Emilie Wapnick's Blog

Contest! Win a Lifetime Membership to the Puttyverse Community

Hi multipotentialite friends,

Did you know that our sweet multipotentialite community is turning 13 next week? 13! That’s like 113 years in internet time…

I’m so proud of the supportive space we’ve built together, and to celebrate, I’ve decided to run a contest.

I’m giving away 3 lifetime memberships to the Puttyverse community.

This contest is open to everybody: folks who aren’t currently part of our community, current community members, former puttypeep, and scholarship recipients. In other words, if you are or would like to be a member of the longest-running, most supportive, totally beloved community for multipotentialites, you should absolutely enter.

It’s ridiculously easy to enter

Just scroll down and leave a comment answering the following question:

Why is the Puttyverse community exactly what you need in your life right now?

The deadline to enter is Friday, April 18 at midnight PDT, and the three winners will be announced in next week’s newsletter.

Good luck, multipods.

xo Emilie

The post Contest! Win a Lifetime Membership to the Puttyverse Community appeared first on Puttylike.

This Philosophy Changed My Multipotentialite Life

In seeking out inspiration and guidance for multipotentialites, mid-nineteenth century philosophy might not seem like a natural choice. But, hear me out! In researching and writing about Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard over the past few years, I have found his work to be rich with insights for both coping with and embracing multipotentiality.

In 1835, a 22-year-old Kierkegaard wrote the following in his journal:

It is perhaps the misfortune of my life that I am interested in far too much and not decisively in any one thing; all my interests are not subordinated to one but stand on an equal footing.

Do this thought process and predicament sound familiar to you as a multipotentialite?

When I first read this journal entry, it seemed to directly echo some of my own thoughts. When I discovered Kierkegaard’s work and began to read his journals, I was close to the same age he was when he described the “misfortune” of what we would call his multipotentiality.

I found powerful guidance in Kierkegaard’s published work as I was struggling to make sense of my life as a multipotentialite college student. Through his journals, I also gained meaningful insights into his own sense of identity and how he sought to integrate his disparate interests. I’ve found that Kierkegaard’s work provides a unique illustration of how an individual’s multipotentialite identity can develop and find expression throughout a lifetime.

While I love reading Kierkegaard, I wouldn’t exactly classify his books as casual reading material. His writing is complex and notoriously multifaceted, which artfully illustrates his ideas and their implications. He famously wrote under several pseudonyms, creating contrasting literary personas that allowed him to investigate ideas from different perspectives. But this writing approach, aptly described by Albert Camus as “fleeing clear proposals,” can also dissuade potential readers from exploring Kierkegaard’s work.

While Kierkegaard’s complex philosophical positions can’t be succinctly summarized—and I wouldn’t attempt to do so!—there are overarching themes present in his work that I think demand to be shared.

Kierkegaard’s writing has informed how I think about my multipotentialite identity, providing practical guidance for how I approach my life and challenging me to take responsibility for acting in alignment with my values. Here are five core ideas expressed throughout Kierkegaard’s writing that relate to multipotentiality, and how they might apply to your unique life as a multipotentialite individual.

1. Value your self-identity and trust your subjective knowledge

Throughout his life, Kierkegaard’s writing centered on the concepts of self-knowledge and subjective understanding. A related emphasis in his philosophical exploration involved the single individual, and the individual’s unique self.

In the invitingly titled book The Sickness Unto Death, Kierkegaard defines different types of despair as originating in a lack of awareness of oneself, a refusal to be oneself, or a struggle to be oneself. The solution to this “disrelationship”—willing to be oneself, or seeking to understand, embrace, and embody your authentic self-identity—is deceptively simple and practically challenging, but ultimately crucial and empowering. Kierkegaard illustrates how an individual is ultimately responsible, both to herself and to the individuals in her life, for willing to be her truest self.

From a practical standpoint, this commitment involves trusting your subjective understanding of yourself and your values, being honest with yourself, and striving to act from a place of authenticity and responsibility. In his journals, Kierkegaard wrote, Only when the person has inwardly understood himself, and then sees the course forward from the path he is to take, does his life acquire repose and meaning.

For many of us, understanding and embracing our multipotentialite identity is a momentous step toward the type of honest self-knowledge and embodiment of self that enables us to truly thrive and cultivate confidence in our life choices. And as Kierkegaard’s own life reflects, this process of seeking self-knowledge is fluid, without a clear endpoint, as our experiences and perspectives evolve throughout our lives.

Kierkegaard encourages us not to ignore, deny, or suppress fundamental elements of our selfhood in seeking to understand our own identities. Then, most crucially, he challenges us to live our lives in accordance with this self-understanding. As Kierkegaard wrote in 1846, If a person does not become what he can understand, then he does not really understand it.

This process of understanding and action also means that we shouldn’t attempt to model our lives based on others’, which naturally connects to another theme in Kierkegaard’s work:

2. Refuse to conform to the crowd and defy the impulse to emulate

Kierkegaard often addressed the dichotomy between the individual person and what he referred to as “the crowd” or “the public.” In our contemporary context, one example of this idea might be you, an individual, in contrast with vague masses of people you might encounter on social media. In The Present Age, Kierkegaard describes the public as an abstraction, “consisting of unreal individuals who never are and never can be united in an actual situation or organization.” Kierkegaard was also highly critical of “the crowd” for its effect of weakening the individual’s sense of responsibility.

Unsurprisingly, Kierkegaard does not think highly of the vague concepts of the public or the crowd, instead reaffirming the value, responsibility, and possibility of the individual person.

For multipotentialites, the abstract idea of the public can find expression in desires to be like—or even to merely appear like—what we might describe as “most people.” Attempting to abide by others’ ideas of traditional career paths or lifestyles might make some aspects of life easier in the short-term. But these types of self-contradiction and self-denial ultimately cause confusion and suffering. For neurodivergent multipotentialites, I would also interpret Kierkegaard’s philosophy as encouraging us to refrain from masking in social settings as much as possible.

In conjunction with the importance of willing to be our authentic selves as individuals, Kierkegaard challenges us to defy the impulse to emulate others’ lives. For example, Kierkegaard drew significant inspiration from Socrates, but did not seek to become just like him, instead recognizing his own identity, skills, and goals as distinct. Role models can be important sources of inspiration, but they are not meant to be closely imitated.

By refusing to copy others in order to blend into the crowd, we as individuals have to accept responsibility to make our own decisions about our lives. Your self-identity, perspectives, and values are all distinctive and unlike those of any other person. Kierkegard felt this combined sense of opportunity and pressure in his own life. In 1854, he wrote in his journal, There is literally no one from whom I can learn how to comport myself.

The reality of our singularity as individuals is both exciting and, admittedly, slightly terrifying! But Kierkegaard also addresses the daunting nature of all of the choices we face in our lives, and how we can actually gain insights from the task of making decisions.

3. Learn to cope with anxiety and “the dizziness of freedom”

This metaphor embodies one of Kierkegaard’s key concepts, and possibly the one that multipotentialites can viscerally relate to most. In The Concept of Anxiety, Kierkegaard integrated his interests in philosophy, psychology, and theology—in true multipotentialite fashion—to explore the origins of anxiety within the individual.

He famously describes anxiety as “the dizziness of freedom,” and elsewhere he characterizes anxiety as “freedom’s actuality as the possibility of possibility.” In concluding, Kierkegaard describes how an individual can be “educated by possibility” and become able to learn from the struggles associated with this sense of dizziness.

Multipotentialites often confront this “dizziness” with a heightened intensity, as we can envision so many options and possibilities, all of which might be totally feasible. And in reality, even when we make decisions we feel fairly confident about, it’s rare that we won’t have some nagging doubts, regret, or curiosity about how things would’ve turned out if we’d chosen an alternative.

