The Creative Generalist: Redefining the future of work

In the creative field, specialism runs rampant.

Perfect your craft. Perfect your work. Zero-in on your area of expertise, and forget about the rest.

The further you tailor your skill to a specific market, the more “successful” you’re supposed to be.

“I’m a visual effects artist for athletic brands.”

Most believe the more specific, the better.

This is how a majority of creatives have been taught to operate.

But is specialism an outdated approach to making a living as a creative entrepreneur?

One Skill vs. Many

A movie set consists of many moving parts.

Director, director of photography, camera operator, focus puller, sound guy, sound guy #2, sound gal #3, coffee runner, gaffer, Kleenex provider, and the list goes on. (Okay, this might not be 100% accurate… but you get the point)

If you want to work your way up the totem pole, you must start at the bottom.

And the more specific your expertise is, the better chances you have for success.

To make your way up the ladder in movie production, you better zero in on one skill and become known for that one thing. You better become the best of the best, and forget the rest.

This system of hierarchy translates to many creative fields.

Further and further down the rabbit hole you become, until you realize you’ve dug yourself into a pit that’s impossible to climb out of.

But what if you eventually want to pivot in your career?

Imagine your skillset being rungs of a ladder.

One skill gets you to a certain height, two skills gets you a bit further, and up it goes.

Most stick to the first rung.

If your goal is to go deep, one skill should be enough to get you there. But if you want to go high, learning multiple skills is necessary to achieve great heights.

Diversifying Your Skillset: Increasing Your Creative Value

My creative career began with photography.

I purchased my first camera at 14 years old and began learning how to operate it. I watched video tutorials, I took thousands of poorly exposed images, and eventually mastered the basics of shooting manual mode on a DSLR.

That was level 1.

I could have stayed there and gone deeper and deeper into still photography. But I was too curious about how to shoot video on a DSLR, so down that rabbit hole I went.

An entire new skillset was required to shoot video. Different camera settings, different perspectives, and the need to edit your videos together into a cohesive story.

With time, things began to click. I got my first gig as a second-shooter for wedding films. I began editing my own videos together of my friends snowboarding.

I had reached levels 2 and 3: shooting video and editing video.

With each new curiosity, new skills were required to advance.

Then I wanted to create better graphics in my videos and thumbnails. This required me to learn design and animation – all of which required new software that I knew nothing about at the time.

I had no idea what I was doing, but in order to re-create the epic adventure videos I watched on YouTube, I had to familiarize myself with the processes the pros were using.

I had reached levels 4 and 5: design and animation.

Getting to this point took years of trial and error. Here’s the skills I learned and the order I learned them:

  1. Photography
  2. Video creation
  3. Video editing
  4. Design
  5. Animation

Sharing the videos I was creating on YouTube began showcasing some of my work to the world. This led to an internship opportunity (which was happily welcomed shortly after dropping out of college).

I never interviewed for the job. I didn’t need a resume or cover letter. The work I shared online spoke for itself.

(And guess what? My videos were not amazing, but it was enough to catch the attention of an employer who understood the potential)

Each of the skills I had learned throughout the previous 5+ years of fiddling around with a camera and computer began to pay off. I never thought it was enough to turn into a career, but at the age of 19 I had made that dream a reality.

(You can get a checklist for the video creation process I’ve developed over the years here: Video Creation Task List)

But there’s an important caveat: The combination of my skills was what set me up for success in the creative field. Had I focused on photography alone – I would not have landed the job.

A lot of people can shoot a great photo.

Fewer people can film, edit, and animate videos.

If you’re feeling stuck in your career, it might be time to consider diversifying your skillset.

Reaching Your Learning Potential (And When to Pivot)

Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there.

I wish being able to film, edit, and animate videos was enough to run a successful creative business – but it’s far from it.

After a couple years at the agency I worked for, I began to hit a wall. I felt stuck once again. I was advancing in my career and creating videos for reputable companies. But still, something was missing.

At this point, let’s just say I had reached level 7: adding scriptwriting and client relations to the list.

