“Jack of All” or “Renaissance Woman?”
When I was a young, creative soul, I believed I had to choose one career or goal and stick to it. While there is merit in dedicating a lifetime to mastering a single craft, I grew up with the saying, “A jack of all trades is a master of none.” However, the full version of this saying is, “A jack of all trades is oftentimes better than a master of one.”
Long ago, this phrase was intended as a compliment, but today it is often seen as an insult. I must admit, I truly appreciate having a jack of all trades as a friend since they tend to be knowledgeable and helpful in everyday life.
Compared to the jack of all trades, the Renaissance man or woman carries a more romantic and positive connotation. A Renaissance individual also possesses a wide range of talents but is typically regarded as cultured and educated. Many people have referred to me as a Renaissance woman on several occasions. I have numerous interests that seamlessly intertwine my mind, body, and life. For instance, I am passionate about helping others and caring for the earth. I’m a writer and an advocate for the outdoors. I’m also an artist. Within these disciplines, I have various interests—I write nonfiction books for adults but also enjoy writing for children. I am a traditional sculptor who also works with digital technology in my fine art studio. I love learning new things and use my life experiences to educate both myself and others.
I heard someone in marketing talk about someone like me and say, “Their brand is all over the place; narrow it in.” This comment means they have many things going on, and it is much easier to market and promote someone with one focus than someone like me who is all over the place. But it is who I am. Again, it goes together in my head, and it somehow goes together in marketing or gives me a lot of venues for marketing, for example. I can talk about my Alice in Wonderland monumental bronze sculpture in Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire, Texas, but also how I use digital technology to get there, such things as 3D scanning, CNC Milling, and 3D printing, as well as digital preservation. I can talk to children about the sculpture and the fanciful nature of the 150 things I hid there in honor of the 150th anniversary of the story and talk about literature while also focusing on geometry in the computer or STEAM education, Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. I can talk about my published books on the subject and even the planned books. So, though it is “all over the place,” it weaves together marvelously in my head, and I can speak to audiences for children or adults, education or art, or have fun with the audience. I can use it for an art audience or even engineering and technology. The marketing standpoint may be too wide for some, but for me, I have enhanced the reach
I recently finished a memoir titled “One Foot In Front of The Other: Art, Hiking and Healing.” It is set to be published on Amazon in early 2025, with audiobook and Kindle versions to follow soon after. While writing this book, I stepped away from my life to view it in its entirety. I realized how all the pieces fit together. I liken this experience to examining a tapestry up close, where one can’t see the overall picture—perhaps even seeing the back with strings going every which way. Yet, when you step back to view the front of the tapestry, the individual colors blend beautifully to create a cohesive work of art. That is how my life feels as a creative person—a tapestry woven together by the experiences of a Renaissance woman whose brand may appear “all over the place.” I have learned to integrate all these aspects for myself and in the media. In my mind and life, it all connects wonderfully.