In his book Either/Or, Kierkegaard suggests that some regret is unavoidable, no matter what we ultimately choose. He even refers to this reality as “the essence of all philosophy.”. Considering this idea in conjunction with the metaphor of the “dizziness of freedom,” it becomes clear that a perfect choice with no uncertainty or regret probably isn’t possible, so it also isn’t reasonable to hold ourselves to that standard!

Decision-making is a central part of Kierkegaard’s work (I wrote my undergrad thesis about it!), and he appeared to struggle with making—and committing to—choices in his own life as well. But Kierkegaard demands that an individual takes responsibility for the decisions she makes, and for exercising the ability to change her mind.

In striving to understand ourselves better and act in a way that is informed by our unique self-identity and values, the best we can do is make choices based on what we know and feel at any given moment. Acknowledging this reality can help to alleviate some of the pressure involved in making decisions, maybe subduing a bit of our anxiety as well.

While confronting so many decisions can feel daunting and overwhelming, approaching these choices gradually becomes easier in conjunction with seeking to understand your self-identity better and act in alignment with your authentic self.

4. Create your own path and come to terms with potentially being misunderstood

In connection with embracing the challenges of possibility, Kierkegaard’s work—and his own life—demonstrates the necessity of creating a life that supports your own unique identity.

Kierkegaard ultimately integrated the interests that he referenced feeling torn between in his early twenties. This integration, which we might characterize as a “group hug” approach, finds expression throughout his work. Kierkegaard’s interests in philosophy, psychology, theology, science, and literature all informed his writing, allowing his work to stand out—and stand the test of time.

Throughout his life, Kierkegaard grappled with the idea that he would always be misunderstood by others, and he even suggested that it might not be possible for one individual to truly be known by another. As multipotentialites, especially while growing up or as young adults, we can experience this feeling to varying degrees as even well-meaning friends, family, or mentors struggle to grasp the diverging passions that make us who we are.

Also, as we mature and begin to make more momentous decisions for ourselves, standing by our choices and the values and passions that inform them can be more difficult when people around us don’t support our life choices. This issue can often stem from a type of misunderstanding similar to what Kierkegaard describes, and as multipotentialties we may tend to confront its manifestations in our everyday lives more frequently than specialists.

In 1836, Kierkegaard wrote, “people understand me so little that they fail even to understand my complaints that they do not understand me.” More than a decade later, in 1848, Kierkegaard appears to have come to terms with this perceived lack of understanding, writing, “I blame no one for anything, they haven’t understood me.” This statement coincides with indications in his journals that Kierkegaard was growing in self-assuredness and gradually becoming more confident in his life choices, even while people around him didn’t seem to reaffirm this assuredness.

This type of inwardly cultivated confidence in your own identity, abilities, and choices demands self-respect—and healthy self-love—which brings me to one last vital idea from Kierkegaard:

5. Practice self-compassion to have compassion for others

To love yourself in the right way and to love the neighbor correspond perfectly to one another; fundamentally, they are one and the same thing, Kierkegaard writes in Works of Love. This concept of self-love isn’t an egotistical or self-indulgent idea, but a practical and ethical one that Kierkegaard presents as a necessity for individuals to be capable of loving and supporting others.

Albert Camus later applied a similar construction, in discussing the significance of finding happiness in our pursuits while suffering still exists in the world. Camus states, “I rather have the impression that you need to be strong and happy to help people in misfortune.” In this sense, real empathy and compassionate action can’t come from a place of distress or mental exhaustion. Camus continues, “he who drags his life and succumbs beneath his own burden cannot help anyone.”

As individuals, we need to practice extending the same compassion and understanding toward ourselves that we would extend to our friends and neighbors. I suspect that in discussing this topic, Kierkegaard was reminding himself of its importance, as his journals show him to be notoriously harsh with himself. Just like any other multipotentialite—and any other individual—he struggled to make sense of his life but persisted in searching for answers.

In my opinion, Kierkegaard’s multipotentiality is one aspect of his identity that allowed him to approach his writing in such a distinctive way. He synthesized his passions and interests to create a unique approach for exploring philosophical questions and their implications for individuals’ lives.

While Kierkegaard is now viewed as the father of existentialism, I think that during his lifetime he was a curious, determined, and compassionate multipotentialite seeking to understand his own identity and help his individual readers do the same. 

Your turn

Do any of these statements from Kierkegaard speak to you as a multipotentialite? Are there specific multipotentialite individuals from history that you find relatable or inspiring?

The post This Philosophy Changed My Multipotentialite Life appeared first on Puttylike.

Hobbies Add Meaning to Our Lives that Hustles Just Can’t

During childhood, it’s normal for us to have extracurricular activities that we pursue for fun and self-enrichment—outside of our family and school responsibilities. These activities allow us to develop new skills, build friendships, and express our energy and curiosity in different ways. As we get older, hobbies and clubs also can take our minds off of the more stressful parts of growing up and making decisions about our futures.

So why do we often stop pursuing these enriching activities in adulthood?

As adult multipotentialites, we can often integrate many of our diverse passions and interests into our lives. But these pursuits can notoriously take the form of side hustles and part-time jobs, as opposed to activities we do for fun, to enrich our lives.

One of the most significant challenges to making space for non-work hobbies into our lives is overcoming the idea that whatever we spend energy and effort on needs to be earning us money, now or in the future. This pressure often comes from societal expectations and difficult economic realities. But we can also internalize it, making it difficult to enjoy our leisure activities. Sometimes, the pressure is so intense that we either give up our passion projects or seek to transform them into sources of income.

Is it time to bring some hobby energy into your life?

I recently realized that practically everything I was spending my time on was related to either earning money or working towards my future career. As a graduate student in music, my writing and production projects tend to be for classes or for clients. My current part-time work includes teaching music lessons, tutoring, and freelance writing. Even as a creative writer, I’m often working on poetry for a particular project or with a goal of publication in mind.

While I started out reading existentialist philosophy for fun as an undergrad (as one does…) the subject quickly evolved into a research and career interest for me as well. I have noticed that when I read Camus or Kierkegaard as a “break” from my other types of work, I am partly doing it as background research for my future dissertation! Essentially, everything I was pursuing—even the things that didn’t look like “jobs” in the present moment—was in some way related to my career or future goals.

Consider your own life. Do you spend most of your leisure time on activities that could almost be considered work? Even if these are all activities that you enjoy, it can be easy to unintentionally turn your personal time into career time, until you become acclimated to a sense of constant productivity. If you begin to feel an internal sense of obligation to make progress on a project that started out as a hobby, or you make plans to monetize the activity in some way, those are good indications that the activity is likely crossing into work territory. If you are happy with the idea of this existing hobby becoming a work activity, it can be helpful to explore introducing a new hobby as a low pressure change of pace from your busy multipotentialite work life.

I feel like I am on the cusp of having a work balance that integrates all of my primary career interests, which is genuinely exciting and rewarding! But I also recognize how many of my favorite childhood activities have gradually slipped away in the face of more “adult” pursuits and responsibilities. I had a lot of hobbies throughout childhood and my teen years that brought joy to my life. It doesn’t make sense to neglect these hobbies now, just because they aren’t a part of my career goals! 

Why hobbies are worthwhile

Logically, it doesn’t make much sense that we tend to feel a need to justify hobbies to ourselves. After all, these are activities that we do for fun, to bring joy and enrichment to our lives and perhaps to the lives of others around us! But the reality is that our work culture, especially in the United States, does not reward us for pursuing fun activities without a “productive” end goal in mind.

Having healthy hobbies outside of work benefits our overall mental health and self-esteem, and can support better physical health as well. Group-oriented hobbies and volunteer projects can also help us to build new friendships as adults and feel a stronger sense of engagement in our communities. On a more basic level, engaging in activities we enjoy makes us feel good, and provides us with a break from the other areas in our lives where we might feel overwhelmed or drained.

