The Scattered Creative vs. The Multi-Hyphenate
We love to call ourselves “multi-hyphenates”, creatives who do it all. Yet somewhere in-between passion lies confusion. Here’s what it really means to find direction without losing your creative spark
“You are what they’d call a multi-hyphenate”—I instantly Google the word. Never heard of it.
In short:
A multi-hyphenate is someone who wears many hats, and wears them well.I do many things, all spurring from having many interests. Albeit, I doubt I do anything well.
As creatives, we are blessed—or cursed—with the reality of having to wear multiple hats in the process of our creative journey.
We write, we film, we design, we pitch—our human experience is woven into our art, and we are forced to pull all that weight by ourselves. Seldom with the company of a few friends who vaguely understand the details of our dreams or why we create.
All this talent, so much motion, and yet no progress.
We are decent at many things, yet exceptional at none. Everyone sees us as the person with so much potential, yet no solid proof of it. The source of our admiration—our capacity for a multitude of interests- becomes the root of our confusion.
This is the common curse of every creative! This was me!
The Difference Between a Scattered Creative and a Multi-Hyphenate
A simple answer—Direction.
Donald Glover, writer-actor-director-musician.Rihanna, singer-entrepreneur-fashion designer.I wouldn’t yet consider myself a multi-hyphenate, but I am acutely aware that, as creatives, we are tempted by the illusion of multi-talentedness—mistaking motion for progress.
The difference between a scattered creative and a true multi-hyphenate isn’t talent. It’s direction—knowing which hat to wear, when to take it off, and why you’re wearing it in the first place.
My own journey
When I unintentionally started out as a creative, originally wanting to be a tech-bro. I found my ease in communicating through writing. A skill honed from playing video games.
I have done a lot, and I still do a lot.
Albeit with some maturity and experience, I’ve learned to be a specialist first, then transition quietly into a generalist.
Personally, my base creative skill is writing. From creative and content writing, I dabbled in marketing and communications, bringing me in contact with talented designers and visual artists. Opening an outlet for me to explore those creative disciplines.
This pricked my desire to explore more creative/art forms, while the need to make good on the bills pushed me to fold those experiences into any current undertaking that occupied my time.
Oftentimes, I get lost in them, but in moments of conscious reflection, I remember that I am first, a writer. So I write.
The effort to be exceptional at writing while keeping my interests in other disciplines alive and finding ways to loop this into a distinctive identity for myself is truly how I believe a person becomes a multi-hyphenate.
A note to every creative?
Like clay, it is your decision to mold whatever your heart can claim in its imagination.
Yet, I hope to remind you that you are never lost as a creative, only just finding your way. There is progression in the journey as long as you are conscious of the direction.
Ask a few questions for reflection:
What creative form am I most comfortable with
What creative form do I deeply admire and hope to create
Why are both answers (1 & 2) important to me?
This allows you to evaluate your current position, thereby giving you the lamp to guide your creative journey.
Because in truth, being a multi-hyphenate isn’t about doing many things—it’s about moving with intention through the things you choose to do.