Why “Jack of all Trades, Master of None” is Simply a Myth
Forget everything you’ve ever heard and say goodbye to any of the haters.
As creative individuals, we’ve all had to deal with our share of naysayers. Our work as artists, creators, and dreamers is frequently undervalued by others, yet our art is the cornerstone of society. From having to justify our fees or enduring the eye rolls from stuffy people who tell us we should get a ‘real’ job, creative individuals are so often saddled with pressures and negativity from others.
...what we don’t talk about as much is how negative we can be within our own community.
Nowhere does this negativity show up more than in the phrase, “a jack of all trades is a master of none.” As creatives, we are pushed to concentrate on a single talent or passion, and if we dare to step outside of that, we find ourselves accused of not having the focus or commitment that is necessary to be an expert in our work. Despite working in such a multi-talented industry such as photography and cinematography, those who pursue several roads of creative expression are simply not taken as seriously as their focused counterparts. It is almost the concept that in order to be truly talented and capable, you must be a purist...
...and that is simply not true.
This brings us back to the phrase, “a jack of all trades is a master of none.” It’s often used with the negative implication that, because you’ve tried to learn many different skill sets, you have abandoned the idea of honing your abilities in any of them. The implication, of course, is that by being masterful at one thing, you are actively choosing to be average at several things.
Spoiler Alert: Nothing could be farther from the truth. The reality is, embracing your curiosity and artistic pathway to being a jack of all trades is a powerful, positive, and engaging way to further your creative exploration and career pathways.
The truth is, the phrase “a jack of all trades is a master of none” is only half of the actual saying. Here is the full, original saying: “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
By leaving off this critical half of the saying, we lose the positivity and encouragement of creative exploration and the quest for knowledge. By shortening this over time, we have completely shifted the narrative. In fact, learning new skills does not impede our ability to be great at anything, but rather, enhances our capabilities tenfold.
Celebrating Creativity and Supporting Explorations
If you’re a photographer who is inspired by 15th-century French poetry – follow that. If you’re a cinematographer who yearns to know all there is about cybersecurity – make room for both. If you’re a creative writer who has a passion for quantum physics – rest assured that you don’t have to choose one or the other. By diversifying our interests, our passions, and our curiosities into several concentrations, we are actually providing fuel and context for every aspect of our lives – especially our creative lives.
Let’s be clear: Learning is not the enemy of success. Curiosity is not a killer of momentum. Variety is not the adversary of stability – rather, quite the opposite. If you are passionate about multiple disciplines, you can not only be great at them all – you can become a greater version of yourself because of them. At the end of the day, we as a creative community must understand that being a Jack of All Trades doesn’t dilute or negate the expertise or capabilities of others; it enhances it and makes us more in touch with the human experience – and after all, isn’t that the mission of art in the first place?
I think so, too.
