Multifaceted
‘Jack of all trades, master of none.’ This saying has haunted me for too long.
Illustration by Shawna X
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As a child, I was drawn to alot in life. I didn’t think twice about what that ‘meant’ about me. I liked books and gel pens, making potions and listening to Patsy Cline, talking to adults and playing with kids my own age. I oscillated between being good and being cheeky, dying to go on an adventure and desperately needing cosy comforts; one moment painfully shy and the next sharing boldly. Like most kids I was blissfully unaware of what my interests and behaviours said about me; I simply engaged with what I loved in ways that felt good. All for the sake of pure enjoyment. And still, I vaguely sensed that this bliss was not reserved for adults.
As an adolescent, I continued to unknowingly explore and express my contradictions. I was a devoted student and quiet rebel. I liked Sex and the City and All About Eve. Britney Spears and Lord of The Rings. I was a loner and part-time social butterfly. I took care with my essays and recklessly went clubbing on weekends. I was both drawn to and detested by academia. I cared about getting good grades but only in the things that I liked. I chose only subjects I was interested in, something that teachers often undermined me for. I had no desire for a strategy or backup plan for my life after school beyond going travelling, eager to explore my interests in the big bad world. I was told I was foolish for making choices based on my feelings or preferences. That quiet rebel in me, hungry to prove those voices wrong, worked hard in the subjects I loved most, and did well in my final exams. And yet, proving myself was missing the point.
As an adult, I have struggled to integrate all of my interests and desires into a neat package. Some of them I have hidden and kept secret; many I have eventually expressed out loud, messily and simultaneously. I have studied creative writing and yoga teaching. I’ve worked in retail management, admin, childcare, and advertising. For a moment there I was a life-drawing model and a budding sketch comedy writer.
It has taken cumulative healing work to come to terms with my non-linear career path, but I am proud to say that today I really do experience my multi-faceted-ness as an asset. I experience more ease, luck, connection and flow when I sink into it, work with it, make room for it and go with my natural flavour. For a long time I would talk down to myself, speak about my career in a self-deprecating manner to others, and dread being questioned about ‘What I Do’. Now, I don’t really give a fuck. I’m not interested in trying to be normal. I’m interested in being myself. I’m interested in deep fulfillment.
Many of my clients express a deep, almost-secret desire to explore the many aspects of themselves and their interests, but are held back by a fear being seen as ‘lost’, ‘flaky’, uncommitted’, ‘greedy’ or ‘childish’. Through years of absorbing societal and familial conditioning that basically says pick a thing and stick to it if you wanna succeed in life, they cut themselves off from their wholeness. They sacrificed one or more parts of themselves for the sake of appearing ‘consistent’, ‘uncomplicated’, ‘normal’, or ‘an expert’. This loss is devastating, and without the proper support can go unchecked for a lifetime.
✸ What if you didn’t have to live a life of sacrifice?
✸ What if there was a more spacious way of being?
✸ What would it be like to feel permission to explore all parts of yourself?
✸ What would it bring to your life to be able to express your contradictions without apology?
✸ What if your greatest gift to the world was your multi-passionate, non-linear nature?
I am here to say: it is entirely possible for you to own and embody your multifaceted nature over time. You do not have to ‘pick a lane’. You are your own lane. You and I have infinite aspects of ourselves to explore and many dreams to realise in this lifetime. So the next time you’re haunted by the ‘jack of all trades’ ghost, tell it to fuck right off.
