and Exit Plans.
The key is choosing the model that fits your current life situation, risk tolerance, and energy levels, not the one that sounds most impressive.
Your multiple interests aren't a problem to solve. They're your unique competitive advantage.
Start Building Your Portfolio Career Today
Imagine a career where you’re not forced to choose between your talents but can instead blend them into a fulfilling portfolio that grows with you. It’s time to harness your potential and design the professional life you deserve.
Don’t wait to create the career you’ve always envisioned, sign up for your free session now and take the first step to turn your passions into a powerful portfolio career.
Frequently Asked Questions About Portfolio Career Models
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A portfolio career is a modern approach to work where you intentionally combine multiple income streams instead of relying on a single full-time job. It's not about juggling random side hustles, it's a thoughtfully designed collection of projects, roles, and ventures that together create a fulfilling and financially stable life. Portfolio careers are perfect for creative generalists who've been told to "pick one thing" but know they're wired differently.
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This workbook is designed for multi-passionate professionals, creative generalists, and anyone who feels stuck trying to force their diverse interests into a narrow specialty. It's perfect if you've been told you're "all over the place," if you're considering a career change but don't know where to start, or if you're already juggling multiple projects but want a clearer strategy. Whether you're in your 20s exploring options or in your 40s ready for a major pivot, this guide will help you design a career that honors all your interests.
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Plan to spend 60-90 minutes working through the initial exercises in one sitting. However, the Portfolio Career Starter Kit is designed as a living document you'll return to over time. The 90-day exploration plan will guide your next three months of experimentation, and many people revisit the workbook quarterly as their interests and goals evolve. You don't need to complete everything at once, start where you are and build momentum from there.
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The workbook includes five comprehensive sections: (1) Interest Inventory exercises to map all your passions, (2) Skills Translation Matrix to identify your transferable skills, (3) Pattern Recognition tools to find your unique "glue," (4) detailed descriptions of the 5 Portfolio Career Models with a self-assessment quiz, and (5) a complete 90-Day Exploration Plan with weekly tracking templates. You'll also get reflection prompts, decision frameworks, and real examples throughout.
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Absolutely not! One of the five models (The Main & Sides) is specifically designed for people who want to keep stable income while exploring side projects. Most people start building their portfolio career while employed, using evenings and weekends to test ideas and build momentum. The workbook helps you identify which model fits your current life situation, risk tolerance, and financial needs, no dramatic leaps required.
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You'll get immediate access to the 32-page PDF workbook to download and print or fill out digitally. You'll also receive my weekly newsletter with practical tips for building your multi-passionate career (you can unsubscribe anytime). If you get stuck or want personalized guidance, you can book a free 30-minute career clarity call to discuss your next steps. The workbook is completely free with no strings attached, it's my way of supporting creative generalists who are tired of being told to pick just one thing.
Career Coaching for Creative Generalists: How to Get Unstuck and End the Overthinking Cycle
If you identify as a creative generalist, a t-shaped, multi-hyphenate, multi-passionate creative, or an ambitious doer, you know this frustrating cycle well: you’re full of ideas and capabilities, and still you feel so agonisingly stuck. Instead of building an inspiring career (or boldly pursuing that long-overdue career change), you’re caught in a loop of endless overthinking and anxiety.
This challenge is precisely why I became a coach, and why specialized career coaching for creatives navigating a career change is so effective. The goal is simple, but life-changing: to help you finally work on your goals instead of just thinking about them, especially if those goals include pivoting to a more fulfilling professional life.
The Creative Generalist’s Unique Mental Blocks
Creative generalists operate differently; they are the broad thinkers in a world that still values specialization. They have a non-linear, sometimes accidental career history (often called a portfolio career) and possess qualities like compassion, ambition, and an insatiable hunger for knowledge. However, these unique traits come with distinct internal conflicts that can make even the idea of a career change feel paralyzing.
1. The Burden of Idea Overload
Creative individuals and entrepreneurs are prone to overflow with ideas, projects, and passions. My clients commonly report having far too many ideas in a day, which can make things feel messy and shift their focus constantly - especially when contemplating a career change or branching into new fields.
This vast array of options leads to the paralyzing paradox of choice. When faced with a million-dollar business idea or a dream of a career change that involves yoga on the beach, the inability to choose can be overwhelming and make many creatives feel stuck. This is exacerbated by the fact that many creative generalists feel misunderstood, believing that their multi-passionate brain must fit into a "tiny box of specialization". I know, believe me, this used to be me.
2. The Overthinking Cycle
The root of feeling stuck often lies in trying to solve complex life and career change questions solely using your mind.
After doing this work for a decade, I know that my coaching clients frequently desire guidance because they are at a tricky point in their career and life, or feel like they have outgrown their current life. They believe that thinking harder will produce a solution, but this only results in overthinking and worrying about the right decision, which only makes them more anxious and stressed out.
As time passes, an initial burst of inspiration can lead to a vision that grows more elaborate and turns into a mountain. This makes the task of actually doing things increasingly daunting. The result? Endlessly overanalyzing every decision you could make, especially about career change, inevitably leading to frustration or burnout before you even start.
3. The Paralysis of the Inner Critic
The final block is often the internal mechanism designed to keep us "safe," our beloved inner critic. This voice instills self-doubt and constantly says that what we want "isn’t real" or that "we're not good enough".
