Side Effects of Being a Multihyphenate

Podcast Summary

• Exploring the World of Multi-Hyphenates: Multi-hyphenates are individuals who excel in multiple fields and receive payment for their work, while dabblers enjoy doing multiple things but never fully commit. Understanding the differences can lead to personal growth and success.

  Being a multi-hyphenate, or a person with various talents and interests, can be a valuable and masterful pursuit, but it requires dedication and focus to truly excel in each area. A multi-hyphenate is someone who has invested significant time and effort into becoming proficient in multiple fields and receives payment for their work. The synergy between their various pursuits enhances their overall value. Conversely, a dabbler is someone who enjoys doing multiple things but never fully commits to mastering any one of them. Understanding the differences between these two can help individuals navigate their own paths and make the most of their diverse talents.

• Committing to bringing creative work into commercial sphere: Courageously claim your titles as multi-hyphenates, fully committing to mastering and monetizing your passions.

  Committing to bringing your creative work into the commercial sphere requires courage and should not be taken lightly. Being an artist or creator doesn't just mean creating, but also putting your work out there for judgment and potential payment. Multi-hyphenates, those who have mastered multiple crafts, understand this and claim their titles proudly. Dabblers, on the other hand, may enjoy trying new things but don't fully commit to mastering them. The speaker's experience of waiting for a "fine ass tennis bae" on a plane serves as a reminder to fully commit and claim our passions and titles.

• Exploring diverse talents and meeting new people: Embrace your multi-hyphen identity, approach new connections with compliments, and find the common ground that connects your various interests.

  Embracing your multi-hyphen identity and pursuing various artistic interests can lead to unique opportunities and connections. The speaker shares an experience of approaching a tennis coach, Tennis Bae, and complimenting him on his appearance, leading to a meaningful interaction and discovery of his role as Sloane Stephens' hitting coach. This encounter encouraged the speaker to encourage others to embrace their diverse talents instead of being told to focus on just one. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of dedication and discipline in managing multiple interests, and finding the "skeleton key" that connects all skillsets. Overall, the discussion highlights the value of being open to new experiences and recognizing the power of diversity in abilities.

• Managing multiple projects as a multi-hyphenate artist: Stay aware of energy levels and intuition to juggle projects, focus on primary one until completion, and understand varying demands of each project.

  While it's important to give each project your full attention, not all projects require the same amount of time and effort to excel. Multi-hyphenate artist and comedian, as an example, shares how his experience in writing, acting, and stand-up comedy allowed him to progress faster in some areas because of the foundation he built in others. He emphasizes the importance of learning to juggle projects and focusing on the primary one until it's time to shift. This requires staying aware of your energy levels and listening to your intuition to know when it's time to make a change. By understanding that some projects may demand more attention at certain times, you can effectively manage your time and resources as a multi-hyphenate artist.

• Finding the thread that connects all skills and talents: Explore what brings joy and passion to unify all aspects of work and find the desired outcome to fuel a successful and fulfilling career.

  Everyone has multiple skills and talents, but finding the thread that connects them all and focusing on the desired outcome can help unlock the full potential of those abilities. The speaker shares her experience of being good at various things but feeling uncertain about finding her specific craft. She encourages exploring what brings joy and passion, as that could be the skeleton key to unifying all aspects of one's work. The outcome desired, whether it's making people laugh or creating within a specific genre, can serve as the driving force behind a successful and fulfilling career.

• Exploring different passions and experiences can lead to career clarity: Through exploring various passions and experiences, individuals can identify their unique outcome and focus their efforts towards achieving it.

  Identifying and pursuing a clear outcome can help clarify the role of various passions or interests in one's career. The speaker shares how they desired to build a multi-platform media empire based on their perspective, but lacked the essential component of stand-up comedy. After realizing this, they took a leap of faith and started performing stand-up, which ultimately led to greater acceptance and expectation of their multi-hyphenate career. For those unsure of their career path, the speaker suggests viewing their experiences as part of a hustle phase, where they explore different fields and discover what resonates with them. This period of exploration ultimately sets the foundation for focusing energy and resources towards a specific goal.

• Pursue what truly fulfills you: Explore different paths to find joy and fulfillment, research successful individuals, and align career with passions.

