Portfolio Lifestyle?

“Jack of all trades and master of none” 

I heard this saying previously and it took me some time to understand what it meant and how derogative it was. But what would happen if you became really good at your trade and then decided to develop your skills in another direction? Or what if you loved your job or activity but it did not bring a steady income? 

I think more and more people these days - And I have to include myself - are developing portfolio lives, finding that life is actually multidimensional. 

A lot of my friends, for example, combine various skills and abilities like teaching and photography, managing a school and composing music, managing a business and singing in musicals. 

Online, I have found this definition summed up by Mark Tran in the Guardian in 2005: 

“Portfolio life was a term coined by the business guru Charles Handy in his book The Age of Unreason in 1989. Mr Handy explained the concept as "a portfolio of activities - some we do for money, some for interest, some for pleasure, some for a cause... the different bits fit together to form a balanced whole greater than the parts". 

What I really like about this ‘portfolio life’ idea is that it allows you to define yourself the way you want. We are all  multifaceted, not just defined by our job title or a hobby or the fact we have children or not, we are the sum of many elements, aspects, activities, ideas and things...

A few months ago, in London UK, I was told I had a portfolio lifestyle and I was a bit puzzled as I had never heard this expression before and never consciously planned for it. 

I started as a specialist French teacher, teaching advisor and teacher trainer and after 3 teaching qualifications and many many years of experience teaching French and also some English and Spanish, I started to feel the need to grow. I guess a bit like a plant would need to expand with space, light and energy. I started learning photography and film making to be able to post my own pictures and video testimonials on my teaching website. I started to travel all around France to document life and photograph food, architecture, festivals, parties (...) to show my students and prospective students what they could see, try and discover in different cities. And then, while I was travelling, I started collecting tips and recommendations for things to do and visit in each place, slowly developing my skills as a tour guide. 

As a language teacher, I believe it is vital these days to be more than just a teacher. You need to see beyond the limits of your field to offer more than just a bit of grammar or conversation. You are also an invaluable source of information, another way to see the world, a window on different things to try and do. You need to motivate and enthuse a certain curiosity, some love and passion for the target language and culture. 

There are many language teachers or schools around the world who can offer you some French courses or lessons. I wondered what exactly could set me or a specific teacher apart. 

When you have a portfolio lifestyle, you have various skills in different fields and each area feeds into the other ones. For example my photographs and videos are used on my teaching websites and the interpersonal skills gained while teaching help me approach people and connect when I am photographing strangers. And when I travel to take pictures for my teaching website, I also develop my skills as a travel consultant. 

I am not yet the best photographer or film maker in town - Will I ever be? - But I possibly live a more fulfilling life thanks to all the aspects it includes. 

These days, I find it more and more difficult in my life to differenciate all the facets of who I am and what I like doing and maybe the downside of things is that I am never completely on holiday as wherever I am there is an opportunity to learn or work. The upside of things is that I work for myself and I love what I do. 

I have still a lot to learn, about marketing and advertising, about photography and film making, editing and writing but I generally do feel I am becoming a better person this way, with a wider range of abilities, more experience and knowledge and possibly more tolerance and understanding. 

“A portfolio life isn’t just about what you do — it’s about who you are.”*

Annie Gentil-Kraatz  - 27/12/2018 - Madrid 

More blogposts on my websites FrenchWorldOnline.com and Annie-Gentil-Kraatz.com 

*Charles Handy in his book ‘The Age of Unreason’ in 1989. 

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