This constant internal chatter contributes to procrastination and self-sabotage. When clients come to me, they often have repeatedly broken promises to themselves (a side effect of procrastination), and start to question if they're even capable of achieving their dreams, especially when it comes to a major career change. Furthermore, many creatives unconsciously talk themselves out of projects by looking for flaws in every idea. This flaw-finding is often fear (False Evidence Appearing Real), attempting to stop them from stepping out of their comfort zone.
The Career Coaching Solution: Moving from Thought to Action
The fundamental shift provided by career coaching, especially during a career change, is the understanding that you cannot think yourself into a new career or life; eventually, you must go out and do it. Clients come to me for coaching precisely because they want a strategic roadmap that guides them toward a fulfilling career and helps them gain clarity and confidence to make choices aligned with their desired career change.
1. Embracing Action to Achieve Clarity
The core truth for the creative generalist suffering from idea overload is simple: ambiguity never disappears by simply thinking through all your options. When faced with multitudinous possibilities, the only way forward is to break the overthinking cycle, especially around career change, by taking action.
Clarity Through Choosing: Clarity is not a prerequisite; it only appears when you pick something. Once you choose, even if it feels scary, you start experimenting with reality, which is how you learn whether you like an idea or not, or if a particular career change actually fits you.
Embracing the First Step: My clients often face the hurdle of not knowing where or how to get started. Coaching helps them define the one thing they will get started with right now. Not forever, just for right now. This could be a small, concrete step toward a career change. This action doesn’t need to be perfect or permanent; if you don’t like it, you get to change your mind.
2. The Power of Mindset and Rewiring the Brain
Coaching is an integrative process that addresses both external plans and internal belief systems. The first phase of my four-step MOVE method focuses on Mindset.
Mindset Dictates Behavior: Your mindset influences your behavior; it is the driving force behind what you do. Overcoming mental blocks is especially critical during a career change, and it requires understanding that you are not your thoughts. You have control over what you allow yourself to believe and act on.
Neuroplasticity and Change: To achieve different results, you must change your mind, literally. Coaching uses techniques to help clients disrupt the mental, physical, and emotional systems that keep them stuck when contemplating taking action. By uncovering unconscious stuff that is keeping us stuck, we can begin healing and move forward.
3. Cultivating Self-Leadership and Consistency
Getting unstuck, whether in your current job or during a career change, is an act of personal leadership. Leadership is never given; you have to take it for yourself. This means admitting you have a role in staying stuck and realizing nobody’s coming to pull you out.
Building Resilience: You must stop waiting to feel entirely ready or confident before starting, as this is precisely what led to stagnation. The solution is not heroic bursts of energy but little changes over time that can, even quietly, spark a deeply meaningful career change.
The Chain of Action: Consistency is key. I love the Seinfeld Strategy, it emphasizes setting a goal and marking off every day you work on it; the only rule is "not breaking the chain". Small steps repeated over time (the compound effect) will move you toward your desired career change and cultivate the resolve and grit necessary to separate dreamers from doers.
By moving into this action-taker mode, you can move from being trapped in your own thoughts to feeling unstuck, moving towards your goals, and gaining the self-assurance that you are finally on the right path - whether that’s a new creative project, a passion pursuit, or a career change that fits who you truly are.
You’ve got this!
Take the First Step Toward Clarity and Freedom
Are you ready to break free from the overwhelm and finally gain the clarity you’ve been searching for? Imagine having a personalized roadmap that embraces all your passions and guides you toward a career and lifestyle that feel authentic and fulfilling.
Discover your unique path with a one-on-one private session designed to help you uncover your “glue,” silence the inner critic, and transform your scattered ideas into a focused, actionable plan.
Frequently Asked Questions About Career Change for Creatives
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If you’re feeling unfulfilled, stuck, or burnt out in your current role, it may be a sign that it’s time for a change. Listen to your inner voice - especially if you continually daydream about pursuing creative passions or feel a deep pull toward something more aligned with your interests. While there’s no perfect time, small, consistent steps can help you transition without feeling overwhelmed.
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Fear is natural during major transitions, but it doesn’t have to paralyze you. Reframe failure as a learning opportunity and take comfort in the fact that your creative nature equips you with adaptability. Start with low-stakes experiments, such as freelancing or building a portfolio, so you can explore your new path before fully committing.
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The key is to find what I call your ‘glue’ that ties your passions together. Look for overlap between your interests and skills, then identify how they can serve others or solve a problem. Think about which passion feels exciting but also sustainable over the long term, and remember - you can always evolve your approach as you grow.
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Start by researching how others in your field make a living. Look for gaps in the market that align with your strengths. Experiment with offering services, selling products, or teaching what you know. Join creative communities for support and inspiration, and don’t be afraid to start small as you test the waters.
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Not everyone will understand your path, and that’s okay. Protect your energy by sharing your plans only with those who support your vision. Use critiques as fuel to refine and improve, and remember that your unique perspective as a creative is a strength - not something to be dismissed.
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Transition gradually by starting your new career as a side hustle or part-time pursuit while maintaining other income sources. Budget thoughtfully, reduce unnecessary expenses, and look into grants, crowdfunding, or part-time contracts if needed. Focus on small wins that build your confidence while helping you stay financially secure.
How to Make a Career Change When You Have Too Many Ideas
You feel it deep in your bones - a career change is on the horizon. The work that once felt exciting, or maybe even stable, now feels like a cage. You’re talented, curious, and full of ideas for what could be your next step, career, or life. In fact, that's the problem. You don't have just one idea; you have a gazillion.
