Fashion buyer, journalism student, copywriter. This is a very short summary of the career paths I’ve wandered down over my 34 years on this planet. You could say I’m a jack of all trades, but it probably wouldn’t be intended as a compliment. Because a jack of all trades is a master of none, right?
*jazz hands* WRONG!
I only just learnt that the full quote is ‘a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.’
I love this quote because it’s a fantastic reminder that it’s ok to try new things. As a society we’re a bit funny about this, aren't we. And who could blame us? We’re asked to pick topics to study at school when we’re sixteen and barely know ourselves, we then choose less subjects until it’s whittled down to one, with the aim to dedicate our life to this one thing.
That one thing will then determine how you answer ‘so what do you do?’ at friends’ dinner parties and awkward networking events.
We’ve been fed this, in my humble opinion, absolute lie that we can only be one thing. When I thought my ‘thing’ was copywriting, I thought I could only do that. I had to work in an office where they needed a copywriter. I couldn’t freelance, or write my own stuff (such as a novel), because that would interfere with my being A Copywriter™.
But I did want to write a novel, I did want to explore different clients, and I did just want to have fun with copywriting. But it felt like I wasn’t really allowed? I managed to break away from office environments and have been on a long process to figure out my ways of working, and I’m super grateful I’ve been able to do that. But honestly at first, I felt like an absolute failure.
When people question why you can’t seem to ‘stick things out’ or seemingly *want* to change jobs all the time - because job hunting is super easy and not soul destroying at all - it’s really disheartening and it makes you wonder why everyone else can find this one thing, but you can’t.
There appeared to be a shift where society started to think, actually, it was ok to change your mind. BUT you still only had to do one thing, and only if you could make money from it.
I mean, I love hand lettering but I’m pretty bad at it. I love American sitcoms, but I’m not going to move to America and find a job to write them. I love aerial yoga, but I’m not going to retrain as a teacher.
You’re allowed to try things without feeling like you have to dedicate your life to them. They’re just things you can enjoy. We’re sometimes a little too afraid to try new things in case it doesn’t work out, or we look stupid or simply because the very act itself is bloody scary.
And if this attitude spills into your work life, that’s ok too. I changed my mind to go from a corporate office to a creative agency, so why couldn’t I then change my mind to freelance? How is it any different?
But if we don’t try, we’ll never know.
And this isn’t just for writers or people who really hate their office, what are you scared to try? A new exercise class? Asking your boss if you can do an upskill course? Showing up on Instagram? I’ve been there with all of these examples, and I can tell you, it’s always fine.
Whatever the outcome, it’s always fine.
So consider this your permission slip, if you were looking for one, and just bloody do it babe.