Here’s the kicker: Spending time on hobbies that aren’t related to your work can actually enrich your work life as well. Having a variety of hobbies can foster creative thinking and support the generation of new ideas. So, you can enjoy your hobbies with the confidence that they have meaningful benefits for multiple areas of your life!

How to bring hobbies back into your life

If you’re ready to pick up some hobbies again, the first step is choosing what activities to pursue. One of the best sources of inspiration for hobbies to take up can be your own life. Picking up something you used to enjoy can reignite a passion for an activity you may have gotten bored with before, or it can provide you with a sense of familiarity and nostalgia for what might have been a simpler time in your life. By restarting an old hobby, you can also skip part of the introductory period of learning something brand new, especially if you might not have the mental energy or motivation to try something totally different right now.

But, trying something new and even doing it badly can also be rewarding! If you are up for a new experience and want to learn something new, don’t place pressure on yourself to do it really well right away—or ever. When we pick up something for the first time, it’s normal to not be very good at it, and our evolution is part of the joy of learning. Depending on the hobby, you will probably get better at it over time as you spend more time doing it. But if you don’t feel like you’re getting better, should it really matter? If making art enriches your life and brings you joy, but you don’t think you’re very good at it, don’t let perfectionism talk you out of enjoying the process. 

Embracing the journey

I recently picked up sketching and drawing, something that I largely gave up in high school when I found that writing and music were more natural creative outlets for me. In returning to drawing without expectations or goals of becoming a great visual artist, I’ve found that the process naturally helps to clear my mind so I can produce better creative work in my primary mediums.

I started doing vinyasa yoga more often, too. I had partly given it up a couple of years ago, after I decided not to pursue yoga teacher training. Reinvigorating my yoga practice has helped me to reclaim why it was meaningful to me in the first place, and it helps me to feel more centered in my other pursuits. I also got back into collecting baseball cards, which was one of my favorite hobbies as a kid alongside playing softball and going to MLB games every chance I got. This hobby is fairly inexpensive, and it helped me to reconnect with how I saw players’ stats as telling a piece of their story as individuals (a subtle precursor to my existentialist bent).

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from reintroducing these hobbies into my life is the necessity of maintaining a focus on why you’re spending time on a hobby in the first place. Hobbies should be activities that bring you joy and fulfillment, not additional obligations to cram onto your calendar. If you find that you’re struggling to keep up with all of your hobbies, try prioritizing one or two or creating a rotation for yourself to alternate hobbies each week. I love skateboarding, but I don’t always have time to go on long rides every week when I’m also doing yoga. I decided that, since I like to skateboard the most in autumn weather, I’ll do yoga over the summer and then prioritize skateboarding more in the fall.

You might also find that some of your new or reintroduced hobbies start sliding in the direction of work or side hustle. If this notorious multipotentialite transition begins to happen for you, that’s okay! Just consider introducing a different casual hobby into your life in place of the one that has evolved into a side hustle or freelance gig. Allow your mutipotentialite curiosity and ingenuity to guide you to pursuits, new and old, that bring you happiness… and preferably no income!

Your turn

What are some of your favorite hobbies? Have you ever struggled with turning your hobbies into jobs, even if that wasn’t your original intention?

The post Hobbies Add Meaning to Our Lives that Hustles Just Can’t appeared first on Puttylike.

5 Role Models You Need in Your Life

Most of us are introduced to the concept of role models as kids. We seek out individuals we can use as examples for how we want to approach our daily lives, what type of impact we want to have through our relationships, and the kind of work we want to do artistically and professionally. If you’re like me, writing any type of essay on a meaningful role model for school was difficult—mainly based on the task of trying to choose a single role model.

Part of the challenge in seeking out role models and mentors as a multipotentialite is accepting the reality that you probably won’t find a single individual who shares all of your diverse interests and pursuits. Frankly, this is probably for the best, because it ultimately encourages us to create our own paths as multipotentialites, rather than seeking out someone else’s trail to follow.

With that being said, the pressure to identify specific role models to use as points of reference in guiding our own lives remains. After all, having a variety of role models that we relate to can help us feel more confident in the decisions we make, artistically, professionally, and personally.

Throughout the past few years, I have jumped between role models in the same way that multipotentialites often switch from subject to subject. I used to identify a role model whose work and life trajectory aligned with whatever my priority was at the moment, and see what I could learn from them to apply in my own life. The takeaways from this approach helped me for whatever pursuit I shared with the role model I had in mind, but when my priorities shifted to something else I sought out a new role model for ideas and guidance.

Since we’re unlikely to find role models that holistically overlap with all of our multipotentialite interests and values, identifying multiple role models who align with certain parts of our long-term pursuits and goals can serve as a source of inspiration to build our own unique life trajectories. While that tactic has served me well, I also know that it doesn’t particularly make sense for the role models I seek out to be associated with specific aspects of my work or whatever type of project I’m prioritizing at any given time.

So, what kinds of role models can multipotentialites seek out for more consistent inspiration and guidance, even as our roles or priorities change and evolve? I’ve come up with five types of role models to serve as sources of inspiration and empowerment in different areas of your multipotentialite life, and they do not need to be directly tied to specific areas of your work or hobbies. While you definitely can choose some role models who share your interests or work in similar areas, they will also possess traits that can provide insights about other areas of your life.

Notably, these role models are not intended to be people you negatively compare yourself with or whose accomplishments or personality traits leave you feeling inferior. If you do find yourself comparing your own characteristics to those of your role models, you can reframe those comparisons into a more healthy and constructive framework.

1. Your Process & Workflow Role Model

This is a person whose creative process, workflow, or overall approach to their projects inspires you. This role model should be someone whose artistic or professional approach to their work aligns with your own values and goals. In identifying a process role model, you might look for someone whose creative process or workflow is similar to yours while also leaving room for you to grow. This type of role model can be especially helpful to support the way you choose to approach your work, or to reaffirm how your process works for you when your workflow might differ from that of others you know. You could also seek out a process role model whose creative process reflects changes you’d like to make in how you approach your work.

For me as a writer, one of the most impactful workflow role models for me has been Leonard Cohen, whose work I was introduced to at a writing workshop in 2021. The facilitator compared one of my pieces to his work, which I now realize is probably the best compliment I have ever gotten! Besides exploring many of the themes I am interested in writing about, Cohen’s famously methodical and often painstaking writing process helped me to embrace my own approach to writing poetry and lyrics. Having Cohen as an artistic role model not only motivates me to keep working at my craft, but it helps to reaffirm the value of sticking to the process that works best for me, even when other writers I know can seem to generate work more rapidly.

2. Your Self-Advocacy Role Model

This is someone whose ability to effectively represent themselves, advocate for their needs, and stand up for themselves provides you with a framework to do so for yourself. This individual might be someone whose advocacy is a major part of their life, or they might be someone who conducts themselves in their daily interactions in a way that inspires you. Self-advocacy role models provide you with examples of how to stand up for yourself and cultivate self-respect and authentic confidence.

One of my self-advocacy role models is Yasmin Benoit, an asexual advocate and activist. Through her advocacy, Yasmin raises awareness and promotes understanding of asexuality, aromanticism, and issues facing LGBTQIA+ people of color. Beyond the actual work she does, something I respect about Yasmin is the way that she stands up for herself and effectively represents her perspectives. In the face of personal attacks on social media and other platforms, Yasmin reframes people’s ad hominem insults and irreverent logical fallacies in the context of broader issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community. This approach further amplifies her message and contributes to her credibility as a trusted advocate for her community. I’m inspired by the way Yasmin connects with people and maintains her focus on the overall message that she aims to get across. Her story also motivates me to approach disagreements by keeping the big picture in mind and remember the value in respectfully defending yourself and your position, even when it might be uncomfortable.

