E64 Transcript
There’s a question I hear a lot from makers who are actually doing the work.
Not dreamers. Not collectors of pretty ideas. I mean people who are in their studio… or who keep trying to be.
And the question sounds like this:
“Why do I want to do so many different things?”
“Why can’t I just pick one and stick to it?”
“Is this a gift… or am I just scattered?”
And if you’ve ever felt a little embarrassed by how many interests you have — or how many projects you want to touch — you’re not alone.
But here’s what I want to do today.
I want to clean up the whole conversation around “multi-passionate” because it’s gotten messy.
Some people use that label as a way to avoid commitment.
Other people avoid the label because they think it means they’re flaky.
Neither one helps you.
So in this episode, I’m going to give you three things:
First, a clear way to tell whether you’re truly multi-passionate… or whether you’re just stuck in unfinished loops and unmade decisions.
Second, I’m going to give you a serious-maker framework for holding multiple creative interests without living in chaos.
And third, I’m going to talk about the real goal here — because the goal isn’t “do everything.”
The goal is to make work that matters. Work that improves. Work you can stand behind.
If you’ve been feeling like your ideas are trying to pull you in six different directions… this episode is going to help you put the right kind of structure around that.
Alright. Let’s get into it.
So Why does this whole multiple interest thing feel confusing in the first place?
Let’s start with what’s actually happening.
Most makers don’t feel overwhelmed because they have “too many passions.”
They feel overwhelmed because they don’t have a system for deciding what gets time, what gets attention, and what gets finished.
So the brain starts doing what brains do.
It turns your interests into a pressure cooker.
You’ll sit down to sew… and suddenly you remember you also wanted to try weaving.
And then you remember you bought dye supplies.
And then you think about learning surface design.
And then you’re like… great. Now I’m behind on everything.
And that’s when people start telling themselves stories:
“Maybe I’m just undisciplined.”
“Maybe I’m just not serious.”
“Maybe I’m doing creativity wrong.”
No.
What’s usually happening is simpler:
You have real creative range — and you don’t have a container for it yet.
And if you try to solve a container problem with motivation, you’ll just stay stuck.
Because motivation doesn’t organize your studio.
A decision does.
And just to be clear: being multi-passionate is not a permission slip to be sloppy.
If anything, having multiple interests means you need more clarity, not less.
Because you can absolutely be multi-passionate and serious and good.
But you can’t be multi-passionate and vague.
Vague is where the work dies.
So how do you know if you’re truly multi-passionate… or if you’re simply avoiding depth?
I’m going to give you five clues — but I’m going to say them in the grown-up version.
Clue #1: Choosing one thing feels like you’re amputating something
If someone says, “What do you do?” and you feel like you’re lying no matter what you say…
That’s a clue.
Because some creatives are built to go deep in one lane for decades.
And some creatives are built to work across lanes — and combine lanes.
This isn’t about “not being able to choose.”
This is about the fact that choosing one thing often feels like abandoning part of your actual creative intelligence.
But here’s the serious-maker nuance:
If choosing one thing feels like torture, that doesn’t mean you do five things at once.
It means you choose how and when to rotate without losing momentum.
That’s the difference between range and chaos.
It’s about the discipline to choose and rotate effectively.
This is the choice.
Clue #2: It’s not just interest — you’re genuinely competent in more than one area
Curiosity is cheap. Talent isn’t.
Multi-passionate makers tend to have real capability across multiple forms.
They can learn new techniques.
They can adapt.
They can translate ideas across mediums.
And that’s not a character flaw. That’s an actual strength.
But — and this matters — competence in many things can create a trap.
Because if you can be “pretty good” at lots of things, it becomes easier to avoid the work required to become excellent at one thing.
So this clue is real — and it requires responsibility.
To truly be a great multi-passionate creative, your responsibility is to recognize where more skill is needed and to the work necessary, OR decide to back out of that thing. Again, this is a choice.
Clue #3: You hate the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none”
Yeah. Same.
And yes — the longer version of that quote is more generous.
But the deeper point is this:
Multi-passionate people don’t want to be shallow.
They want to be whole.
They don’t want to dabble forever.
They want to integrate their skill and taste across multiple areas.
So if that old phrase irritates you, that’s a clue you’re not content with surface-level creativity.
You want mastery — you just might be wired to approach mastery differently.
And here is the kicker – you will know if you are just using the multiple interests to distract yourself if you find you are perfectly okay with being a master of none.
Clue #4: You’re a high-level creative problem solver
This is one of the most useful clues, and I want to say it plainly.
When you have multiple creative languages — sewing, knitting, weaving, collage, pattern work, dyeing — you start seeing structure in a different way.
You see options faster.
You see connections faster.
You can solve problems other people don’t even notice yet.
And it shows up in ordinary life too.
You look in the fridge and you somehow make a complete meal out of a few eggs, some cheese, and the leftover grilled vegetables.
That’s not random. That’s pattern recognition.
That’s a maker brain.
But again — responsibility matters:
Your superpower is seeing possibilities.
Your job is choosing which possibility becomes real-right now, knowing the others will have their time eventually.
Clue #5: You don’t just want to make — you want your work to matter outside your own head
This one is huge.
Multi-passionate makers often feel this pressure because they want to express more than one kind of work.
They don’t just want to be entertained.
They want to contribute.
They want to share gifts, solve problems, build beautiful things, make objects that carry meaning, make work that holds up.
