What’s a multi-passionate creative or creative generalist?

And, more importantly, are you one?

What is a creative generalist?

According to my own definition, a creative generalist is a:

Curious and adventurous dabbler, explorer, fast learner - someone with many talents, broad interests, and a hunger for knowledge across many topics. A natural program-solver and bridge-builder with thicker skin for failure and a capacity for change. Doesn't fit into a specific career path. Easily bored. Loves to get started over and over again. Always in for a challenge.

 

Where does the term “creative generalist” come from?

"Creative generalist" is a term used by coaches, therapists, psychologists and even behavioral scientists to describe people with many and varied creative skills, interests, and projects in many areas that they want to work on, or are working on simultaneously, cyclically or sequentially throughout their lives. There are many names for this creative and cognitive condition: jack-of-all-trades, polymath, scanner, slasher, multipotentialite or multi-passionate creative, renaissance woman or man – the latter a legacy of none other than Leonardo da Vinci.

The term 'creative generalist' was coined by Steve Hardy in 2005 when he wrote a manifesto on innovation. In it, he talked about a type of people who could produce innovation and change thanks to a wide range of interests and their unique way of bringing different disciplines together. In recent years, Emilie Wapnick and Marie Forleo mainly spread knowledge about creative generalists. Emilie talks about "multipotentialites," and Marie Forleo about "multi-passionate creatives." The grandmothers of the creative generalists, as I like to call them, are Barbara Sher and Margaret Lobenstine, whose most important works are included in the reading list at the end of this page.

A definition of "creative generalist" wouldn't be complete without mentioning a groundbreaking book that, perhaps because it is somewhat dated, receives little attention in discussing specialists versus creative generalists.

In 2004, Charles Murray, American political scientist, author, and libertarian, published Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950, a comprehensive work in which he searched for human excellence through the ages: from 800 B.C. to 1950. With fascinating descriptions, he tells about studies that looked at why the 'giants' of art and the 'greats' of science were so successful. Murray concluded that no fewer than 15 of the 20 most important innovators of all time were creative generalists: Newton, Galileo, Aristotle, Kepler, Descartes, Huygens, Laplace, Faraday, Pasteur, Ptolemy, Hooke, Leibniz, Euler, Darwin, and Maxwell. An impressive list. Too bad there aren't more women on that list because many left their mark on our world as creative generalists throughout history, too.

Although it looks like everyone's a creative generalist these days, it's not the case. We still live in a world that worships specialization as the greatest virtue and so pressures us to become experts in one specific field. The time when having a wide range of knowledge and interests like Leonardi Da Vinci was an advantage is long gone. But new times are coming. That's why I've made it my mission to help creative generalists understand more about how their brain works, so they can get unstuck, embrace their many interests and passions, and finally do work they love.

Are you a creative generalist?

Read the questions below and answer them with "yes" or "no."

  • Do you get bored quickly when you figure out how something works, how to do it, or if you have to do the same thing too often?

  • Do you enjoy learning, researching and exploring, and developing new skills?

  • Do you keep changing your mind about what you want to do with your life? Are you still wondering what you'll be when you "grow up"?

  • Is it difficult for you to explain to someone what you do? To answer the dreaded "So, what do you do?" question?

  • Do you often daydream about everything you want to do "someday" or "still" in your life, both professionally and personally?

  • Is there a stack of books waiting for you somewhere that you "want" or "need" to read?

  • Do you always have a ton of browser windows open on your computer?

  • Do you prefer to find solutions instead of seeing problems and not taking action?

  • Can you be so caught up by something new that you want to know everything about it and share that information with others?

  • Do you get discouraged when you feel like your talents are being underutilized?

  • Can you easily take on different roles and tasks and juggle them simultaneously?

  • Do you often start many things but finish only a few of them? Do you feel like you need to be more focused?

  • Do you often hear from people around you that you're busy with too many things at once?

  • Do you sometimes feel like you could lead an entirely different life (or lives)?

  • Do you quickly make connections that others can't or can't see?

  • Are you a perpetual overthinker in your career, or do you keep changing your mind about what you really want to do?

  • Are you happiest when you can simultaneously work on different projects (ideas, interests)?

  • Do you have trouble choosing for fear of losing something?

  • Do you sometimes feel like you're not good enough, that you don't have the proper education or that you need another degree before you can do something?

  • Do you easily rebel and resist doing something as soon as you "have to" do it, or it's imposed on you?

If you answered 'yes' to three or more of the above questions, chances are that you're a creative generalist and have not one but (many) different interests and passions. Congratulations! It means that you have a unique and brilliant brain and that you are capable of solving complex problems and coming up with innovative solutions.

The possibilities are endless! Don't be afraid to explore your different interests and passions and the paths you could take in life. There can often be unexpected opportunities when you think outside the box and consider all possibilities. You may even find a new career path you hadn't previously considered. The main idea is not to choose but to combine what you're passionate about!

As a creative generalist, you can use different skills in multiple ways to create something magical and unique. Take the time to explore your interests, develop your passions, and embrace the power of being a creative generalist. You will be amazed at what you can do when you open your mind to all possibilities. Good luck! And if you want some help figuring things out, let's connect!

Reading list for creative generalists

As seen in