3. Your Impact Role Model

An impact role model should be someone whose overall effect on the people around them—or even on the world—relates to the type of impact you would like to have. This person’s impact can stem from their creative or professional work, interpersonal relationships, mentorship of others, advocacy, or simply the attitude about life that they embody. Impact role models might be similar to, or overlap with self-advocacy role models, but your focus in choosing an impact role model should also involve the desired outcomes of your work and relationships. Notably, the impact you hope to have does not need to be on the same scale as people that you view as impact role models. Instead, you can emphasize how you want to have a similar effect on individuals in your own local community or personal relationships.

Selena Gomez is one of my impact role models, based on her mental health advocacy and philanthropy through the Rare Impact foundation. She helps to raise awareness and advance the conversation around mental health, and I see her positive influence on individuals as a type of supportive impact that can be replicated on a smaller scale in my own life. I also view Selena Gomez as modeling the power of intentional creative and career decisions, because her work and public persona (including her decisions to be inactive or active on social media) reflect an embodiment of her values and priorities. 

4. Your Evolution & Longevity Role Model

A role model in this area is someone whose personal growth, evolution, and continuing creative and personal innovation throughout their lifetime inspires you to keep learning and transforming. You might choose a role model who has evolved artistically at every stage of their life, or you could choose someone who has adapted to challenges over time. This role model should inspire you to continue to develop and cultivate a renewed sense of identity throughout your lifetime.

David Bowie and Sting are both evolution and longevity role models for me, based on their artistic exploration throughout their careers and the shifts in their creative output at different stages of their lives. Bowie famously reinvented his stage persona numerous times throughout his career, thematically coinciding with his album releases. Sting’s songwriting and musical style has evolved from his time as frontman of the Police and throughout his solo career.

Both of these artists have grown through exploration and innovation at every stage of their careers, refusing to become stagnant or comfortable with one style or approach to their work. While I’m just starting out in my professional life, both David Bowie and Sting remind me not to be afraid of changing direction, reinventing myself, or trying something entirely new. They also inspire me to seek out inspiration from disparate sources and explore different genres and art forms to expand my perspective.

5. Your Meaning Role Model

This role model can serve as a broad guide for how you approach life’s biggest philosophical questions of meaning and purpose, and their tangible manifestations within your own daily life. Meaning role models could include spiritual or religious leaders you respect, individuals who have directly mentored or advised you, writers or artists who have informed your outlook on life, or individuals in your life you consider to be wise.

During my undergrad degree, I wrote my senior thesis on the philosophy and theology of Søren Kierkegaard. His work established the foundation for existential philosophy, and his philosophical viewpoints are all rooted in the tangible realities of individuals’ lives. One of the most powerful aspects of his work, for me, involves his concentration on the individual—as opposed to the general public or the crowd. This focus on individual self-identity, and the necessity of individuals accepting responsibility for their lives and relationships with others informs how I think about my life choices and how I approach my work. Kierkegaard’s narrative approach to conveying his philosophical perspectives and the applied nature of his thinking also guides how I discuss overarching philosophical ideas and apply them to my life. 

By choosing these five types of role models for your own life, you can provide yourself with greater continuity in who you look to for guidance and inspiration, even as your interests and roles change and evolve. Thinking about role models in this way has helped me to reframe how I think about the individuals I view as sources of inspiration, and it has enabled me to talk to my students about role models and artists they admire in a more holistic way.

Your turn

Do you already have any of these role models in your life? How do those individuals inform your professional and creative decisions?

The post 5 Role Models You Need in Your Life appeared first on Puttylike.

Contest! Win a Lifetime Membership to the Puttyverse Community

Hi multipotentialite friends!

In celebration of the new Puttyverse website, which we just launched last month, I’ve decided to run a contest—woo hoo!!

I’m giving away 3 lifetime memberships to the Puttyverse community. As long as the ‘verse exists, you will have free access.

This contest is open to everybody: folks who aren’t currently part of our community, puttypeep (for the uninitiated, that means current community members), former puttypeep, and scholarship recipients. In other words, if you are or would like to be a member of the longest-running, most supportive, totally beloved community for multipotentialites, you should absolutely enter.

It’s ridiculously easy to enter

Just scroll down and leave a comment answering the following question:

Why is the Puttyverse community exactly what you need in your life right now?

The deadline to enter is Friday, October 6 at midnight PT, and the three winners will be announced in next Tuesday’s newsletter.

Good luck, multipods.

xo Emilie

The post Contest! Win a Lifetime Membership to the Puttyverse Community appeared first on Puttylike.

Find Balance in Your Relationships This Fall Equinox

Is it just me or is September a strange month? It feels so contradictory. As the start of the academic year, it feels like a time for busy-ness, getting back into the swing of things, and giving a final push before the calendar year ends. But at the same time, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s a time when the weather starts to get colder, the buzz of summer wears off, and some of us start thinking about winding down for the end of the year. When September comes, I never know whether to power up or down!

Thankfully, the answer is written in the stars. Throughout this year, I’ve shared with you tips on how to use the astrological seasons as reflection points throughout the year — and we’ve arrived at the Fall Equinox!

What is the Fall Equinox?

The Fall Equinox, or Autumnal Equinox, is a point in time when the Sun crosses the Earth’s equator. That is, the Sun does not appear to be North or South of the equator but rather in line with it. This causes us to experience roughly equal hours of day and night across the world, hence the name equinox. There are two equinoxes every year: one in March and one in September.

The Fall Equinox is in September for those in the Northern Hemisphere and in March for those in the South. The energy of the Fall Equinox relates to harvesting and thanksgiving, and this can be seen in festivals around the world that take place at this time. For some, this September harvest festival marks the new year—for example, the Jewish new year celebration of Rosh Hashanah.

What does the Fall Equinox have to teach multipotentailites?

What does “harvesting” and “thanksgiving” look like for multipotentialites? As the Fall Equinox coincides with the start of Libra season, we can take inspiration from this sign of the zodiac. The symbol for Libra is a set of scales and the zodiac relates to harmony and balance — I think we can harness this energy to focus on balance in our relationships. As multipotentialites, the community we have around us can truly be make-or-break — for our careers and for our personal well-being.

The Fall Equinox is a perfect opportunity for us to take stock of what we’ve harvested so far this year, and to acknowledge the connections that have helped (or hindered) us on this journey. In taking time to acknowledge how different people have shown up for us, we can also reflect on how we have shown up for them and, where necessary, set an intention to redress the balance. Here’s a simple three-step ritual to guide you through this process.

As always, do your best to create the time, space and environment that will allow you to be fully present in this ritual. Block out time in your diary, put your phone on Do Not Disturb, create a clean, healing space, light some candles and get into the zone…

Step 1: Reap Your Harvest

Take some time to reflect on all the wins and achievements this year has brought so far. Write a list of your “harvest.” This could include anything from winning a new client to upgrading your living space to embedding a fitness routine that works for you. No harvest is too small!

Step 2: Name Your Helpers and Hinderers

Reading over this list, remind yourself of all the people who aided you in making these things happen. The friends who shared support and advice, the mentors who created opportunities, the family who provided free childcare. Equally, remind yourself of those who got in the way. The toxic relationships that distracted you, the flaky friends that let you down, the professional contacts who turned out to be all talk and no action.

Step 3: Rebalance The Scales

For each name you wrote on the list, it’s time to make a decision. Is there something you need to do to rebalance the scales of this relationship? Perhaps there is a friend who has been a consistent help to you but who you haven’t had the time or energy to pour into in the same way. What action can you take to let them know how valued they are? Maybe there’s a family member who has been a consistent burden to you while all you’ve shown them is grace. How can you set a boundary that prevents them from continuing to drain you?

By the end of this ritual, you will hopefully feel like a proud farmer looking over their yield. But you’ll also have some practical action points that will help you breathe new life into your support system — a very necessary act before the cold winter comes along!