Maybe you dream of being a freelance writer, but you also want to learn ceramics. You think about starting a consulting business, but that podcast idea won't leave you alone. Your brain feels like a web browser with 50 open tabs, and the thought of choosing just one path is paralyzing.
People tell you to "just pick something," but that feels like cutting off a part of yourself. You're not indecisive, that's really not your problem - you're a creative generalist, a multipotentialite, a multi-hyphenate human with many interests and passions. Your unique and wide focus isn't a weakness; it's your superpower. But how do you bundle that superpower to make a career change without feeling completely overwhelmed?
I see you. I was once where you are, like many of my clients. Stuck in a life that looked good on paper but felt hollow inside. It took a massive personal crisis for me to finally ask what I wanted. The journey wasn't easy, but it led me here. And it taught me that making a career change when you're multi-passionate isn't about picking one thing. It's about finding the thread that ties your interests together.
Why Career Change is Different for Creative Generalists
Traditional career advice often fails us. It's built for specialists who climb a linear ladder. But what if your path looks more like a jungle gym or a game of snake (remember that addictive Nokia game from the 90s)?
For multi-passionate people, the standard "follow your passion" advice is a trap. Which one? The one from this morning or the one that will pop up next week? This can lead to a cycle of starting and stopping, feeling like you’re getting nowhere while your peers seem to have it all figured out.
The real challenges you face are unique:
The Fear of Picking the "Wrong" Thing: With so many options, you worry about committing to a path only to realize it's not the right fit, wasting precious time and money.
Analysis Paralysis: The sheer volume of your ideas can be overwhelming, leading to procrastination. You spend so much time thinking about what to do that you never actually do anything.
The Inner Critic: Your mind tells you that you're "all over the place" or "not focused enough" to succeed. This voice can be so loud that it drowns out your intuition.
Pressure to Specialize: Society celebrates experts. You might feel inadequate because you have a breadth of knowledge rather than a single, deep specialization.
Recognizing these struggles is the first step. You're not broken or flaky. You've just been misdiagnosed (as Barbara Sher, the grandmother of the creative generalists, used to say). You're simply operating with a different kind of brain, which requires a different kind of solution.
A 4-Step Framework for Your Multi-Passionate Career Change
Let's forget about the idea that you need to find a single, perfect job title. Instead, we're going to focus on creating a career that has space for your many talents. This is about designing a professional life that feels authentic, fulfilling, and financially sustainable. It's about combining instead of choosing.
Step 1: Gather Your Sparks (Without Judgment)
Before you can find clarity, you need to know what you're working with. Get a notebook or open a new document and give yourself permission to do a "brain dump."
Write down every single interest, idea, and curiosity that comes to mind. Don't filter anything. Yes, this may mean opening up all the notebooks and digital post-its that you already have. That's perfectly fine! I have those too 😄.
Want to learn how to code? Write it down.
Dream of living on a farm? Write it down.
Fascinated by ancient history? Write it down.
Think you’d be a great project manager? You know what to do.
This is a judgment-free zone. No idea is too silly, too impractical, or too random. The goal is not to create a to-do list but to see all the parts of you laid out. You’ll probably notice themes you weren't aware of. This list is your raw material.
Step 2: Find Your "Glue" – The Why That Connects Everything
Now, look at your list. Instead of focusing on what these things are, ask yourself why they interest you. What is the underlying desire or value behind each spark?
For example, let's say your list includes: "start a podcast," "learn public speaking," and "write a book."
The what is media and communication.
The why could be a desire to share important ideas, to connect with people through storytelling, or to give a voice to the unheard.
This "why" is your glue (as I talk about in my book Get Unstuck!). It’s the thread that connects your seemingly random interests. Another person might be drawn to "gardening," "baking," and "interior design." Their glue might be a passion for creating nurturing, beautiful environments.
Finding this common theme is a game-changer. It shifts your focus from choosing a single job to building a career around a central purpose. Suddenly, your many passions don't look so scattered anymore. They look like different expressions of the same core driver.
Step 3: Experiment with Low-Stakes Projects
The fear of making the wrong career change can keep you stuck for years. The antidote is action, but not the "quit your job and drain your savings" kind. We’re talking about small, low-risk experiments (check out my podcast for some ideas).
Think of yourself as a scientist in the lab of your own life. Your ideas are hypotheses, and you need to test them.
Curious about web design? Don't enroll in a $10,000 bootcamp. Take a weekend workshop or an online course for $20. Offer to build a simple website for a friend for free.
Thinking about coaching? Don't launch a full-fledged business. Offer to help a few people in your network for a small fee (or even for a testimonial) to see if you enjoy the process.
Dreaming of being a writer? Don't try to write a novel right away. Start a blog, or commit to writing 500 words a day for two weeks. Pitch a guest post to a site you admire.
The point of these experiments is to gather data. Did you enjoy the work? Did it feel energizing or draining? What parts did you like, and what parts did you hate? This real-world feedback is infinitely more valuable than just thinking about what you might like. It lowers the pressure and allows you to move forward with confidence.
Step 4: Design Your Portfolio Career
For many creative generalists, the answer isn't a single job. It’s a portfolio career: a mix of different part-time jobs, freelance projects, and business ventures that, together, create a fulfilling and financially stable whole.
This is where you get to be truly creative. Your career doesn't have to fit into a pre-made box. You can design your own.
A portfolio career could look like:
A part-time marketing consultant (for stability) + a thriving Etsy shop (for creativity) + teaching a weekly yoga class (for well-being).