My skillset was growing rapidly at the beginning of this career but eventually reached its peak. There were a few more things I could learn, but it wasn’t enough to keep me invested.

It was at this point that things got monotonous. Going to work each day was a drag. Pushing through each project felt like a carbon copy of the last one. There wasn’t enough novelty in my daily routine for sustained satisfaction.

I had reached my learning potential.

This happens at different times for different people.

But I believe it happens to all of us at some point in our careers. It’s at this point that you have an important decision to make: to remain comfortable or to strive for levels 8-10.

Do you know where you’re at on your journey?

Have you reached that learning potential?

Do you remember when things went from fun… to robotic?

Monetizing Your Skillset: The Creative Generalist

Jobs have a specific set of tasks.

When someone is hired by an employer, it’s because they feel that the candidate is capable of doing X, Y, and Z.

As time goes on, more responsibility may be expected of you. But generally, a web developer isn’t going to be expected to be part of the sales team. And a videographer isn’t going to be expected to write code for a new website.

An employee remains within a certain area of expertise.

The important tasks you’re responsible for are the areas you’ve become proficient in.

Some people love having this “box” to work in. They know what’s expected of them and they do their job day after day.

But what if you want to employ yourself?

What skills are required to become a one-person business?

I help you develop clarity to begin (or continue) your creative career in the Content Clarity Crash Course.

This was the exact position I found myself in at the beginning of 2022.

I was still working at the agency doing photo and video work. I had reached “level 7” in my creative work, but made a terrifying realization that my skills wouldn’t translate to my own thriving solo business.

I was simply a cog in the wheel of the agency. My coworkers sold the projects. They brainstormed the ideas for what type of media would be most beneficial to the clients. They attended the meetings.

When it was time to bring that vision to life, I entered into the equation. I was just the guy with the camera and editing software. I knew how to use these tools well, but hardly knew anything about pitching a project, sales, or marketing.

These were the skills that would bring me from level 7 → 10… I just had to find a way to learn them.

Until that happened, I was never going to survive out there in the “real world” after quitting my job.

So what did I do?

Quit my job, of course!

Learn By Doing, Not By Listening

I realized that the only way to learn these skills was through trial and error.

Just as I learned how to use a camera for the first time, I needed to pick up a camera and fail at it first.

The following months after quitting my job consisted of a few random “side hustles” that provided me with a foundation for building a business. I learned the importance of supply and demand. If I could connect the dots between these two, I had a sustainable product.

I started my own wedding filmmaking business and learned what it takes to build a creative business from scratch. Landing pages, LLCs, testimonials, social media, and discovery calls.

I began connecting the dots between my previous position as a video producer and my new career as a creative entrepreneur.

With time, levels 8-10 felt more familiar to me – sales, marketing, and persuasion.

I’m by no means an expert in these areas yet. I’d argue that each of these skills are a continuous work in progress for everyone. All of them change with the seasons and are dependent on the latest technologies.

The important thing to remember: We live in an increasingly digital world, and the ability to learn and use any skill for your benefit has never been easier + more accessible.

It’s no longer required of us to learn one thing and do that for the remainder of our working lives.

Bobby might have worked at the same accounting firm for 45 years, but that’s an outdated flex. Employers no longer reward employee loyalty in the same ways they used to.

You’re better off changing jobs often, learning the skills required to become a creative generalist, and eventually becoming a full-time creative entrepreneur.

Unless you dislike the following:

  • great work-life balance
  • freedom over your schedule and location
  • ability to make an impact with your craft
  • pursuing your stoke

Then building your own one-person business probably isn’t for you. But if you do enjoy the things listed above – keep expanding that skillset as a creative generalist.

We live in a world where being proficient with a lot of skills is going to get you further than knowing everything about one skill.

The creative entrepreneur thrives as a generalist – not a specialist.

Starving artists remain starving because they don’t learn the skills it requires to create an actual business.

Pursue your curiosities. Practice your craft. Try and fail along the way.

This is the new path the creative freedom.

–Eric Pfohl

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