  It's essential to pursue what truly fulfills you in life, even if it seems unattainable based on your current circumstances. The speaker emphasizes that it's important to think beyond what's readily available and consider what truly drives you. This can be a challenging process, especially when financial stability is a priority. However, the speaker encourages exploring different career paths and hobbies to find what brings joy and fulfillment. They provide examples of various careers that may not be commonly known, such as treasure hunting or travel blogging. Ultimately, the key is to identify what makes you happy and then find a tangible career path that aligns with that passion. The speaker also highlights the importance of researching and learning from those who have already succeeded in the desired field. As illustrated by the example of Gordon Parks, who defied odds and excelled as a photographer, director, composer, and writer, it's possible to make things work and achieve success in multiple areas.

• Embracing multi-hyphenate abilities: Multi-hyphenates can benefit from income, creative expression, and control over work in various fields. Examples include Gordon Parks in photography, filmmaking, and composing, Tyler Perry in acting, writing, and directing, and Bo Jackson in sports.

  Being a multi-hyphenate, or someone who excels in multiple creative fields, can provide significant benefits in terms of income, creative expression, and control over one's work. Gordon Parks, for example, started as a photographer and expanded into filmmaking and composing. In the entertainment industry, actors like Tyler Perry write, direct, and act in their own projects, giving them more control and the ability to bring their vision to life. This concept is not limited to the arts; athletes like Bo Jackson demonstrated exceptional abilities in multiple sports but could only fully exercise their multi-hyphenate athleticism in a few fields due to scheduling constraints. The arts and athletics share similarities in that mastering one skill can open doors to excelling in others. Ultimately, embracing multi-hyphenate abilities can lead to greater opportunities and a more fulfilling creative journey.

• Exploring New Opportunities and Entrepreneurship as a Multi-Hyphenate: Multi-hyphenates can expand their skills and create opportunities beyond their primary career, such as entrepreneurship and influencing, leading to greater success and personal fulfillment.

  Being a multi-hyphenate artist or creative professional goes beyond just having multiple skills or careers. It also involves entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for others. Viggo Mortensen, for example, not only sells paintings but also runs a publishing house. Similarly, Oprah Winfrey started as a TV host but expanded into influencing, acting, producing, and even owning her own network. These examples show that being a businesswoman is a valuable skill for multi-hyphenates, and it's essential to keep exploring new opportunities even if it means putting some on hold. The uniqueness of each individual's path does not negate the possibility of success. Instead, it's important to find a label that accurately represents your talents while staying true to yourself. As Amanda put it, "the only reason why I was going through this is because I knew that the marketplace needs a way to label you. They need somewhere to put you. They need to be able to say she fits over here."

• Embracing Unique Identity and Finding Success: Perseverance, self-discovery, and writing are crucial for unlocking opportunities and finding success in the entertainment industry.

  Discovering and embracing one's unique identity and talents can be a challenging journey, but it's essential for personal growth and success. The speaker in this discussion went through various labels, from humorist to influencer, trying to define herself. However, she realized that writing was the key to unlocking opportunities and creating projects for herself. Ultimately, she found her niche in stand-up comedy, which became the thread connecting all her skills and passions. This journey highlights the importance of perseverance, self-discovery, and the power of writing in the entertainment industry.

• Discover the skill that enables all other talents to thrive organically: Identifying a core skill can lead to a more fulfilling and successful career as a multi-hyphenate artist. Stay true to artistic passions and embrace the journey to discovering this skill.

  Finding success as a multi-hyphenate artist requires identifying the core skill that allows all other talents to thrive organically. For the speaker, comedy served as that skeleton key, opening doors to acting and hosting opportunities. It's essential to remember that one doesn't have to choose just one thing; instead, focus on the skill that enables the artist to do everything. The journey to discovering this can be challenging, but with determination and the right connections, it's possible to create a masterpiece by combining all artistic skills. As the speaker emphasizes, "You have the power to create that masterpiece. You have the agency to put that all together." Moreover, the speaker's personal experience highlights the importance of staying true to one's artistic passions and not allowing external pressures to dictate which skills to prioritize. Comparing it to a child with toys, the speaker emphasizes that each artistic skill is valuable and should not be discarded. In essence, embracing the multi-hyphenate identity and combining various artistic skills can lead to a more fulfilling and successful career. It may require introspection and perseverance, but the potential rewards are worth the effort.