A freelance graphic designer for a few anchor clients + writing a paid newsletter + running online workshops on creativity.
An international career coaching business + an AI startup + a writing career + a magical-themes Etsy shop in the making (that would be me).
Notice how each component feeds a different part of you? The portfolio career is the ultimate playground for the multi-passionate person. It allows you to use your many skills, satisfy your curiosity, and create multiple streams of income. It turns your "problem" of having too many interests into your greatest asset.
Being Stuck is a Feeling, Not a Fact
Making a career change can feel lonely, especially when it feels like no one around you "gets it." The questions, the doubts, the fear. They can be overwhelming. But being stuck is a feeling, not a fact. You have everything you need inside you to build a professional life that feels like home.
You're not all over the place; you're expansive. You're not indecisive; you're curious. It's time to stop trying to fit into a box that was never meant for you and start building a career that celebrates every part of who you are.
I believe in you!
Are You Ready for a Career That Fits All Your Interests?
Do you feel overwhelmed by a whirlwind of ideas, unsure where to start? Is your inner critic stopping you from turning your passions into something more?
Discover the confidence and clarity you need to move forward by scheduling your free coaching session today. Together, we'll explore your aspirations, identify barriers, and create powerful steps to help you finally live up to your worth and show it to the world!
Frequently Asked Questions About Career Change for Multi-Passionate Individuals
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Start by identifying the idea that excites you the most or aligns with your current values and needs, such as financial stability or creative fulfillment. Remember, choosing one path doesn’t mean abandoning the others - it’s about taking a step forward for now, not for forever.
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It’s normal for multi-passionate individuals to evolve and grow over time. Instead of viewing it as “losing interest,” see it as completing a chapter. Each experience builds skills and clarity for your next step. You can design your career to have room for flexibility and change.
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Focus on progress, not perfection. Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps, and set realistic deadlines. Accountability partners or a coach can help you stay on track and keep perfectionism at bay while celebrating your wins along the way.
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Yes, absolutely! Many multi-passionate people find their unique “glue” - a common thread that ties their interests together into one cohesive path. By blending your skills strategically, you can craft a career that allows for both creativity and financial stability.
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Understand that there’s no such thing as a wasted effort. Every step provides lessons and insights. Reframe decisions as experiments rather than permanent commitments. This approach takes the pressure off and helps you learn what truly works for you.
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Focus on the strengths and unique perspective your varied experience gives you. Highlight transferable skills, such as adaptability, creativity, and problem-solving. Your multi-passionate background is an asset, showcasing your adaptability and ability to think outside the box.
Is Your Creative Fire Dying? How to Reclaim Your Lost Self in a Soul-Sucking 9-to-5
If you're a multi-passionate creative, you know the feeling: You clock in every morning to a job that pays the bills but drains your energy and spirit. You make an okay living, but everything you do feels empty and meaningless. Boreout - a condition where someone's creative skills are severely underutilised at work, can lead to the painful conclusion that their creativity has died, or a vital part of themselves is gone.
You're exhausted, stressed out, and constantly feel trapped. Perhaps you feel like your abilities are consistently underutilized and undervalued. You might wake up feeling bored and dread your commute, finding yourself caught up in routines you hate, simply going through the motions, or living another Groundhog Day. Your passion for life seems to be gone, and your creative energy is stuck in a Groundhog Day loop.
Breaking Free from the Boreout Cycle
Many clients describe their current creative life as nonexistent, stunted, or numb. Can you relate?
The irony is that as a creative generalist, you possess many talents, are hard-working, clever, and have an insatiable hunger for knowledge. Still, you end up feeling misunderstood, out of place, and burdened by the belief that you cannot make money with creativity. You have incredible problem-solving skills, but you're mostly using them to help others rather than yourself.
The good news is that this is a natural feeling, and you're not alone. Many of my clients - creatives, entrepreneurs, artists, and C-suite professionals - come to me wrestling with this exact feeling. They want to regain clarity, confidence, and the ability to choose what they truly want in their life and career.
You can find your way back to that place of creative freedom, but it starts with realizing that you cannot simply think yourself out of feeling stuck; you must take intentional action.
10 Short "Do" Tips to Reconnect with Your Creative Self
Here are ten actionable steps you can start taking today to reclaim your creative drive and feel alive again (more in my book Get Unstuck!):
1. Do the "Ideal Day" Exercise: One of my favorites, from the grandmother of creative generalists, Barbara Sher. Visualize a good, typical, happy day out of your ideal life. This helps paint an inspiring vision and discover desires you might otherwise be unaware of.
2. Define What's Missing: Get clear on what you're truly stuck on, remembering that being stuck is a feeling, not a fact.
3. Become a Child Again: Write down ten things you loved to do as a child, and note whether you still love or would love to do them now. This helps uncover authentic dreams.
4. Embrace the Beginner's Mind: Approach your current life situation and challenges with an open, fresh perspective, like a child discovering the world for the first time.
5. Take Tiny Steps: Implement the "Seinfeld Strategy": commit to a small action daily, mark it on a calendar, and simply do not break the chain. Consistency of small steps leads to incredible results.
6. Find Your "Glue": Identify the common thread or way of being (your purpose, sense of flow, or primary interest) that makes everything else you do come together and make sense.
7. Run Real-Life Experiments: Take action and try things out, however small. Mind-body experiences are essential for lasting change and help reprogram your central nervous system. Your nervous system needs to feel into your ideas.