And when you feel that pull… it can feel like there’s not enough time on earth.
So you either get disciplined — or you burn out.
Those are usually the two outcomes.
Now here’s where I’m going to tighten this up.
Because a lot of people use “multi-passionate” as a flattering label for something else.
So let’s draw a clean line.
Multi-passionate means:
• You have multiple real lanes of creative competence or calling
• You can work across them intentionally
• You can sustain engagement without constantly abandoning the work
Uncommitted usually looks like:
• Constant new starts
• Constant new supplies
• Constant new research
• And very little finishing, refinement, or follow-through
And here’s the simple diagnostic.
If your many interests produce:
• more skill
• more finished work
• more clarity
• more integration
…that’s multi-passionate.
If your many interests produce:
• more clutter
• more half-starts
• more self-doubt
• more spinning
…that’s not multi-passionate.
That’s a lack of structure.
And the good news is: structure is learnable.
So what do you do if you’re listening and thinking:
“Yes. That’s me. I’m not scattered. I’m not lazy. I just have range.”
Here’s the framework I want you to try.
Not inspirational. Practical.
Rule 1: You need a “primary lane” for a season
Season. Not forever.
Pick one lane to be your primary lane for the next 4 to 12 weeks.
Sewing is primary.
Weaving is primary.
Pattern development is primary.
Whatever it is.
This is the lane where you want measurable improvement and measurable productivity
Not just activity. Improvement.
And here’s why:
If you never have a primary lane, you never accumulate depth.
You keep restarting your own skill development.
Rule 2: You get ONE secondary lane — as a pressure valve, not a detour
This is where people get it wrong.
A secondary lane is not a second main life.
It’s a pressure valve.
It’s the thing you can do when your primary lane hits friction — without abandoning your standards or losing momentum.
So maybe your primary lane is sewing bespoke garments.
Your secondary lane might be surface work — applique, embroidery, hand pain ting — that supports the garment later.
Or your primary lane is weaving technique.
Your secondary lane might be sketching pattern ideas or making small studies that feed the loom work.
The secondary lane should feed the primary lane, not compete with it.
Rule 3: You need a “parking lot” for everything else
This is where serious makers win.
Because you’re always going to have ideas.
The question is: do your ideas run your day… or do you run your ideas?
You need a parking lot system:
• a notebook
• a notes app
• a binder
• a board
I don’t care what it is.
But the rule is:
If it’s not primary or secondary right now, it goes in the parking lot.
Not because it’s bad.
Because you’re not available for it.
And if you’re multi-passionate, this will actually calm your nervous system.
Because the fear underneath “I have so many ideas” is usually:
“What if I lose it?”
“What if I forget it?”
“What if I never get to it?”
A parking lot answers that fear with a structure and relaxes the relentless worry about it.
Rule 4: Finish more than you start — even if “finish” means a defined checkpoint
I’m not talking about perfection. I’m not talking about turning everything into a masterpiece.
I’m talking about closing loops.
A finished seam.
A finished sample.
A finished block.
A finished study.
A finished decision.
If you’re multi-passionate, you especially need loop-closing, because open loops multiply faster in your brain.
And open loops are exhausting.
Rule 5: Build skill on purpose — don’t just accumulate experiences
This is the heart of the whole thing
Serious makers don’t just “try new things.”
They build capability.
For example, I do mixed media collage and I design and make artistic garments. I would love to take a metals class to fabricate different types of metal. Not because I want to suddenly take up jewelry making. No, I want it to learn to make exciting pieces for my mixed media. It is an addition to my primary lane. Same thing with painting of fabric, or making hand made paper – they are all additional skills that elevate my primary lane.
So as you rotate passions, you ask:
“What skill am I building in this season?”
“What’s the problem I’m solving?”
“What decision am I learning to make better?”
That’s how you keep range from turning into chaos.
WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IN REAL Life
A serious multi-passionate maker doesn’t say:
“I can’t choose, so I’ll do everything whenever I feel like it.”
They say:
“I’m choosing a season. I’m choosing a lane. I’m choosing what gets finished.”
So you might decide:
For the next eight weeks, my primary lane is garment work — and specifically improving finish quality.
Secondary lane: small stitched surface samples that support that garment work.
Parking lot: weaving, dyeing, all the other ideas.
And because you have a system, you don’t feel trapped.
You feel… directed.
And if you want to be the kind of maker whose work improves year over year — you need direction more than you need freedom.
Freedom is overrated when it leads to chaos.
But believe me when I tell you, Structure builds a whole lot of freedom!
So, If you have many creative interests, that doesn’t automatically mean you’re scattered.
It may mean you have real range — real creative intelligence across more than one lane.
But range without structure turns into noise.
A serious maker approach is:
• choose a primary lane for a season
• allow one secondary lane that supports it
• park everything else
• finish more than you start
• and build skill on purpose
And if you want a couple questions to take back into your studio, here you go:
1. Do my multiple interests produce better work — or just more starts?
2. What’s my primary lane for the next 4 to 12 weeks?
3. What would “finish” look like this week — not perfect, but closed-loop finish?
You don’t need to shrink yourself down to one narrow identity.
But you do need a way to make sure your creativity becomes work you can stand behind — not just a collection of possibilities.
And that’s the line we’re walking here.
The goal is not to do everything.
The goal is to become capable — on purpose.
So join me- I am a multi-passionate creative AND I LOVE IT!
