15 Dream Jobs For Creative Generalists (aka Multi-Passionate Creatives)
A creative generalist (also known as a polymath, a jack-or-jill-of-all-trades, a multipotentialite, a multi-passionate creative, or even a Da Vinci man or woman) is someone who has diverse skills, interests, and knowledge. They see connections between unrelated things and solve problems in unconventional ways. Because of their unique brain wiring, they need a lot of variety to remain engaged in their work. It's vital for them to feel challenged to learn new things, utilizes their skills, and that their job is meaningful and serves a greater purpose than themselves.
My definition of creative generalists reads like this:
Curious and adventurous dabbler, explorer, and fast learner - someone with many talents, broad interests, and a hunger for knowledge across many topics. A natural program-solver and bridge-builder with thicker skin for failure and a capacity for change. Doesn't fit into a specific career path. Easily bored. Loves to get started over and over again. Always in for a challenge.
Creative generalists can bring a unique perspective and innovative thinking to any job, but some careers are especially suited to their skill set and to keep them happy and interested.
Here are 15 dream jobs that creative generalists might consider:
1. Art Director: If you want to work in a field that requires diverse artistic and creative expression, this is a great place to start. Art directors create visuals and campaigns for advertisement and branding campaigns, direct photo shoots, and manage visual style guides. They combine various skills to create a cohesive story for their clients. Generalists are particularly suited to be art directors because they can draw on many sources, interests, and talents to create something truly unique.
2. Travel Photographer: If you have many interests and talents, a career as a travel photographer can be gratifying. It's an ideal career for those who love exploring and capturing gorgeous images and learning something new daily. If you don't want to be tied down to one place, need variety in your work, like meeting people and exploring different cultures, and have a knack for photography, this career might be ideal for you.
3. Art Therapist: Combining art, psychology, and emotion, art therapy helps people express themselves through creativity, understand themselves better, and find healing. Art therapists use traditional art-making materials such as paint, clay, ink, and various philosophies of life to guide and counsel their clients. Creative generalists who like helping others can apply their diverse skillset to this field to facilitate healing and help people increase self-awareness and cope with emotional distress.
4. Credit Manager: A credit manager is responsible for managing a business's money flow. This work involves overseeing customer accounts, approving loans, and managing repayment plans. You need to have strong analytical skills to be able to forecast cash flow and make decisions based on financial trends, but also tap into a wide range of topics and can understand different contexts to come up with creative solutions to money-related problems—an ideal career for hungry for knowledge and problem-solving creative generalist.
5. UX/UI Designer: UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) designers combine the technical aspects of design with innovative thinking to create aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use products. You'll need to think on your feet to solve complex design problems, but you'll be rewarded with the satisfaction of using your skills and ideas to create something new - and of great use to others! It's an excellent career choice for the creative generalist who loves psychology, technology, problem-solving, and building things.
6. Video Producer: From short documentaries to corporate videos, video producers are the people who bring stories to life. Video producers need to be able to write, direct, shoot and edit videos, so a diverse skill set is essential. Creative generalists with an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling can easily find their place in this fast-growing field, where their technical and artistic skills can shine.
7. Copywriter / Ghostwriter: Copywriting is about creating compelling content that grabs attention and drives action. A creative generalist with a good grasp of language and the ability to dig into and learn about new subjects can make a great copywriter. The same is true for ghostwriters, who write content for books, speeches, or articles but are not credited for it. Both professions are perfect for those who can't live without learning something new and crafting stories that stand out.
8. Digital Marketer: Digital marketing requires knowledge of both digital media and traditional marketing principles, making it ideal for creative generalists who have experience with both. They need a wide range of interests and skills to juggle all the aspects of digital campaigns, from content creation and strategy to analytics. A digital marketer brings together words, images, videos, and other content to create effective campaigns that reach their target audience.
9. Event Planner: For the creative generalist who thrives on imagination and loves planning and organizing events, this career is a great way to combine their passion for people, design, and coordination. Event planners create unique experiences that capture an audience's attention; they need to be creative, understand their client's wishes, think outside the box, and handle all the technical details involved in event planning. This career is perfect for those who don't want two days to look the same.