Your turn

Let’s celebrate your harvest together! What are some of the achievements you’re proud of this year? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!

The post Find Balance in Your Relationships This Fall Equinox appeared first on Puttylike.

5 “Back to School” Inspired Hacks for Multipotentialites

Every year as September approaches—although I’ve been out of the education system for over a decade—I think to myself It’s back to school season! For each of us, the memory of school can bring up different feelings. You might look back on that time fondly or you may prefer to leave the past in the past. My experience was definitely mixed. But, whatever school was like for you,  there are some elements of the education system that we can draw on to help us thrive as multipotentialites.

What can school teach us?

I spent most of my schooling years in the UK, so my thoughts here are based on the British education system. I honestly think there’s a lot that school doesn’t teach us. In many ways, it’s a system created to keep the capitalist machine churning with “good” workers, not a system created to help us grow and succeed as individuals and community groups. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater! Here’s what school can teach us, no matter our age.

Don’t worry, I’m not about to recommend hard, plastic desk chairs and mean girl cliques. Here are some of the elements of school that might actually help us as adults.

1. Timetables

As many a self-help book has taught us, routines and schedules are good for us. They can make us more organized, more productive and less stressed. But I’ll be honest–I don’t love strict routines, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. However, I think the idea of the class timetable can be adapted in a way that allows for some flexibility. For example, instead of having specific subjects (or tasks) scheduled for the same hour-slot every week, we might dedicate  windows of time to broad types of activities. Perhaps you feel more creative at the start of the day, so you reserve mornings for creative work and only schedule meetings or analytical tasks in the afternoon. Or maybe you dedicate specific days for each project or businesses you’re working on.

One of my favorite ways of utilizing this approach is to have a red zone for meetings: a day of the week or a time of day when you won’t take meetings and calls. Because, as we come out of the pandemic, I think it’s safe to say we’re all sick and tired of Zoom meetings. Besides, having meetings dotted throughout our working schedule prevents us from getting into flow states and can actually make us less productive, because we have to keep stopping and starting tasks.

2. Regular time off

During my school years, I had some kind of break every six weeks. We had three terms, with a one or two week long half-term holiday at the midpoint, and then a one-month holiday between terms (except for the summer holidays, which were longer). While this level of downtime seems like a distant dream now, the idea behind it remains useful. It’s not so much about the length of time taken off but the frequency. Scheduling a weekend staycation every six weeks, and then a longer break every 3 months is a great way to prioritize balance and avoid burnout. And, without a reminder to take a real break, many of us would stay stuck in work mode for months on end before getting some much-needed downtime.

3. Proper lunch breaks

Show of hands…how many of you regularly skip lunch or eat while working? Yep, just as I thought. Too many of you! It’s really easy to get caught up in work and convince ourselves that we don’t have time to take a lunch break. On some occasions, that might even be true! But if skipping lunch or having a working lunch has become the norm, it’s time to take some inspiration from school.

Getting 30 minutes to an hour of time each working day to eat, be away from your desk, catch up with friends and maybe even take a walk outside does wonders—not just for your well-being, but also for your productivity. You don’t need a bell ringing at 12:30 pm each day to force you to take lunch. Being intentional about taking some time away from the desk and the screen as you eat—whether it’s at 12 noon or 2 pm—can be just the boost you need.

4. Extracurricular activities

Drama club. Sports teams. Music lessons. Being the somewhat anxious overachiever I was in my school days, extracurriculars were a big part of my experience. Taking time to engage in a non-academic hobby was enriching, and a welcome break from text books and essays. Now, as an adult, I’ve somehow managed to turn each new hobby into a career—something I’m sure many other multipotentialites can relate to! But the whole point of hobbies, at least for adults, is that they are fun, lighthearted and—often—something we’re not even that good at. That’s the joy of them! We get to play and have fun without the added pressure of being perfect or getting a return on investment. So, let’s embrace extracurriculars in our multipotentialite lives. But, please, let’s also try not to turn every new hobby into a side hustle!

5. Mentors and buddies

In a workplace context, mentors and buddies are peers who may have more experience than you and can show you the ropes. The idea is that you get where you’re going faster if you have someone guiding and advising you along the way. These are people we can learn from and take inspiration from. And, whether we realized it or not, we had these kinds of figures in school too.

I always wanted to be Head Girl at school but, alas, it wasn’t in the stars. In British schools, prefects are students chosen to have certain extra responsibilities, and Head Girl and Head Boy are the most senior prefects. I’ll be honest; I can’t even remember what their role actually entails aside from wearing a fancy badge on their uniform to let everyone know their status. Regardless, the prefect system, along with other school staples such as the buddy system (each new student being assigned a fellow student to show them the ropes), created a set of mentors for students to look up to and call on for support.

This is something that can help us in our roles today as multipotentialites. And remember: a mentor doesn’t have to be someone you know personally. While it is definitely useful to have personal relationships with people who support and inspire you professionally, the whole going-for-coffee-catch-ups thing doesn’t work for everyone’s personality type. A mentor can be someone you learn from and admire from afar. In the age of information, you might have a mentor who is entirely ignorant of your existence but you’ve learned from them through reading their books, listening to their podcast interviews and studying their brand. 

Being a multipotentialite who works independently can be lonely sometimes, so we can also take inspiration from the idea of group study. Sometimes, just working in the same space as a friend, even if you spend hours focused on your screens and effectively ignoring each other, can be incredibly healing. Pitching up in a co-working space can have the same effect. And these group working situations have the added bonus of making you more likely to take that lunch break I mentioned earlier…

The final bell

As September rolls around, the kids might not be the only ones examining their timetables! I hope these 5 hacks encourage you to look at your working pattern with fresh eyes. Writing this has certainly been a reminder to me that I need to find a new hobby! I’m confident that implementing at least one of these ideas can have huge benefits for both your work output and your well-being. And I promise, there are no exams at the end of term.

Your turn

Have you implemented any of these school-style changes into your working life already? Or is there anything else from school you’ve brought into your working life? We’d love to hear your experiences in the comments!

Doing/being/exploring ALL THE THINGS is easier with a community!

Did you know we have a private community of hundreds of multipotentialites from around the world? We support each other, share advice and cheer each other on as we build lives and careers around ALL our passions.

Learn more and join the Puttyverse community here:

The post 5 “Back to School” Inspired Hacks for Multipotentialites appeared first on Puttylike.

What My Unconventional Career Taught Me About Multipotentialite Life

Before I was a multipotentialite (or at least, before I knew I was a multipotentialite), I was a multi-instrumentalist. While I started learning piano at the age of eight, I didn’t remain just a keyboard player for long. My passion quickly led me to begin learning other instruments, with my love for music divided almost equally between all of them. I started playing guitar around age 12, and began flute at school soon after. This eventually led me to pick up piccolo, alto saxophone, ukulele, bass, and drums.

I devoted the most time to learning advanced techniques on flute and piccolo throughout high school and college, and flute (specifically rock flute!) still plays a major role in my style as a musician and producer. But I continue to feel a strong affinity for all of the instruments I play, especially now that I have the opportunity to teach them to others.

Reflecting on how being a multi-instrumentalist is such an important part of my life, I realized that my experiences as a multi-instrumentalist have guided how I conceptualize being a multipotentialite as well. Some of these lessons relate to outward aspects of self-identity, like how other people perceive multipotentiality or assumptions they might make about us. Other intersections involve inward self-identity: like feeling coherent in how we think of ourselves, or achieving a sense of balance in our multifaceted lives.

There are five key areas where my experience as a multi-instrumentalist has helped to guide me in creating my multipotentialite life so far. My hope is that some of these takeaways reflect your experience in other areas of your life as well, and serve as examples for how to extrapolate from one multifaceted pursuit to arrive at insights about yourself and your life more broadly.