8. Reframe Your Fear: Remember that fear is often False Evidence Appearing Real. Question the negative predictions your mind makes and consciously choose to stop bullying yourself.
9. Build in Rest: Make sure you get enough sleep, as the brain recharges and organizes information during this time, aiding creativity and insights. Creative breakthroughs often occur when you're relaxed, doing things that require little brainwork, or taking a break.
10. Just Choose Something: If you have an overload of ideas, choose one thing to start with right now - not for forever, just for now. Clarity often only appears once you commit to a path.
Transformation is a Process. All You Need to Do is Start
If you're a creative generalist, you know that the overflow of ideas and the multitude of interests can feel overwhelming. This often results in procrastination, overthinking, and abandoning projects right before the finish line. Believe me, I know, I've been there!
You have the ability to change your life. Your breaking point doesn't need to be at the end of your rope. It can be right now, the moment you decide to take control. You got this!
Ready to Reclaim Your Creativity and Find Work You Love?
Are you tired of feeling unfulfilled, burnt out, and stuck in a job that makes you feel like your creative fire is dying? Do you secretly believe you're meant for bigger things but are paralyzed by idea overload or the fear of making the wrong choice?
As a specialised coach for creative generalists, I specialize in helping people with multiple passions break free from the tyranny of the 9-to-5 and overcome the mental blocks that prevent them from taking action. Hundreds of my clients have started exactly where you are now - feeling lost and unsure of how to move forward. I provide the clarity, strategy, and personalized guidance you need to transform your complex creative puzzle into a successful and sustainable career.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Creativity can feel like it's slipping away when you're juggling multiple interests without a clear direction. Exhaustion, overwhelm, or the pressure to be the best at everything can contribute to feeling stuck or uninspired. Taking time to prioritize passions and setting manageable goals can help reignite your creative spark.
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Yes, it’s absolutely normal. Creative generalists often face periods of burnout due to constantly switching between projects and ideas. Build intentional downtime into your schedule to recharge, and don't hesitate to explore sources of inspiration outside your usual interests.
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This fear stems from societal pressure to specialize. Instead, focus on how your multi-passionate nature makes you uniquely versatile and skilled at many things. Highlight the value you bring through diverse perspectives and problem-solving skills. Many successful careers are built on the ability to adapt and innovate.
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Prioritize your passions based on your goals, breaking large projects into smaller, actionable steps. Create a system for balancing exploration with execution, such as dedicating specific days or times to different pursuits, and stick to it.
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Start small. Engage in low-stakes creative activities, like journaling or sketching, to reduce performance pressure. Collaborate with others or revisit past projects to find your enthusiasm again. Remember, progress begins with action, not perfection.
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Establish boundaries and carve out time for personal creative pursuits, no matter how small. Surround yourself with inspiring people, stay curious by learning new skills, and use setbacks as opportunities for creative problem-solving. A consistent practice of creativity allows it to remain a vibrant part of your life, even during busy times.
Why Creative Generalists Get Bored (And How to Fix It)
Do you pick up new skills with surprising speed, only to lose interest once you feel you've mastered them? Do you have a graveyard of projects, some almost finished, that you just can’t bring yourself to complete? If this sounds familiar, you might be a creative generalist - also known as a multipotentialite, polymath, or scanner. And that feeling of recurring boredom isn't a character flaw; it's a sign that something needs to change.
For years, I’ve worked with brilliant creatives and entrepreneurs who felt stuck, anxious, and deeply frustrated. In my coaching practice, they told me over and over again how they believed something was wrong with them because they couldn't just "pick one thing" and stick with it. The truth is, their unique brain wiring simply didn't match a world that glorifies specialization.
If you feel seen right now, welcome! This post is for you. We’ll explore why your mind works this way, why boredom is an inevitable part of your process, and how you can shift your mindset to not just cope, but to truly thrive.
The Generalist's Dilemma: Rapid Learning, Rapid Boredom
The core of the generalist experience is the speed of learning and an insatiable hunger for knowledge. You're wired to absorb information, connect random ideas, and reach a level of competency faster than most. This is your superpower. But it comes with a catch. For you, the thrill is in the challenge, not in the outcome. The steep learning curve, the problem-solving, the act of figuring it out. The chase is so much better than the catch.
Once you’ve cracked the code and the initial challenge fades, boredom sets in. It’s not because you're flaky or lack discipline. It’s because the intellectual stimulation that got you all excited and ready to go in the morning is gone. You’ve conquered the mountain and your eyes are already scanning the horizon for the next, more interesting peak.
This cycle often clashes with societal expectations. We're told that success means deep specialization and a linear career path. When your path looks more like a web of interconnected interests, it can lead to anxiety and a feeling of being perpetually stuck. You might wonder if you'll ever finish anything or build something of lasting value.
When There Is No Creative Variety
Think of boredom as a signal. It’s your mind telling you that the container you’re in has become too small - there is no creative variety to your life or work. You’ve outgrown the role, the project, or the hobby. It’s time for a new challenge, a new problem to solve, a new world to explore.
Honoring this need for variety is not a weakness; it is essential to your well-being and success. Trying to force yourself into a specialist's box is like trying to convince a bird to live underwater. It goes against your very nature. When you feel that familiar restlessness, don't suppress it. Instead, ask yourself: What new knowledge am I yearning for? What problem would I like to solve?
