Jack Of All Trades
“Jack of all trades, but a master of none.”
This saying has often been used to describe me; the way I don’t stick at any hobby, interest or job past basic competence. I lose interest once I’ve got the hang of something and move on to the next shiny thing. Although this is a very apt description of me, it also stings a bit.
This saying can be seen as a negative attribute, can’t it?! A character flaw: Not ever sticking with something long enough to fully master it. It made me a flighty, whimsical, if not fickle person who lacked dedication. This was fine when I was in my 20s – but 40s? Not a description I felt overly ok with.
I’ve recently learnt that this saying, the one that has followed me around like a bad smell, is not actually the complete saying. Oh no! - If you don’t know the end to this ditty, let me rock your world. The full saying is actually:
“Jack of all trades, but a master of none; which is often times better than a master of one.”
‘Often times better than a master of one’!! What a perspective shift. I viewed this through the lens of my forest school journey and this perspective shift rang so true. For me, Forest School was like finding a home for every hyperfixation, no matter how short lived, that I’ve ever had. They all have value and are useful here. Being a jack of all trades, rather than a master of one, has been mine and Amy’s combined strength at Hatch; one that we regularly celebrate. Between us we can turn a hand to pretty much anything.
Amy has a very similar brain to mine – we both have many different interests which stick around for varying lengths of time. Whilst I don’t want to speak for Amy, I can say that all of our combined skills, that we’ve accumulated through the years, have enabled us to not only know how to set up and run an independent business, but they constantly feed into our work. Want to know how to do some carpentry and use tools? Amy can do that. Want to know how to make cordage or monoprints? I’m your girl. Woodlice you say… that just happens to be my deep-dive of choice this week.
Forest school seems to be sticking around in my life. I’m not board of it yet. In fact I still love it as much as I did three years ago (which is a long time for me). I’m positive that the reason for this is that you can never really be done learning at Forest School. There is always something I don’t know; a new craft to learn, a new celebration, a new folktale to hear, a new snack to cook, a new plant or insect to study.
The thing with my brain is that it loves novelty. I’m constantly curious, and yes, this also means that I get board easily and more than occasionally lack focus, but when a new challenge comes along I will meet it with energy and enthusiasm. Plus, I now have a long list of crafts that I can do on a very basic level, and an even longer list that I can’t wait to learn – shame free! I think I’ll be wearing my ‘Jack Of All Trades’ badge with pride from now on.
What’s your current hyperfixation? Are you a Jack Of All Trades?