1. Overcoming pressure to specialize in one thing

Throughout high school and college, flute and piccolo were my “competitive” instruments, meaning that I focused on preparing for auditions and competitive ensembles on those instruments. I would still identify myself as a multi-instrumentalist during that time, other musicians would often try to clarify or narrow that by saying, “…but flute is your primary instrument.” The phrase “primary instrument” is one that I’ve never really been a fan of, at least with respect to my own practice. In my mind, my primary instrument is the one that I am practicing, teaching, or gigging with on any given day! (That framework would still leave me with two or three “primary instruments” for each day…)

Depending on the projects or performances I am preparing for, my skills might be stronger on a certain instrument for a period of time, but this doesn’t mean that I suddenly lose my abilities and technique on the others. Multipotentialites might experience similar reactions as our interests shift or as we change career priorities. When you are focused on using and developing one of your skill sets, it might appear to be your “primary” skill, while in reality it’s just something you’re focusing on for a period of time. As you pivot to something different, it might temporarily dominate your focus, but that doesn’t necessarily make it your singular specialty either.

2. Embracing how your skills translate

As I started to practice more advanced techniques on my instruments, I found that aspects of playing each instrument translated to the others in some way. Playing wind instruments helps me to develop my phrasing when playing guitar or keyboard, and guides me in structuring melodic lines when I’m writing. Playing drums, practicing rudiments, and learning beats in a variety of genres has helped my rhythmic precision and use of syncopation on my other instruments.

While our multipotentialite pursuits might not always translate to our other roles in such a direct way, being aware of how skills from one area might help us in another and actively seeking out that overlap can be one of our core strengths as multipotentialites. Actually, the idea of trying to apply what I’ve learned as a multi-instrumentalist to other areas of my life as a multipotentialite is a result of looking for these types of intersections! Taking time to think through how some of your talents and hard-earned skills in one area might translate to other parts of your life can be valuable and help you recognize strengths you didn’t even realize you had.

3. Dealing with misconceptions about your abilities

Identifying as a multi-instrumentalist can also come with some of the same challenges that multipotentialites face in terms of how other people perceive us. Some people hear the term “multi-instrumentalist” and assume that people who describe themselves that way are somewhat competent on several instruments, but not great at any of them. I encountered this misconception in school when I was younger. People were often surprised by my ability to, well, play the instruments I said I could play. (“Wow, you’re actually good!” and “I didn’t realize you could actually play!” are not the compliments people might think they are.)

As I’ve grown up and gotten more self-assured in my ability to keep learning and improving professionally on all of my instruments, these types of remarks have become kind of humorous to me. But when I first started teaching lessons, I would feel an added sense of pressure if a new student’s family expressed any doubt about my abilities because they saw me listed as a teacher for several instruments. A comment like, So, you play a little bit of everything? might have led me to feel like I need to demonstrate my chops on whatever instrument I was teaching before beginning the actual lesson.

I now feel more confident that my ability to play and teach with enthusiasm during lessons is evidence enough of my competency as a musician and teacher. But comments like that can still sting a bit, because they’re inadvertently dismissive of the effort and commitment necessary to build skills in multiple areas.

The misconception that we can’t be dedicated and skilled in several disciplines directly translates to the “jack of all trades, master of none” perspective that multipotentialites often have to reckon with in our professional lives. It might be easy to assume that someone who is passionately pursuing several career paths—or several instruments—can’t really excel at any of them because, after all, there are only so many hours in the day. But in actuality, there are ways that both multi-instrumentalists and multipotentialites can manage our time to work toward growth and excellence in whichever areas we choose.

4. Seeking & creating balance between all of your pursuits

Organizing my practice routine as a multi-instrumentalist was one of my first attempts at creating a sense of balance between all of the things I do as a multipotentialite. I now build my practice schedule and routine around the instruments I teach on each day of the week and the instrumental needs of production projects I am working on, but as a kid in school trying to learn all of my chosen instruments it was a bit more complicated!

The process of building a balanced routine and sticking to it when I was first learning my instruments helped to prepare me for my multipotentialite lifestyle, and introduced me to the discipline required to balance several projects at once. In particular, one of the hardest parts of keeping a balanced routine was giving attention to all of my instruments, when I might feel a stronger passion for one more than the others at any given time. I found that I could devote a bit more time to one instrument when I felt drawn to do so, while still maintaining a steady routine to develop my abilities on my other instruments in rotation.

Honestly, being consistent and intentional about how I schedule and balance my time is still a work in progress, as it is for many multipotentialites. But my experiences organizing my multi-instrumental practice routine have provided me with an effective framework for creating balance in the other areas of my professional and personal life.

5. Becoming comfortable with describing yourself differently depending on the situation

In the last year or so especially, I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with describing myself based on the context of an interaction. If I am teaching ukulele and guitar on a particular day, I might introduce myself simply as an uke and guitar teacher. If I’m playing drums at a gig with an indie singer-songwriter, I introduce myself as his drummer.

The reality is that people don’t need to know everything that we do, all of the time. I’ve found that being comfortable momentarily describing myself as “one thing” is easier and more comfortable when I am not feeling insecure or seeking outside approval.

It can be an amazing feeling to arrive at the overarching titles that seem to encompass all that you do. But it can also be empowering and rewarding to realize that you are comfortable with identifying as just a part of your big, overarching identity in some moments.

For me, feeling confident to describe myself by just one instrument or just one job title in certain interactions has helped me to appreciate how I have grown in my skills and intrinsic sense of self-identity. Regardless of what your work and hobbies look like as a multipotentialite, cultivating the confidence to describe yourself by all of them or just one of them depending on the situation can be freeing and empowering. It shows that you have a strong sense of your own identity and don’t need to prove it to anyone else!

Your turn

What did your early experiences balancing your multipotentialite pursuits look like? Is there a particular part of your background that helps to guide all of your other interests and passions?

The post What My Unconventional Career Taught Me About Multipotentialite Life appeared first on Puttylike.

So, You Think You’ve Found “The One”?

I spent several years coming to terms with, and fully embracing, my identity as a multipotentialite and what it would likely mean for my career. I finally accepted that I would probably never find a single career path that I loved wholeheartedly, or one that fulfilled my diverse interests while allowing for a creative evolution at the same time. While many others chose one route for their professional lives and committed to it, I either spent a few years on one career before changing focus (what Emilie Wapnick calls the phoenix approach) or integrated several part-time pursuits into a balanced work schedule (what they call the slash approach).

By the time I graduated from college—with a major and two minors—I felt certain that cobbling together a financially feasible and fulfilling career for myself would be an uphill battle. But I had spent roughly seven years coming to terms with the challenges and benefits of multipotentiality—beginning in my sophomore year of high school when one of my teachers (a fellow multipotentialite!) shared Emilie’s TED talk with me. Although I thought pursuing a multifaceted career would be difficult, especially at first, I appreciated that the hard work and effort would be worth it and reward me with a meaningful and fulfilled life, both professionally and personally.

But then, I found The One.?

At least, it seems like I did. My path to a career in music production was a bit circuitous and slightly chaotic, and recounting the whole narrative would risk turning this article into an episode of How I Met Your Mother (career edition!). But last year, I found my way to a music production workshop hosted by the nonprofit Femme House. In a few short weeks, I discovered a new pursuit that seemed to check all of my boxes.

I have been a musician for most of my life, and any career option that didn’t involve music always felt incomplete to me. I also immediately loved the technical aspects of production and mixing, and I appreciated the level of detail involved. As my interest evolved and grew, I became more familiar with the intersections and overlap between production, arrangement, songwriting, mixing, and performance. Suddenly, at the center of these skills and interests, the prospect of a group hug career—one job or business that is multifaceted and allows you to use many different passions, interests and skills—began to emerge.