10. Business Consultant: A business consultant offers guidance for businesses on a variety of topics, such as marketing, finance, operations, and strategy. Creative generalists with a broad range of knowledge and savvy sales and business experience make excellent consultants, as they can combine their expertise and hunger for knowledge with creative problem-solving skills to help businesses reach their goals. This career is perfect for those who want to use their creativity, need for variety, and ability to understand complex concepts and experiences to help others succeed.
9. Video Game Designer: If you have a lot of imagination and love technology and telling or creating stories, this could be your career. As a video game designer, you'll plan out levels, design characters, develop storylines and write code that makes the game playable. Strong computer programming skills are a plus for this job, although this is undoubtedly something generalists can learn as they go (don't you love your brain!). Applying your understanding of how stories are created, worlds are built, and how people interact with technology will keep this job interesting.
10. Social Media Manager: If you are passionate about staying up-to-date on the latest trends in social media, becoming a social media manager could be the perfect fit. As a social media manager, you'll need to stay on top of the newest platforms and technological trends and create engaging content that will draw people in and encourage them to take action. Good writing skills, an eye for design and detail, and an understanding of how different platforms work are essential for this job. Never a dull day in the office for creative generalists here!
11. Project Manager: Project managers are the people who oversee and coordinate complex projects. It's a versatile and rewarding job for creative generalists who fear boredom like Superman feared kryptonite. It does require analytical thinking and spreadsheet and detailed planning, so it won't be for all generalists, even though their skills come in handy in this job, as project managers need to be able to understand a wide range of topics, communicate effectively and juggle multiple tasks. If you like solving puzzles and working with people, then project management might be the career for you!
12. Brand Strategist: A brand strategist is responsible for developing strategies that help build a company's image and reputation. You will be responsible for researching the competition, identifying target markets, and devising creative campaigns that capture attention. For this job, you'll need good analytical skills, excellent communication abilities to effectively convey the strategy to stakeholders, and a love for design and storytelling.
13. Software Developer: Software development can be a great career choice for the creative generalist who thrives on challenges. This job involves coding, troubleshooting, and debugging software applications for various platforms. You'll need strong problem-solving skills to create the software your client or employer will need. A degree in computer science or a related field is handy. However, many companies today teach you the skills you'll need on the job. Software development is an excellent career for those who like the challenge of tackling tough problems!
14. Animator/VFX Artist: An animator is responsible for bringing characters and stories to life through motion graphics or 3D animations. Working as an animator requires understanding how people interact with visuals and technical skills in animation software. Additionally, VFX artists create special effects in videos and films, so knowledge of video editing software is also necessary. Staying on top of new trends and techniques will help you stay ahead in this field.
15. Entrepreneur: Of all the careers creative generalists can go for, one of the most rewarding and suited for their particular strengths and creative needs is to become an entrepreneur. This career path involves developing a unique idea for a product or service, creating a business plan, launching the business, managing resources, and developing strategies for growth. Entrepreneurship requires creativity, learning new things, being able to wear different hats, ambition, dedication, and problem-solving skills to succeed.
A note about portfolio careers
All of these careers are perfect options for creative generalists who want to use their broad range of knowledge and experience to make something new and innovative. For some generalists, however, even these multi-skill careers still feel too limiting. This may be the case for you. If so, you're not alone.
Many generalists don't have one but at least two such careers they juggle or work where they combine the exciting bits of different jobs into what is known as a portfolio career: a career that's tailored to you and your passions; and encompasses a multitude of areas, skills, and interests.
The key with portfolio careers is to find a way to make all of your different interests fit into one coherent career and ensure that what you need to be happy - variety, purpose, challenges, and fun - are present. Building the foundation of a portfolio career can take some time, but if you have the dedication and drive, it's a gratifying experience and something you can achieve!
I know because helping generalists find their dream job or create their dream careers is what I do. If you'd like to explore this, don't hesitate to get in touch! Plus, you can find many remote job opportunities for perfect creative generalist jobs like software, back-end, and junior front-end developers on platforms like Jooble.
Feel overwhelmed by your many talents and interests?
I can help you make sense of it all. As a professional coach, I provide guidance for creatives and entrepreneurs to find their dream job or develop their unique portfolio career from their diverse range of experiences, skills, knowledge and passions.
Imagine how great it would feel to finally create the lifestyle that allows you to do work you love while living the creative and entrepreneurial life of your dreams.
