The Groove Issue 30 - On Being Multifaceted
Welcome to the 30th issue of The Groove.
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ON BEING MULTIFACETED
The era of the one-dimensional hyper-specialist is over, particularly if you aspire to mine your own creativity and lead with it to make a change and serve the world in a more meaningful way.
Leonardo Da Vinci. Illustration by Pictore.
Polymaths Split Their 10,000 Hours on Different Subjects
Being a polymath, a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning, is one of the most consistent qualities found in people whose contributions in arts, business, and science have endured for centuries and will continue to do so for centuries to come.
Studies have debunked the 10,000 hours of specialization theory that Malcom Gladwell popularized in his book Outliers, saying it doesn’t make the experts more passionate and excited about their areas of work, but instead makes them somewhat unhappy and unfulfilled -two states that render creativity and innovation hard to attain.
It’s impossible to talk about being a polymath without mentioning Leonardo Da Vinci, a man who was so curious and whose interests were so widespread, that even 500 years after his death, he continues to be a subject of profound study in schools, colleges and universities around the world and independently by contemporary artists and businesspeople alike.
Da Vinci had almost no schooling, could barely read Latin, and struggled with long division. But his curiosity was his superpower, and he became one of the most celebrated artists and inventors in history because of the way he tackled a variety of subjects and incorporated what he knew about one or more areas into others, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, cartography, painting, and paleontology. In his own words: “Learning never exhausts the mind.”
The Importance of Saying “Yes”
Andy Warhol's A Set of Six Self-Portraits (1967)
Andy Warhol was another multifaceted artist who was never afraid to experiment and explore in any medium that piqued his curiosity. He always said “yes” and went on to paint hundreds of canvases, produce thousands of prints, act as a photographer, served as the executive producer and host of three TV shows, Fashion, Andy Warhol’s T.V., and Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes, managed and produced the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground, founded Interview magazine, and authored numerous books, including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol and Popism: The Warhol Sixties.
Serial entrepreneurs are almost always polymaths as they keep learning about as many industries as they can, seeing opportunities multiply in front of their eyes and pursuing them boldly.
That’s how Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, started at the age of 16 with a magazine called “Student”, then changed in 1970 to set up a mail-order record business that eventually became a chain of record stores, Virgin Records—later known as Virgin Megastores. Airlines, hotels, music labels, media and telecom, as well as intergalactic travel companies have also followed.
Branson has never said “I’m a specialist on this subject” - quite the opposite, he lives by the motto that he wrote on his blog; “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”
Be Fearless
Mandy Gonzalez photographed by Marc J. Franklin at the Carlyle Hotel in New York
Being multifaceted is what Mandy Gonzalez does. She is the person who not only gave life to the original off-Broadway character of Nina Rosario, the protagonist of the Tony-award winning Broadway Musical In the Heights - soon to be released as a Warner Bros. film, but also the actress who incarnated Elphaba in Wicked and Angela Schuyler in Hamilton.
Mandy is an omnivore with her professional interests. She moves with ease and grace (and yes, a lot of hours of practice, just not all of them dedicated to the same thing) between being an actress on TV and on Broadway, being a singer (in 2018, she released a Warner Music album called Fearless and has performed with some of the best symphonies around the world including the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall) and being an activist in the areas of inclusivity and positivity.
This past week, Mandy added one more thing to her ample list: her debut as a book author in one of the hottest categories in publishing: young adult fiction. Fearless, published by Simon and Schuster, is the story of a twelve-year-old girl who arrives in New York with her grandmother, with dreams to be on Broadway.
When I asked Mandy about how she nourishes her multifaceted career she answered: “I am constantly challenging myself. I always hear my father in the back of my mind saying: “Mi hija there is room for everyone.””
For The Love of Lifelong Learning
Like Da Vinci, Warhol, Branson, and Gonzalez, it’s one thing to know what you do and do it really well, and it’s another to be all of that while cultivating a variety of other interests and ambitions that make your perspective so rich that you can’t help but, as if in a lab, keep mixing and uncovering new formulas for creativity and success.
Embracing the idea of a polymath is one of the most certain ways to become a true creative and why I advocate for relentlessly learning about other areas that may or may not be related to yours. The vast number of legit books, online courses, and valuable content that is available at people’s fingertips, all from the comfort of their homes or offices, has given access to an unprecedented amount of knowledge that would be impossible to find even ten years ago.
Think about how to actively incorporate new knowledge into your job and practice. It all starts with small actions, but the cumulative effects magnify over time.
PS: Join me tomorrow Wednesday, April 14, at 1:00 PM for an IG live session with Mandy Gonzalez talking about her multifaceted career, the process and inspiration for writing her book and the future of Broadway. Meet us on Instagram here
Thank you for reading this far. Looking forward to hearing from you anytime.
There are no affiliate links here. Everything that I recommend is done freely.
THE EXTRA GROOVE
Read:
The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization by Peter M. Senge
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day by Michael Gelb
Watch:
The Life of Andy Warhol, a documentary by WNET
Inside the Mind of Leonardo Da Vinci, a documentary by Julian Jones
Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin | The Brave Ones by CNBC International