For the first time in my life, I felt like I had discovered my perfect career path. But a part of me was hesitant, because I had spent so much time and mental energy embracing a vague vision for my career that definitely did not involve committing to any one thing. Despite that apprehension, I could actually imagine myself working as a music producer, in varying capacities, for my whole life. And, imagining what my daily work routines might look like long-term didn’t make me want to quit, run, hide, or escape into something different—which was also a new and slightly confusing feeling.

Now, a year into producing, and two semesters into my master’s program at Berklee, I feel even more committed to production than I did initially. I also have a bit more experience with the nitty gritty, day-to-day aspects of this career, and it hasn’t left me feeling unfulfilled or constrained. Even more importantly, looking ahead to envision the possibilities for my future in this field doesn’t give me intense anxiety, insecurity, or vague dread in the way that some of the other careers I considered did. One downside is that music production and songwriting are highly competitive, but because I love the work so much and it closely aligns with my identity, I feel confident that the challenges will be worthwhile.

Finding a career that I feel so sure of was definitely unexpected, and it launched me on a process of coming to terms with the idea of a single, overarching career identity for myself. As a multipotentialite, this has frankly felt strange and somewhat unbelievable. But, this reassessment of my career plans has provided me with insights about how multipotentiality can inform and guide our lives, regardless of the work that we are doing at any given moment.

If you find yourself wondering if you’ve finally found “The One” in your own life, and are coming to terms with what this means for your multipotentialite identity, here are three things to keep in mind.

1: Honestly assess how and why this career works for you

Finding a single career, or overarching career field, that checks all of your boxes as a multipotentialite likely means that it manages to encompass many of your interests or has opportunities for interdisciplinary overlap. If you think you’ve found your perfect career, try to recognize the ways it nurtures your multipotentiality and assess what has led you to feel differently about this path. These reflections can help you to better understand and appreciate why a particular career path seems so promising and special to you.

In my own case, I wanted to be a musician from a young age but felt like I needed to try my other professional interests before fully committing to a creative career that I knew would be challenging. Also, artistic career paths tend not to be especially respected or appreciated in professional contexts, so I had to come to terms with the fact that my life decisions couldn’t realistically be pleasing to everyone I know.

When I got my first experience in music production, it encompassed my passion for music, my interests in science and technology, and my detail-oriented approach to my work, while also holding the potential to closely overlap with my creative side as a writer and songwriter. One of the reasons that I can see music production working for me as a long-term career is that it’s inherently multidisciplinary. I can use my background in different fields—even psychology and philosophy—to inform how I approach projects and support my collaborators.

2: Don’t let a fear of changing your mind prevent you from committing—or experiencing joy right now!

If you feel wholeheartedly committed to a path right now, don’t let a fear of potentially shifting focus down the road prevent you from enjoying your real excitement in the present moment. If you are deeply passionate about something, don’t let fears of external judgment or your past track record of changing your mind undermine what might be a wonderful and fulfilling opportunity.

I think many multipotentialites can relate to changing our minds several times about what careers we want to prioritize or pursue. So, feeling like you have found one career that you can see a future with long-term and wholeheartedly commit to might be easy to dismiss as “just another phase” or “a fleeting interest.” 

Don’t underestimate your ability to assess your own strengths, interests, and long-term plans. If you really feel like this group hug path is more than a temporary detour, trust yourself! I have a track record of changing my mind about big career moves (literally!) but I feel differently about music production than I have about any of my past career interests. Based on this difference, I can feel wholeheartedly committed to my current path, and it brings me excitement and joy!

3: Commit from a place of confidence, self-respect, and intrinsic motivation

For multipotentialites in our twenties, thirties, or even teens, there can be a strong societal pressure to have that one word or phrase that defines us as professionals. For many multipotentialites, it can be healthier and more fulfilling to subvert that career framework entirely.

But, if you as a multipotentialite find that you feel fulfilled by, and passionate about, one long-term career path, this does not make you any less of a multipotentialite! One work model isn’t better than the others; what’s important is finding what works best for you as a unique individual.

If you do find that you feel drawn to “commit” to one career path or field, at least for the time being, do so from a place of understanding and appreciating your own values and internal sense of direction for your life.  If you feel like you want to tell people your plans so they’ll think more highly of you or compliment your planning, that’s not a great indicator that you’re committing for your own benefit.

But, if you have a deep passion and excitement for your future in a particular career, and you want to tell everyone you know about it because you’re thrilled about it, that’s a good sign! If you feel internally drawn to a wholehearted commitment to one path, at least for now, then let that impulse be your guide.

Your turn

Have you ever felt like you found one career path to commit to long-term? Do you catch yourself feeling hesitant to commit to a path based on your history with other careers?

Curious about all the ways multipotentialites make a living? Check out Emilie’s master course and learn how to turn your many passions into a career you love!

The post So, You Think You’ve Found “The One”? appeared first on Puttylike.

Your First Book: Self-Publish or Publishing House?

They say that everyone has at least one book in them. And I think they might be right—whoever “they” are. The great thing about books is that they’re so varied. Some books are truly works of literary genius. Others aren’t particularly impressive for their word wizardry, but shine because they’re packed with really useful information presented in an easy-to-understand way. All this to say that, whether you consider yourself a writer or not, publishing a book could be an ideal career milestone for you. 

Multipotentialites typically have a lot to say. Whether it’s about how we juggle so many different tasks, the common threads between our seemingly disparate projects or the transferable skills that have helped us in our multipotentialite journey, we have knowledge that other people want. You probably already share your wisdom with others in many different ways—through your social media content, in talks, through coaching and mentoring—but perhaps you’ve decided it’s time to put pen to paper and share your gifts with the world. Congratulations! Writing a book is a long and difficult journey but it’s one that is incredibly rewarding, and I’m excited for you to embark on it.

Decisions, decisions…

One of the big decisions that comes with taking the leap to publish your own book is this: do I go it alone and self-publish or go with a traditional publishing house? This choice will have a huge impact on everything from the writing process to your earnings, and is not one to be taken lightly…but it can also be very confusing to navigate!

Having self-published an ebook back in 2018 and more recently published a book via the traditional route, I thought I’d share a few of my observations on the difference between self-publishing and working with a publishing house to help you decide which feels best for you. The truth is both routes have both pros and cons, and neither guarantees success. But hopefully being a bit more informed will lead you down the road of no regrets.

1. How much money do I expect to earn and/or invest?

Before we get into the specifics, let me just say this. Whichever route you go down, being an author is not a get rich quick scheme. It’s not even a get rich slow scheme. As my school teachers often told me growing up, authors do not make a lot of money. Of course, we hear about 7-figure advances and 3-book deals for the likes of Stephen King and Akwaeke Emezi but these are very much the exception! For multipotentialites, writing a book can definitely boost your income indirectly by getting you more speaking or consulting gigs for example, but the book itself is unlikely to be a huge money maker. Because of this, it’s important to think about the costs involved with the different methods of publishing, as well as the potential income. The process of writing, printing, distributing and selling a book costs a lot.

First, the time it takes you to write. Your time is valuable! And writing a book can take a lot of time. I’ve heard of people finishing their book within a month…and I’ve heard of people finishing after ten years! Writing my book took about 18 months, including editing. And six of those months were dedicated fully to completing my manuscript, with no other projects. I received a small advance which, along with a grant I was awarded, the support of my wonderful mother, and two months at fully funded writers residencies gave me the space to do nothing but write for six months.

Notice how the advance is one of four income sources I listed. My advance alone wouldn’t have been anywhere near enough to survive on for the time it took me to write the book, and this is typical for first-time authors like me. In addition, it’s important to know that an advance is not typically paid as a lump sum. It’s usually split into three installments; one upon signing the book deal, one upon completing the manuscript (edits and all), and one on publication day. So let’s say, for example, you get an advance of £10,000 and you have a year to write your book. What you’re really getting is £3,333 at the point of signing your deal—to last you a whole year until you submit your manuscript. Of course, that’s £3,333 more than you’ll earn upfront for self-publishing but probably not enough to be the reason you would choose the traditional route. So, whichever route you choose, you will need to invest a huge amount of time, with the cost of that time and living expenses being covered through other means.

