The following post was written two years ago, as a Facebook note, but I thought I'd bring it here. I figure if I'm going to blog, I shouldn't keep restricting myself to certain subjects, adn whether or not there is anyone to listen, I do have a lot to say. With that in mind, here is the first of a number of Facebook posts I'd like to share with a broader world. Creative life August 24, 2011 at 1:03am I was recently in an email discussion with a friend who, like me, is a very creative person. H'es feeling frustrated, because people are telling him he needs to specialize, and he doesn't want to give up all the things he enjoys, to focus on only one. I can sympathize with this sentiment, but Faulkner was right, in a sense, when he said "In writing, you have to kill your darlings." As to specializing, they're probably right. Even in creative fields, people tend to pigeonhole each other. When I went out ito Hollywood in 1995, having never worked professionally in a creative field, I managed to get a job in a Creature Effects shop as a "Runner". That is to say, an errand boy. The big hurdle in Creature Effects, for me, was getting to the point where I wasn't hired as a Runner. Go into a shop in a particular position, and that's probably the only position you'll get in that shop. Some will let you "exceed your brief", but others will not. I was a runner in three shops before I started getting consistent work as anything else. There is a quirk, however; if you're careful/lucky, you might manage to get one title at one shop, and another at another. Before I worked at the prophouse which was my last job in Hollywood, I was going project-to-project as a moldmaker in some shops, a carpenter in others, and a modelmaker in yet another. Of course, having a speciality allows you to become the "( blank ) guy", who is high on somebody's list for gigs that need a "( blank ) guy". This is what makes you marketable; the fact that you know how to do a certain job, and do it right. In my case, I once heard about foam sculptors. I thought it sounded like something I could do, but I had no idea how to become one. Fortunately, fate placed a number of opportunities in my path to sculpt foam, and I was surprised how quickly I found myself teaching others, whenever a foam-sculpting opportunity came up. In the past 12 years or so, every time I've found myself on a foam-sculpting job, no matter where it was, I ended up becoming the lead foam sculptor. Even so, I've still done moldmaking, modelmaking, carpentry, etc. How did I become a Lead Foam Sculptor? By making the #$% up as I go along. In creative fields, there's often no map, except the one you draw, no precedent you can follow. Much of it involves stepping off the beaten path, and going wherever your faith in your creativity takes you. So specializing doesn't necessarily mean you completely abandon all other avenues, it just means that you learn what your strengths are, and you develop them. How do you determine what your strengths are? In a creative field, they're probably things you already like doing. The main thing I've learned, (and am still trying to learn) is to not be ruled by fear. A huge part of making the transition from Runner to Moldmaker, was overcoming a lack of confidence in my knowledge. Would I remember the correct ratio of base to catalyst? Would I remember all the components needed? When I applied to work as a Moldmaker at my fourth shop, I wasn't sure I could pull it off. I was afraid I would be getting in over my head, but, even so, I asked for $12 an hour, when the most I had EVER made was $10. I got the gig, and two weeks later, my Supervisor told me that he thought I was worth more, so he bumped me up to $15. The next paycheck, I was at $18, because the raise had accidentally been processed twice. I told him about it, and he said "We'll just keep it where it is, now." So, in three weeks, I had gone from $12 to $18, because the shop felt that it was consistent with my skill level. I soon learned to listen to my gut when offered a job. If my gut said "This job is gonna suck", I knew not to take it. If it said "Can I handle this job?" I knew to take the gig, and that yes, I COULD handle the job, and handle it well. That little voice hasn't failed me since, although I have failed it, by taking jobs I knew were gonna suck. If I ever am offered a job, and my little voice says "This job is gonna be a piece of cake", then I know I'm aiming too low. So it all comes down to that leap of faith; faith in your own considerable abilities. I, like the people I hang out with, tend to be a Fantasy/Sci-Fi geek. It only follows naturally that the road we follow on the map should be the one that leads not to the finished, marked areas, but to the area that reads "Here, there be Dragons".