What kind of artist are you? — Food for thought
“In 2019 to be a successful artist you have to be a graphic designer, blogger, vlogger, video editor, podcaster, clothing designer, creative director, actor, brand marketing strategist, social media analyst, and maybe a musician.”

I came across this while I was scrolling through my Twitter feed and it struck a huge chord with me. In this day and age it seems like you need to have it all to be even considered for a marketing position. I find myself always looking to expand my horizons whether that be learning how to use InDesign or getting into cinematography, as “marketers” we’re expected to be able to do it all. I believe “Marketing” has become an umbrella term for what an artist is — someone who curates content, manages the brand, tracks success through analytics, and who has the ability to spark meaningful conversations with their audience. Especially with all the social media platforms that continue to increase it becomes hard to keep up with the next best thing.
This brings me to what I’m ultimately wondering — is it better to be good at a variety of things or an expert on one specific thing? If you look at all the job postings out there, the task they expect you to complete are rather diverse. If I am looking to be a brand manager should I be continuously looking for ways to improve my craft or should I be looking to learn an extension of marketing like graphic design? I do feel as though there are no right answers as it entirely depends on what your looking to achieve. I know that my passion lies entirely on storytelling — whether that be through a visual or though a blog post I want to be able to connect with an audience and start a discussion. A great marketer has the capacity to do this no matter what industry or role they are in. Marketers curate content in service of the brands they work under. Take for example this visual:

We all know what they are intended to advertise and the name of the brand is immediately associated with the image (I don’t even have to say it!). But who’s the artist behind this image? A very talented designer no doubt who invested countless hours in perfecting the right message. It’s marketers like these that I admire who create these stories — not for themselves, but for the brand — a bigger purpose.
Referring back to the quote on the top — it’s hard to not feel discouraged, but being an artist is whatever you define it to be. That’s why singers, actors, designers, etc. are all under the definition of an artist. Each one has the ability to communicate a message across and make an impact, evoke change, and build a community. As long as you have the drive to learn — this will lead to the development of what you’re working towards. You shouldn’t decide to take on more aspects of marketing as hopes that it will open you to more job opportunities but it should be for yourself. I admit that I definitely fell into the trap of taking on tasks for the sole purpose of adding a variety of experiences to my resume but once I learned to look past that I was able to seek the right opportunities for me that made me feel excited about coming into work each day. If I know that the work I’m putting in is making the positive impact that I’ve set out to do, the amount of skill sets I have under my belt tend to matter less. It’s a working process but being okay with what you have and limiting the work you’re willing to take on is not only mentally healthy but will help with your long term development.
But I’m interesting in hearing your perspective — mastery or multifaceted? What matters more to you? What does it mean to be an artist? I would love to hear other people’s perspective on what being creative means to them in regards to their career goals. We are all aspiring artists here!
