Master Of My Trades

So… I had this reflection during a conference. The leaders were expressing the same idea, a pattern, if I can say, telling young people to choose one path, stick to it, and they'd be safe. They were explicitly saying that a person who masters a single skill is always the sharpest. I was labeled a jack of trades, not because of my many skills, but because of a duality in identities. We're told two mastered skills can't coexist. I felt like the blueprint of choosing one skill and sticking to it wasn't safe for me, instead, it felt weak. While people were shaping their identity around one skill, I shaped mine around what my heart thing.

Instead of mastering one skill, I practiced everything I loved. It was an instinctive path that I chose… actually, I didn't choose this path; it was heart-driven, but I chose to stay in it. See, I tried many things: painting, coding, designing, crafting, drawing, and even rare things people choose to do, like sewing and pottery. I didn't take them as lightly as hobbies, but they weren't as heavy as careers either. And that's where the fear brought by the blueprint rose. I started thinking it wasn't enough… not in a “I need to gain more skills” way, but in a “I can never paint as well as a master” way. But I had a unique mastery I had yet to understand. When I coded, it felt like sculpting with logic. When I drew, it felt like creative architecture. And one thing I understood is that I don't have to make a choice. I can perfect any skill and with intention, I can make it as sharp as the master… hence the title master of my trades … A polymath if I can say.

As a developer and an artist, in a world of developers, I'm the one with more self-expression. And in a world of artists, I'm the one with more structure. I was told coding and drawing are mutually exclusive. That's kinda wrong. Coding improves structural thinking, which makes my art more deliberate. And art improves creativity, which makes my code more innovative. See, “Jack Of All Trades” isn't a lack of mastery, it's mastery of adaptable creativity. I have a vision, and I know what I need. Everything else feeds my main skills and makes me better. Being “Jack Of All Trades” isn't a weakness. It's the freedom to explore, the courage to follow your heart regardless of the blueprint and the discipline to go deep where it matters. My path may be unconventional, but it's mine and I walk through it with intention. And yet… I still have questions where this path will lead, about which skills will actually define me and about the version of myself I'm yet to discover.

And I'm moving forward, uncertain sometimes but I have a clear vision.

Leonardo DaVinci is arguably one of the most influential “master of trades”, btw the full quote says;