Being Many Things Is Not a Problem to Solve
How the disciplines you can't choose between become the work only you can make
At some point most people who work across more than one discipline are told to pick one. Narrow down, specialise, decide what you are. It is presented as maturity, the moment you stop scattering yourself and commit. I have come to believe this advice is wrong for a specific kind of person, and that the inability to choose is not indecision to be cured. It is, very often, the exact thing the work is supposed to be made of. Now, don’t get me wrong. Positioning is everything and if you’re in the beginning of your career, it is always best to be known for one thing. I see photographers saying photographer, creative director, retoucher, producer in their bio and while it’s true you do all these things. Most are not a trained creative director or have their full focus on it, it’s all part of being a photographer. If you’re further into your career and you feel the creative ick to branch out to new creative endeavors because your vision is so clear and you’ve outgrown your format, then it’s about you as a creative visionary. It’s the work only you create.
I’ve slowly come to terms that I’ve always been multi-disciplinary, I love to write, take photos, think of strategies, research deeper than the average art director but I deliberately chose to only position myself as an art director. Why? Because I believed all the things I did are part of being an art director, but when my vision expanded through expansive research and writing on Substack I slowly came to terms that I might as well be a researcher or writer. Especially when people came to my for my writing. I’ve also worked across design, film, set design and styling but all comes from the same purpose.