Once you’ve finally finished your manuscript (hurrah!) there’s a lot to be done before it’s ready to go out into the world. It will need to be copy edited, proofread, formatted and be adorned with a beautiful cover. When you work with a publisher, they cover the cost of all of this. If you self-publish you’ll have to foot the bill. It’s true, you could forgo some of these, call in favors or get some DIY in if you have the skills. But for the best possible outcome, you’ll want to outsource to professionals who have specific experience with books. 

It is possible to publish a book as an ebook only, which removes any printing considerations but let’s assume you want a physical book you can hold in your hands. When working with a publisher, they cover the cost of printing and shipping the books to wherever they need to go – another huge cost to take on by yourself. There is the option to print on demand, in which case your book is only ever printed at the point when someone orders it, removing a huge upfront cost. The downside to this is that it limits distribution channels, but depending on your objectives, this could be the perfect option for you!

As well as the costs mentioned above, self-publishing will also mean you’ll need to invest in things like marketing and logistics, which we’ll go into more detail about soon.

2. Am I ready to handle all the logistics?

When someone asks me where they can get my book, I send them a website link with a list of retailers. If someone has a problem with their order, I ask them to contact the retailer directly. I know myself. And there is no way that I would have been able to manage the whole distribution and sales process myself. Pitching to booksellers, getting my book an ISBN, setting up e-commerce channels, managing customer orders – this all sounds like hell to me. I wouldn’t even have known where to start! The traditional publishing route takes care of all of this for you and their sales teams have existing relationships with booksellers, making it much more likely they’ll give your book a chance. With these distribution channels sorted, customers will receive your book without you having to lift a finger or lick a postage stamp! You get some of this benefit with print on demand, as the books are shipped out by the supplier, but if you decide to print in bulk, then you’ll need to arrange and pay for shipping yourself. While you can of course pass this cost onto customers, there’s again the cost of the time it will take you to package and post your precious parcels. 

While having a publisher deal with distribution leaves you free of the stress, the downside is you don’t have control over where your book is stocked. If it’s important to you to closely manage where your book is seen and purchased, perhaps for ethical or brand-related reasons, then self-publishing gives you much more control.

3. Do I know how to market myself and my book?

In order to buy your book, people need to know about it. And that’s where marketing comes in. Publishing houses have design, marketing and PR teams in-house, meaning you don’t necessarily have to get your own publicist or pay a graphic designer to make content for you. That said, there is still a huge burden on the author to do most of the marketing. Using my own experience as an example, my publisher Hay House helped me out by designing some graphics, arranging some social media activations on their channels, and covering the cost of gifting the book to influencers. But marketing efforts really have to be pushed by the author, which is understandable because you’re the only one who really knows how to market your book. Publishers rarely help with or fund book launch parties or book tours, so this was an aspect I had to manage alone. Despite the advice not to hire a publicist, I did because one of my best friends is an amazing PR pro. The vast majority of the podcast and press opportunities I’ve received so far came from her and not from the publisher’s team. 

The important thing to remember, throughout the process but especially when it comes to PR and marketing, is that with a publishing house your book is one of potentially hundreds that they’re working on. And especially if you’re a new or “small” author, you’re probably not as high on the priority list as you might like to think. In addition, the teams at large publishers are hugely under-resourced and under-compensated, from what I’ve read and heard. So even though they’re all rooting for you, they can never prioritize your book as much as you will. 

This is why, aside from a few cost savings, I don’t feel there’s a huge difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing when it comes to marketing your book. So, whatever option you choose, it’s wise to brush up on your marketing skills. Both routes will require you to pour a huge amount of time and effort—and perhaps some money—into building a successful launch campaign.

4. Who is my audience and how can I best reach them?

Despite my obvious star quality, I am not (yet) famous. I have a paltry 3,000 or so followers on Instagram and my mailing list is somewhat of a slow grower. And the book that I wrote is BIG. It’s important and timely and relevant to Black people all over the world, and I wanted it to reach all those people! For me, this was my main deciding factor in wanting to work with a publishing house. Working with a publisher can give you a much greater reach through their distribution channels, their platform, their existing audience, their credibility. 

When I self-published my first ebook, it was more as a personal goal, a thought leadership exercise and lead magnet for attracting new coaching clients. I didn’t need it to go far and wide, and I already had an audience of blog subscribers who had been consuming similar content from me for years. You might already have the reach you desire for your book. Maybe you’re writing on music production and you’re already known in the industry. Or perhaps you’re writing a more general book but you’re a hugely popular TikTok influencer. In this case, a publisher might not give you such a boost in terms of reach, since you’ve already got the eyes and ears of your ideal audience. 

You can also, of course, consider how important reach is to your goals. Perhaps you’re a high ticket coach and this book is really a part of your sales funnel—so it is targeted at potential clients rather than the reading public at large. Or maybe you’re a lecturer or public speaker looking to add credibility to your profile. You don’t necessarily need to be a bestseller, but having a published book will help with getting booked. In either of these cases self-publishing may be the way to go.

5. Am I okay with giving up some control?

What is it about creatives and control? We can get so precious about our work! If you know that unwelcome suggestions on your art often lead to tantrums then you might want to steer clear of the publishing houses. When you sign a contract with them, you’re also signing away a degree of control. Publishers may have final say on everything—from the book title, to the layout, to the cover design. Of course, that’s not to say they will exercise that control. I was really lucky in that Hay House allowed me to take the lead on everything. Even when we were all truly sick of working on the cover, they allowed us to continue until I was 100% happy with the outcome. Where they challenged some of the text and I provided counter arguments, they backed off. At no point did they make any decisions I wasn’t fully on board with. But they could have if they had wanted to. Such is the agreement between an author and publishing house. 

When self-publishing, you have full control! While this can be a good thing, it really depends on your personality. It’s rare that someone is really able to go it alone. If you decide self-publishing is for you, I recommend getting together a team of trusted advisors who can give you feedback on anything from the text to the cover. You don’t want the first time anyone else lays eyes on your book to be after everything is finalized!

6. What kind of support do I need?

Writing a book can be a long and lonely process. If you’re working with a publisher, you’ll have a point of contact who’s always on hand to talk through your progress, your blocks, and your concerns. Of course, you can do this with friends and family but honestly they’ll get (understandably) sick of you after a while!

Again I was lucky to have a Commissioning Editor (who acted kind of like my book’s project manager) who was kind, patient and actually cared about my book (shoutout Kezia!) so I had a good experience. I’m sure there are others who haven’t enjoyed who they’ve worked with, which would perhaps add stress rather than relieve it.

7. How soon do I want my book out in the world?

The time between signing my book deal and launching my book was about 1 year and 10 months, and that’s pretty quick as far as traditional publishing goes. You should expect to work on the book for another 12 or so months from the point when your manuscript is complete. For many people, this is simply too slow—especially once you consider the months or years it can take to shop your manuscript or book proposal around in order to land that book deal in the first place.

When self-publishing, you can launch almost as soon as you’ve finished writing! If what you’re writing on is particularly timely and you don’t want to miss the moment, self-publishing might be the better route.

Final word

Publishing a book is a long and intense process. There are many more questions you’ll need to ask yourself as you go on this journey but I hope I’ve given you enough of a starting point to help you on your way. I’m a huge believer in learning through experience, so if you still find yourself unsure about which route to take, my advice is…take the one in front of you!

Your turn

Do you have experiences with traditional publishing and/or self-publishing? If you’re yet to publish, which route are you leaning towards? We’d love to hear your experiences in the comments!

The post Your First Book: Self-Publish or Publishing House? appeared first on Puttylike.