Being a Multidisciplinary Entrepreneur: Part I: The Origin Story ??

Not to get on my motivational speaker soapbox - but life is too short to be anything less than all you’ve always wanted to be.

What do you do if you have more ideas and inspiration than energy? Newsflash, you might be a multipotentialite. According to this website, a multipotentialite “is an educational and psychological term referring to the ability and preference of a person of strong intellectual or artistic curiosity to excel in two or more different fields.” You might be a scientist, lecturer, or speaker. Maybe you’re a music producer and cartoon artist. You are someone who excels in different areas, and operating in each area brings you equal fulfillment. With our twenty-first century technological advancements, excelling in more than one field is becoming increasingly common - and even beneficial. Gone are the days of being a “jack of all trades, and master of none,” psychologists are starting to discover that some people are motivated by mastering all their trades, and that they thrive on novelty and having a myriad of roles.?

With our twenty-first (21st) century technological advancements, excelling in more than one field is becoming increasingly common - and even beneficial.

If you are multi-talented or multi-passionate - this article is for you. This article series is inspired by my thoughts on what it means to be multidisciplinary as an entrepreneur and leader, and the advantages of blending disciplines in your work. In 2024 and even beyond, your multiple passions are a strength and an area of competitive advantage. The future of multipotentiality isn’t the segregation of roles (i.e being a music producer and cartoon artist), but the creative integration of these roles into a more cohesive and innovative whole (i.e a cartoon artist that produces animated music videos to their music). The Surayyaverse newsletter is dedicated to helping us “find the multitudes within,” so I figured I’d start off this article with an introduction to my own multipotentialite journey. Continue reading to learn more about how I discovered my multipotentiality, and the roles I’ve used to construct my unique professional identity.?

he future of multipotentiality isn’t the segregation of roles (i.e being a music producer and cartoon artist), but the creative integration of these roles into a more cohesive and innovative whole (i.e a cartoon artist that produces animated music videos to their music).

I hope this article will inspire someone to be bolder and braver in the construction of their own career identities; consisting of multiple roles at the intersection of their passions, interests, and core skills. Not to get on my motivational speaker soapbox - but life is too short to be anything less than all you’ve always wanted to be. “You can have it all, just not all at the same time,” but before you have it all, you must believe in your own capabilities. It’s the absence of hope and possibility that's holding us back from embracing the multipotentiality within and being all that we can be. Allow me to be your hope dealer and infuse you with that sense of confidence you need to expand in this season. Let’s get into a bit of my personal story and see what lessons we can learn about multidisciplinary work and crafting a career that’s just as multifaceted and distinct as you are. Being authentic to your interests and passions matters for your long term happiness - let’s see why.?

"Career Day" Shenanigans and Being Gen Z?

My career woes started early. Deciding on one job, one internship, or even one company to work for has never been an easy feat for me. During the "Career Day" experiences I’ve had as an early 2000s kid and Gen Z'er, I always felt drawn to multiple roles and sectors. I remember the last Career Day I attended as if it was yesterday. I was a sophomore in high school. We were told to do two things in preparation for that day: dress in an outfit that represents our career interests and put our dream career on our name tags. I went to a uniform school at the time, so many of us wore clothing that modeled what we'd wear regularly: a dress shirt, blazer, and a skirt. My outfit was ordinary, the typical office attire, nothing to write home about. However, there was something special about my name tag and how I communicated my career interests. Instead of placing just one career in the small white space below our names, I put three. I said I wanted to be an "entrepreneur / motivational speaker/ writer." I only was fifteen years old at the time.?

It was fall 2016, before our current "slash" career culture became the norm. Now, it might be glorified to do multiple things, but it wasn’t always that way. From my peers, I got the typical career-oriented comments: "I thought you were going to be an attorney?" Side note - I truly love fighting for justice, equality, and inclusivity (hence the advocacy work I do through iDEIntity ), but the law didn't move me. I had just completed an internship at a law firm that summer. While I was grateful for the opportunity, it didn't speak to my thirst for innovation and creativity. I was not fully aware of my driving force then, but I knew that the legal field didn't have the forward-thinking elements I needed to be engaged. Then others openly asked me, "Where are your scrubs? What happened to you becoming a doctor?" In the Caribbean-American culture, becoming a doctor is the most impressive thing you can do career-wise. If it wasn’t law, then it was medicine. You had to pick one of those two, or settle for engineering. Those were the paths that were most revered and respected.

If you want to please your parents, become a doctor.

If you want to please your parents, become a doctor. I had to admit, becoming a doctor was a bit enticing. Due to my interests, it was a more attractive path than becoming a lawyer. I loved science and had enjoyed taking biology and chemistry - two of my favorite subjects in high school. The body has always fascinated me, and I could see myself studying science for extended periods. However, when I considered the larger scheme of things - being a doctor definitely wasn't my path. Medical school - a test of your will and passion for becoming a doctor - would've exposed the many kinks in my armor. Even at 16, I knew medicine would require more than my love for science. It would require me to know wholeheartedly that I wanted to dedicate my life to medicinal practice. I had to make sure that I would enjoy helping patients heal and navigating our country’s healthcare system as a provider. I knew it wasn't my path, even to the disappointment of the adults who thought it was.?However, looking back, I am grateful for my boldness and clarity.

The Marie Kondo Method - What Brings Me Joy??

In the vein of Marie Kondo joy was the first thing that came to mind when I decided to select which career I would pursue.