Embracing this cycle allows you to build a unique and powerful toolkit. Each skill you acquire, each subject you master, to the level you believe is enough, becomes another tool you can use to solve problems in creative and unexpected ways.
The Overwhelm of Infinite Ideas
A direct consequence of your wide-ranging curiosity is a constant, overwhelming flood of ideas. Your brain is a powerful ideation machine, always making new connections. You might see a documentary on urban farming and immediately sketch out a business plan for a vertical garden startup. The next day, you’re drafting a screenplay inspired by a biography you read. And the day after, you're connecting that play with your garden.
This can feel less like a gift and more like a burden. How do you choose? How do you focus when every idea feels exciting and full of potential? This is where many generalists get stuck - and precisely where I come in to help them. The sheer volume of possibilities leads to inaction.
Worse, it contributes to a graveyard of unfinished projects. Your hard drive is likely filled with half-written novels, business plans that are 95% complete, and countless other brilliant concepts that were abandoned just before the finish line. This happens because the most stimulating part - the creation and problem-solving - is over. All that’s left is the less exciting work of finalizing, polishing, and shipping (not our forte as generalists, believe me, I know).
Strategies to Overcome Boredom and Get Unstuck
You don't need to change who you are; you need to build systems and mindsets that work with your nature, not against it.
1. Reframe What "Finished" Means
You don't have to complete every project in the traditional sense. Redefine "done" for yourself. Maybe "done" for a new hobby is learning until you feel proficient. Maybe "done" for a business idea is creating a detailed plan that you can file away for later. Give yourself permission to move on once you've extracted the value you needed: the learning, the experience, the excitement. Not every seed you plant needs to become a towering tree.
2. Design a Portfolio Career
Instead of trying to find the "one perfect job," build a career with variety built in. This could look like:
A "Good Enough" Job and Passion Projects: Have a stable job that funds your life and leaves you with the mental and emotional energy to pursue your myriad interests on the side.
The Slash/Slash Model: Embrace being a consultant/writer/developer. Juggle a few part-time roles or freelance gigs that tap into different parts of your brain.
An Umbrella Business: Create a business with a broad mission that allows you to explore different projects under one roof. My work as a coach and startup mentor, for instance, lets me dive into everything from tech and AI to philosophy and entrepreneurship.
3. Use a Project Incubator System
Don't let good ideas overwhelm you or disappear. Create a system to capture and incubate them. This could be a notebook, a Trello board, or a folder on your computer. When a new idea strikes, write it down with enough detail to remember it. Then, let it sit. Revisit your incubator periodically. Some ideas will have lost their shine, while others will ignite a new spark of excitement. This allows you to pursue ideas with intention rather than impulse.
4. Find Your Glue - Your Meta-Skill
Look across all your seemingly random interests. What is the common thread? Perhaps you are drawn to storytelling, which manifests as writing, marketing, and filmmaking. Maybe you love building systems, which you've applied to coding, project management, and even gardening. Identifying this underlying "glue" or "meta-skill" can provide a powerful sense of purpose and direction, helping you frame your many different experiences into a cohesive whole.
Your Variety Is Your Magic
It’s time to stop seeing your innate curiosity as a problem. It's your greatest asset. In a world that is constantly changing, it is the generalists - the creative, adaptable problem-solvers - who are best equipped to navigate the future. Your ability to learn quickly, connect seemingly unconnected ideas, and pivot is not just valuable; it's a form of magic.
So often in my coaching practice, I see creative minds who are tired of feeling “too much, ”too scattered, too restless, too unconventional. Here’s the truth: you’re not too much. You've just been misdiagnosed. And you're not alone on this journey.
Accept and enjoy your need for intellectual stimulation. Celebrate the flow and happiness of the learning curve. Build a life that has enough room for all of your passions to breathe. When you stop fighting your nature and start working with it, you will unlock a level of creativity and fulfillment you never thought possible.
I believe in you!
Ready to break free from the multi-passionate boredom loop?
Are you tired of feeling uninspired, stuck, or misunderstood as a creative generalist? I get it. You crave variety, new challenges, and meaningful growth. My coaching is dedicated to helping creative professionals like you find the clarity, confidence, and momentum you need.
Imagine a career and life built around your strengths – a portfolio of passions that truly inspire you. You’ll gain personalized support, insights, and strategies to conquer boredom and transform your generalist wiring into your ultimate superpower. Curious about what's possible?Frequently Asked Questions
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A creative generalist is someone who thrives on learning new things, has a wide range of interests, and excels at connecting ideas across different fields. If you lose interest after mastering something or constantly crave new challenges, you might be a generalist.
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You may be a multipotentialite if you resist choosing a single specialty, are energized by variety, and accumulate many projects or skills over time. It’s about embracing the value of having multiple interests.
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Generalists tend to learn rapidly. Once the initial challenge wears off and they feel competent, the excitement fades. Boredom is a sign that you need a new intellectual adventure - not a flaw.
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Not at all. In fact, generalists are highly adaptable and creative problem-solvers. The key is designing a career path that honors your need for variety, such as a portfolio career or a combination of roles that stimulate you.
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Redefine what “finished” means to you, incubate your ideas, and seek out your meta-skills that tie your projects together. And don’t hesitate to reach out for support, my coaching practice specializes in helping generalists set meaningful goals and find focus.
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Use an idea incubator system (notebook, Trello, digital folder) to capture ideas, review them periodically, and pursue only those that reignite your passion and align with your core interests.
