What is your deepest dive? The thing that you are best at, or what you know the most about? For me, it's guitar and guitar pedagogy. Yet, I also knew as I studied classic guitar in college, that I would never be a "classical guitarist". The educational process and experience are what I sought. The history and repertory, the techniques and interpretation, the collaboration and practice, these all mattered, and deeply.
So, while I got that degree (Bachelor of Music, Guitar Performance), I've used it in ways that wouldn't seem congruent with receiving it. I've applied it to everything; 'it' being the processes necessary to getting it done (all of it). I figured that out, so what else can I figure out? Well, just about anything that needs to be figured out, within my human limits. It's become a generalist approach (more on this in a minute, and in the future).
I'll be exploring this idea more here in this venue, but I wanted to start with it as a pilot post, because it matters. Sometimes, we don't know how things will present themselves. I have a degree in guitar while I'm teaching art (and music of course, but art is bigger now). Ah, life presents itself. Following the flow, for sure.
Over time, I've become more comfortable with the idea of the generalist; of being one. I touch in on so many areas of the creative and domestic arts, but am truly a master of none. And, this is okay. It is what my surroundings have asked me to do. If I hit a wall, I find a resource (at the fingertips yeah, but I often don't start there...the pre-search method).
Ken Wilber talks about this idea in some of his writings, and it's an idea that has stuck with me. It makes sense. A "let's figure this out" sensibility based on a wide view, experience, and a warmed-up creative center can yield unexpected and surprising results. Sometimes, we don't know where something is going, but it leads us to new solutions (yes, solutioning); follow that.
Applying an experiential process to "unrelated" domains is an exciting opportunity to manifest novelty.
I'm deep diving into generalist-ism; learning new skills, understanding the next layer of a craft, a material, a process, and it feels right.
I'll be sharing a lot of guitar lessons, teaching and learning materials, and frameworks, here on the blog, but if you are ready, right now, for a sweet collection of guitar lessons online, check out this site.
Let's figure something out, today, and make it count.