Being a multidisciplinary artist can be quite challenging. Throughout my life, I’ve been hammered with advice. Teachers, counselors, therapists, and online gurus chant the same sort of mantra. “Find your passion. Focus on one thing. Find a niche. Don’t spread yourself too thin. You can’t please everyone.” Their words echo in my ears.
But here’s my truth: I can’t hone in on just one thing. My heart desires them all. And no, it’s not ADD, despite what they claim. They say I’m scatterbrained, that I need therapy, some magic pills. I bought into it for a while, but not anymore.
So, I either chase every flame that brings me warmth or give it up entirely. The latter isn’t an option; I’d be cold and empty. I’ve decided to explore and embrace all that intrigues and fascinates me. I’ll document my journey on this blog in hopes that you, dear reader, find it interesting, educational, and inspiring. Even if no one sees these pages, I’ll continue to create and write. Probably until the day I die. Keeping it in would drive me nuts.
At 50, it’s taken me a lifetime to figure out what to do with the various skills I’ve acquired. I’m embarrassed to admit that I only recently stumbled upon the terms “Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary artist.” It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but that’s what I am, and it’ll have to do. It’s better than what I used to tell everyone, “I’m a web designer.” I design websites, but that is only a tiny part of my work. I’ll go more into depth on that in a later post.
I must be frank. I don’t always enjoy being pulled in different directions. Part of me wishes for the simplicity of a singular focus. There was a time when I had that.
Once, I sang in a band. It was a fleeting high, ending as life’s responsibilities took center stage. Then came painting – first oils, then acrylics. But music’s call was relentless. I bought a Mac, got Logic Pro, and dived in.
The technology blew me away. What a playground. I was hooked.
My early work was horrible, but I’ve grown. Yet, as I composed, the scent of paint lured me back. I couldn’t abandon one for the other, so I embraced both.
While painting, I’d binge-watch shows on Netflix and Amazon, reigniting memories of my teenage years with an oversized camcorder, making amateur films. That’s when story ideas began flooding in. At first, they were just bedtime thoughts, but soon, they demanded to be written down, and write them down, I did. Pages upon pages fill my hard drive. I even dove into screenwriting for a time but eventually settled on short stories.
Now, here I am, with a stack of paintings behind me and a world of possibilities in the little box in front of me. Embracing the role of a multidisciplinary artist I believe I finally figured out how to bring it all together. It’s a work in progress and a journey I am very excited about. I wonder what I’ll do next?