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A portfolio career blends several roles, projects, or interests rather than focusing on just one path, making it perfect for those who crave variety and lifelong learning, like generalists or multi-passionate creators.
Monetize Your Multi-Passionate Ideas: A Creative's Guide to Financial Freedom
Are you an artist, creative generalist, or entrepreneur who feels caught between the pressure of earning a decent living and the desire for meaningful, creative work? You're talented, driven, and educated, and you have an abundance of creative ideas. Yet, that creative energy is often overshadowed by financial anxiety, procrastination, overthinking, or the sheer exhaustion of having too many ideas and striving for perfection.
The result, as I witness daily in my coaching practice, is often stagnation and frustration. You want financial independence, but worry that making significant money requires sacrificing your creative work, leading to a job that feels empty and meaningless or a career that is slowly sucking the life out of you.
Breaking Free from the Cycle of Paralysis
After a decade supporting creatives to get unstuck, I know that the fundamental challenge for creatives and entrepreneurs, especially generalists, is transforming their multifaceted nature, often characterized by idea overload and the paralyzing fear of choosing the wrong thing, into a sustainable, profitable system that works with their complex mind and not against it.
Many creatives feel stuck in a golden cage, clinging to stable jobs out of necessity or fear, even if those roles lead to burnout or leave them feeling undervalued. But there are ways to break free from this trap and create a fulfilling, successful career that aligns with one's unique talents and passions.
Strategy 1: Redefining Value by Combining, Not Choosing
Creative generalists often have multiple projects floating in their heads, ranging from starting a business to pursuing various artistic disciplines. The internal pressure to specialize is immense in a world geared toward experts. But forcing yourself to pick only one interest often leads to rapid boredom and abandonment, famously known as "The Dip".
The key to financial stability without sacrificing your creative soul is realizing that you don't have to choose; you can combine.
Instead of trying to fit into a tiny box defined by others, seek out your unique "glue," the common thread that ties all your seemingly disparate interests together and gives them meaning. This process begins by understanding that your diverse skills, from strong writing to complex problem-solving and communication, are marketable assets.
For instance, a client with multiple interests might realize their true value lies not in what they do (e.g., writing, teaching, design), but in how they combine those skills to connect ideas, inspire change, or simplify complex concepts. When you start identifying career opportunities that utilise your full, multifaceted skill set, the work instantly becomes more engaging and sustainable.
Tip: Map out your "superhero powers," your strongest points. Then, identify the overarching purpose or value (your glue) that motivates you, even if it feels small or internal. This could be building community, equitable resource distribution, or simply inspiring genuine connections.
Strategy 2: Action Over Analysis for Breakthroughs
A common pattern I see with creative clients who are stuck is trading external hustle for internal analysis: endlessly conceptualizing and overthinking ideas to the point of "analysis paralysis". This is often driven by perfectionism, in which the inner critic demands unattainable ideals before allowing any visible action.
You cannot think yourself out of being stuck; you must take action. To break free from this cycle and find genuine momentum, focus on Execution (the E in the MOVE Method that I've developed).
Small, Consistent Steps: Instead of relying on a burst of willpower (which is a finite resource) to tackle the "huge" project, commit to consistency. I love the principle of the Compound Effect: small steps repeated over time lead to incredible, exponential results.
Tip: Implement the "Don't Break the Chain" philosophy (aka The Seinfeld Strategy). Choose one micro-action related to your new combined passion (e.g., writing for 45 minutes, outlining a business structure, or reaching out to one potential collaborator) and once you've done it, mark it with a big, bold X on your calendar for the day. The only thing you have to do is not break the chain.
Extra tip: If you're struggling with follow-through, external accountability (such as a coach or a peer) can be highly motivating too!
Strategy 3: Designing Systems for Flow, Not to Grind More
Financial stability for a creative entrepreneur with many passions and ideas means designing a work-life structure that supports your need for flow and creative rest while maximizing income potential. Many clients struggle because their work requires constant energy and presence (as a manager, designer, or event producer), leaving them exhausted and with little bandwidth for what they're actually passionate about or even the more mundane marketing, admin, or generating passive income.
To achieve financial abundance without burnout:
1. Prioritize Passive Income Streams: Actively look for ways to monetize your knowledge or creative output that detaches your income from your direct time and energy output. For creative generalists, this might involve creating an online course or digital product that simplifies a complex process or teaches people something you excel at.
2. Integrate Technical Skills Strategically: Use your intellectual curiosity and learning strengths to incorporate technical skills (like analytics, AI, or system design) not as a main job, but as tools to make your business or work more efficient. This allows you to delegate wisely and maintain focus on your creative domain.
3. Cultivate Flow and Rest: Since you thrive on creation and easily experience flow when engaged in meaningful work, structure your time to enter this state daily. I do this with a morning writing routine and daily creative habits. Be mindful that overwork and distraction can drain this energy.
Achieving financial freedom as a creative requires action. If you're waiting for confidence or clarity before doing anything, remember that being ready is a decision, not a feeling. Confidence is built through doing the thing you fear, not waiting for the fear to disappear.
Ready to build your financial foundation?
If you're tired of the constant stress, analysis paralysis, and the nagging feeling that you're not living up to your full potential, it’s time to move forward. You're an ambitious, resourceful creative leader who deserves a life that is both joyful and financially secure.
Gaining clarity and a strategic roadmap is the first step to conquering financial anxiety and multiplying your creative pursuits.