In 2016, putting my future slash career on the name tag was the first step to me embracing the fullness of my career interests. By then, I knew just enough about myself to know what activities naturally brought me energy and joy. In the vein of Marie Kondo joy was the first thing that came to mind when I decided to select which career I would pursue. Yes, like most young people - I wanted wealth, and to do something important. However, I intuitively felt that joy would be a precursor to that.

Why entrepreneurship?

Well, I knew that I liked being a leader. Serving in various leadership capacities in middle and high school introduced me to my love for leadership, vision, strategy, organization, and planning. However, it wasn't just any type of leadership. I loved bringing new ideas to fruition and engaging the students creatively. My leadership style was notorious for revenue-generating activities re-invested into improving our school. Unbeknownst to me then, these were my early entrepreneurial inklings emerging. Today, my driving force is to create and build in service of others, but back then, I was just a mere student leader with a passion for making my school a better place for all its students. When we look back at our lives, it becomes very clear that we always held the seeds to who we were supposed to be - we only needed to wait for the right season and timing to bloom.??

Why motivational speaking?

My speaking inclination was first noticed when I was in high school. Before then, I was a solid speaker but had limited opportunities. While attending a Christian high school, a teacher asked me if I would be interested in preaching a sermon at one of our weekly chapel (religious) services. I was fifteen at the time. Immediately, I thought to myself, "No!" - there was no way I would preach a sermon. I was the farthest thing from a minister. However, I soon found myself being sought out for speaking engagements, and slowly, I realized that I loved public speaking. That sermonette evolved into oratorical contests, debates, and keynotes. I loved being able to inspire others. I loved using my voice to encourage, enlighten, and uplift. I quickly learned that excellent speaking skills would be needed to champion my vision in business, attract others to my cause, and positively impact others with my presence. Being a speaker could only help, and not harm, my entrepreneurial instincts.?

Why writing?

Words have always been a fascination of mine. Writing helps me to filter through the many thoughts that often run in my mind. As an avid reader myself, writing has always been cathartic for me. Even today, as an entrepreneur, I'm always writing. I'm writing when I'm tired of looking at marketing campaigns and strategic plans. I'm writing and perfecting my pitch to acquire partnerships; I'm writing to figure out what my next move is. Something about the stream of consciousness that writing encompasses always resonated deeply with me. Writing helps me make sense of things, think of the best way to explain the phenomena I see, and use my words to inspire others. For me, it started with the high school English classes, into being a columnist for various campus publications during college, and now through the blog I run on LinkedIn through this newsletter and my Substack.?

Managing It All: Jack of All Trades, Master of None?

When I found myself without a job after graduating from college - I thought back to my square one. What would I do if I could design my career from scratch, forgetting about societal expectations?

It can be challenging to balance a multifaceted career, but each facet represents a different part of myself. If I wasn't writing, I was abandoning my creative side. If I wasn't speaking, I was abandoning the part that loves to inspire and encourage others. If I wasn't an entrepreneur, I wasn't honoring my leadership, innovation, and problem solving. When I found myself without a job after graduating from college - I thought back to my square one. What would I do if I could design my career from scratch, forgetting about roles, societal expectations, etc.? I would pursue a blend of all three paths. That's what I'm doing now; blending disciplines to create a multifaceted impact that is distinct to my identity, interests, and values. We should all aim to leave the earth with a unique footprint, something to remind others that we were here and that our contributions mattered. Embracing your multifaceted nature is a great way of doing just that.?

The basis for my multifaceted path is spiritual and rooted in my faith. One of my favorite parables in the Bible is the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). In the parable, varying amounts of talents are given to different individuals. Some have two talents, and some have three. One individual was even given five talents. The scriptures say that they were given talents “to each according to his ability.” The paradox in this parable is that the individual who only had one talent buried it. The others traded talents amongst themselves, and even found themselves with more talents than they initially received. Upon reflecting on this wisdom, I truly recognized that our life's purpose is to do the most we can with what we’ve been blessed with. Some talents are hereditary, some are earned, and others are given. Whatever you are, be a good one, and for many of us; the “good” is in the blend of diverse talents, perspectives, and strengths that are uniquely our own. The good doesn’t lie in the ordinary but the extraordinary.?

Upon reflecting on this wisdom, I truly recognized that our life's purpose is to do the most we can with what we’ve been blessed with.

Commit to Being Extraordinary

If you are blessed with more than one talent, I want you to own it. The first step to when pursuing a multidisciplinary path is to stop shrinking yourself to fit a vapid notion of what your career should be. Some will need help understanding your multifaceted career. In fact, no one might truly understand it but you, and that's fine. Multidisciplinary people can see connections where others don't and they know that the various paths they pursue often reinforce each other. There are synergies; some of us are energized by splitting our time among different roles and projects. What's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander. We can embrace diversity in how we live and structure our lives, careers included.?

Some people will need help understanding your multifaceted career. In fact, no one might truly understand it but you, and that's fine. Multidisciplinary people can see connections where others don't.

In Part II of this article (coming soon), I will discuss my best tips for navigating a multidisciplinary career, especially when your entrepreneurial instincts span different industries, sectors, and roles. I'll walk you through how to explain your work to others, make connections between seemingly disparate fields, and leverage the power of synergy to get more done with less effort.

To learn more about Surayya's story and her content creation efforts, visit

www.surayyaverse.com

She is on all major socials (Tik Tok, Instagram, etc.) at @surayyaverse.

To follow Surayya's alternate newsletter The Surayyaverse: Surayya vs. Culture, visit her Substack here: https://surayyawalters.substack.com/