The Process of Unspecializing

One thing that I confront quite a bit through building Neyborly is pedigree questioning. It’s really interesting how we subconsciously look to validate each other’s work or position in society based on lineage or some kind of logical progression.

“Are you an artist?” “Did you make any of this art?” “Did you go to art school?” “Do you have gallery experience?”

The questions are fast and furious when people feel that you don’t inherently fit a certain mold or pedigree to be able to undertake the work involved. A lot of this stems from our incredibly linear educational system that has been built and operated to create worker bees, supremely crafted to serve an efficient hive.

The truth is however, that we are all multi-dimensional in ways that we can’t comprehend. We are all capable of doing things we can’t imagine at present. Excelling in activities, passions, fields that we have yet to explore.

But more often than not, we stick to what we’ve been trained to do because that is what is both socially and professionally acceptable in our stringent capitalist system. The more people who are “locked in” and “specialized” the better the machine will function and the more wealth will be created for society.

This system of thinking isn’t necessarily wrong. When we specialize we become more efficient. If we have lots of highly-trained people, we can achieve great things. When we achieve great things as a country and a planet, it lifts our society from a fiscal and social perspective (albeit less equally now than ever before). Think Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we want to be traveling up the pyramid as a society so that more and more of us can unlock the self-actualization that is inherently within us all.

However, sometimes we find out, as I did recently, that what I am “specialized” in is not something that makes me come alive. It’s not something that I do with my full self. I was just fine working in corporate jobs in supply chain management and logistics, but just fine lead to outcomes that were “just fine” at the companies I worked for. I wasn’t excellent, I wasn’t learning, I wasn’t bringing my whole self to my career…and so I left behind my “specialization” that wasn’t befitting for either myself or the great companies I’ve worked for. And I believe that both sides are better for it.

These days I survive professionally by asking questions. A shit ton of questions. Questions about literally everything, because I know nothing about the art world, the retail struggle, the alcohol world, events, ceramists, real-estate…I literally have to ask questions of people who know much more than me, all day long, every day, to stay in the game.

But not knowing anything and not having the “pedigree” or “specialization” in something can be a strong advantage if utilized correctly. You’ll be blessed with a beginner’s mindset and the leeway and slack that is granted to beginners. This means that you have the unique opportunity to experiment, ask questions, experiment some more, challenge authority, ask even more questions, and through that process perhaps come up with a novel solution along the way.

The bulk of what I do these days can be refined to this process. Ask a shit ton of questions, listen to the responses, ask more questions, then challenge the assumptions. It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you’re truly committed to the learning process and the journey of questioning both yourself and the world around you.