The Generalist's Dilemma: Overcoming Procrastination & Inaction with Grit
You know the feeling. The project sits there, perfectly planned in your head. You've researched, outlined, and maybe even created a detailed timeline. But somehow, weeks pass, and nothing concrete has happened. You're a creative generalist by nature. You've accomplished plenty in your life, and want to do so much more still. Yet here you are, stuck in the gap between intention and action again, quitting a project in mid-air while unable to start the new one.
This is the generalist's dilemma, and it's particularly painful for multi-passionate professionals who see endless possibilities but struggle to bring them to life - or keep them going without straying.
When "Just Do It" Isn't Enough
The standard productivity advice assumes that your problem is either a lack of motivation or a lack of clarity. "Just start," they say. "Break it into smaller steps." But you already know what needs doing. You've broken it down. You've set the deadlines. The issue isn't a lack of knowledge, it's the mysterious desire to keep researching instead of building, planning instead of launching, and perfecting instead of sharing.
For creative professionals with multiple interests, this stuck feeling often comes from a deeper place. You see connections others miss. You understand the complexity of what you're trying to create. You know it could be better, more integrated, more thoughtful. This awareness becomes both your gift and your trap. Because now you've created a mountain in your head, and you want to climb it in one go.
The Perfectionism-Procrastination Loop
Here's what really happens in that space between intention and action: perfectionism disguises itself as preparation. You tell yourself you need one more course, one more research phase, one more week to "get it right." But creative generalist perfectionism isn't about standards; it's really about fear. Fear that your work won't match your vision. Fear that others won't understand your unique perspective. Fear that you'll be judged for trying something that doesn't fit neatly into existing categories. Fear that it will be too much work - like getting on top of a mountain in one step.
The irony is that your many interests and high standards, the very things that make your work unique and different, become the blocks that keep you from creating your work.
Grit vs. Grinding
This is where grit comes in, but not the "grind harder" version that leads to burnout. True grit isn't about forcing yourself through misery. It's about developing the psychological flexibility to act despite uncertainty, to move forward with incomplete information, and to trust that iteration beats ideation.
Psychologist Angela Duckworth defines grit as "passion and perseverance for long-term goals." When you're stuck in inaction, you've usually lost touch with why this project matters to you. You're focused on how it might be received rather than why it needs to exist.
The path out of multi-passionate overwhelm starts with reconnecting to your why, not the logical business case, but the emotional pull that made you care about this idea in the first place.
The Minimum Viable Action
Instead of asking "How do I make this perfect?" start asking "What's the smallest action that would make this real?"
This isn't about lowering your standards. It's about understanding that excellence emerges through iteration, not through extended planning phases. You must embrace being agile in creating. Your first attempt doesn't need to be your final piece of art or project, it needs to be your first proof of concept.
For one creative entrepreneur I worked with, this meant publishing a single blog post instead of waiting to launch a complete content platform. For another generalist, it meant having one conversation with a potential customer instead of building an entire market research plan. In each case, that minimum viable action broke the spell of perfectionism and created momentum.
The Power of "Good Enough to Share"
Creative generalists often struggle with what researchers call "analysis paralysis," the inability to make decisions when faced with multiple good options. You see so many ways your project could evolve that you delay starting until you can pursue all of them simultaneously.
The antidote is embracing "good enough to share." This doesn't mean accepting mediocrity, it means understanding that shared imperfection beats private perfection every time. When you share early versions of your work, you get real feedback that's infinitely more valuable than your inner critic speculating about how it might be received.
Modern tools, including AI productivity tools, can help bridge this gap between vision and execution, allowing you to test ideas quickly and iterate based on real feedback rather than imagined criticism. Whether it's using simple automation to validate market interest or leveraging AI tools for creative professionals to help with initial content creation, technology can help you move from thinking to doing with less friction.
Building Your Action Muscle
Like any skill, taking action despite uncertainty gets easier with practice. Start with low-stakes experiments. Choose projects where failure is informative rather than catastrophic. Give yourself permission to be a beginner again.
Set what I call "learning deadlines" instead of perfection deadlines. Instead of "Launch the perfect course by December," try "Get feedback from 10 people on my course outline by October 15." The first creates pressure to be perfect. The second creates momentum toward improvement.
This approach is particularly effective for portfolio career development, where you're building multiple income streams that need to work together harmoniously rather than perfectly from day one.
The Compound Effect of Small Actions
Here's what happens when you choose action over analysis: each small step gives you information you couldn't have discovered through planning alone.
More importantly, you start building evidence that you can follow through on your ideas. This creates an upward spiral: the more you act, the more confident you become in your ability to act, which makes future action easier. This is how creative generalist success stories are built: one imperfect action at a time.
Moving Forward
The projects sitting in your "someday" pile aren't just abandoned ideas, they're future opportunities waiting for you to develop the courage to be imperfect in public. Your unique perspective and multi-disciplinary thinking are exactly what the world needs, but only if you're willing to share them before they feel finished.
Whether you're building a portfolio career, developing multiple income streams, or simply trying to turn your passions into something meaningful, the gap between intention and action closes not through better planning, but through practiced courage. Start where you are, with what you have, imperfectly but consistently.
Your ideas deserve to exist in the world, not just in your mind.
Struggling to move from intention to action on your creative projects?
I provide career coaching for creative generalists to break through perfectionism and build sustainable momentum toward their biggest goals.
If you're a multi-passionate professional ready to stop planning and start creating, let's talk about how one-on-one coaching can help you bridge that gap.