Hello all you awesome multipotentialites and soon-to-be Puttypeep!
As we ramp up for the new group joining us in the Puttyverse, I thought it would be fun to add a giveaway to the launch!
We’re giving away 2 free lifetime memberships to the Puttyverse. That means that if you get picked, you’ll have free access to the Verse for as long as it exists.
How to Enter
To enter, answer the following question in the comments:
Why is the Puttyverse the perfect vehicle to help you reach your multipotentialite goals?
I’ll pick the two people that I think would make great Puttypeep, and would make good use of the resources and community inside. The deadline is Friday, July 20 at midnight, and the winners will be announced in next Monday’s post.
Good luck Puttypeep!
Hey Emilie,
I discovered your blog last weekend (for hours, my internet wouldn’t let me access it but I knew from the description with the link I was following that I *had* to get on) and, although there are loads of blogs that I love, I had never felt at home before. It’s just so cosy and right here!
Anyway, I bought your e-book (the only one I’ve ever bought – go you!) and I’m trying super hard to work out my overarching theme. I have a few ideas but I’m letting them play around in my head for a while because I have a tendency to jump on new project ideas, run with them for a few days or weeks and then drop them when the next one comes along. This habit is so bad that I’m starting to doubt my multipotentiality. Can you be a multipotentialite if you never actually achieve anything because you’re too busy hobby hopping?
I spent the weekend playing around with my ideas and a few new ones came along. Last night I realised that what I’m looking for isn’t necessarily a business but a way of meeting awesome people. None of my friends are interested in the whole lifestyle design thing and they’re all gradually settling down with careers and families and stuff that, right now, sounds extremely boring to me. I don’t want to settle – I want to explore!
I realised that if I want to actually make something of myself what I need is accountability, either in the form of friends who understand and cheer me on, or in the form of a partner who I wouldn’t be able to let down. The video insights you’ve given us into the Puttytribe show just how much accountability and encouragement you lot are surrounded by in there – the General Support and Accountability huddle…I’d be there! I’ve tried alternatives like websites which let you search for people to collaborate with but they require you to be a bit too specialist. What would I list as my particular talents? I’m good at stuff but don’t feel specialised enough to tick ‘Graphic Design’ or ‘Writing Skills’ for example.
(So as well as being an entry to win Puttytribe membership, (and I really hope it’s ok to post this here :S ) this is a shout out to anyone who is interested in teaming up, either as an accountability partner, or to start a joint blog or something. Please reply if you’re interested ? )
I’m always reading in books and on blogs that you need to surround yourself with awesome people if you want to be awesome yourself. Looking around me, I don’t see anyone writing novels, planning trips to cycle across America and teaching themselves the subject they wish they had studied at school…as far as I can see, all those people are in the Puttytribe so that’s where I want to be ?
Can’t wait to get to know some of you, whether that’s inside or outside of the tribe!
Oops, that was excessively long and life-story-like! Sorry!
Hey Jo!
“Can you be a multipotentialite if you never actually achieve anything because you’re too busy hobby hopping?”
I have doubts about being a multipotentialite all the time for exactly this reason, but the funny thing is the simple fact that you DO hobby hop proves that you’re a scanner. Whenever I start having doubts, I write a huge list of all my interests and I realise after about four interests that, yes, I’m a multipotentialite 🙂
Good luck! 🙂
Hey Sarah,
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Ok, I guess you’re right! It would just be nice to feel like I’m actually making some progress!
On your blog again and I see you’ve done NaNo. Me too and it worked a treat – I need to find a way to give myself external pressures and deadlines because I cannot let people down!
Yeah, the making progress thing is definitely something that get’s me down, too. Do you return to the same projects consistently? For example, if you’re writing a novel, do you write a bit, run off to do a new project and then return to the same novel? If so, a great trick is to make a chart that marks the “100% finished” point of the novel on the far right and figure out what the 25%, 50% and 75% markers are (for example, 25% is the finished outline, 50% is the first draft and so on) Then whenever you make a little bit of progress on the novel, colour in an appropriate chunk. That’s a great visual reminder of your progress that you can return and look at whenever you’re feeling like you’re not making any progress at all.
I’ve got a whole bunch of these as an excel document for almost all my projects and I love them 🙂
Ok, cool. I like that idea! Kind of like Gantt Charts. I will probably do that – I’m a visual person. Thanks!
Hey Jo!
We love long-winded, as you could see from some of those forum discussion replies 🙂 I’m all about accountability. It’s such a huge help, and Puttytribe has been absolutely vital to most of the progress I’ve made lately.
Also, I just checked out your blog — we have similar philosophies. Love it! I’ll go say hi over there now… 🙂
Erin
This isn’t too relevant to this post but I have to let out my excitement!
My comment on here was the first time I told anyone my blog address and I was kind of ashamed that people were going to see how little I’ve done on it since I started…so today I thought I’d get things going again and I ended up working solidly for about 8 hours, working my way down a massive list, mainly made up of things I had no idea how to do. I am so bloody proud of myself for all the breakthroughs I’ve had today. I am FLYING!
It just goes to show that when I’m excited about something I am the most productive, hardworking person you can imagine. It’s just a shame I’m no longer excited about German and Slovene linguistics and sexuality or my dissertation might be done already! THIS is what being a multipotentialite is all about and why I need to find a way to make a living focusing on what I’m excited about at any given time. To anyone who is excited about something right now, RUN WITH IT!
I’ll just say one quick thing as a previous lifetime membership contest winner. This was one of the greatest things to happen to me in a long, long time.
The Puttytribe is amazing and the community inside is probably even better than you’ve heard.
Take advantage of this generous offer from Emilie and give it your all in answering her question. I did and I’m so much better off as a result.
There aren’t many multipotentialite people in my life. I think I’m a bit shy to even tell people I meet all my different hobbies when they ask what I enjoy doing, for fear of looking too dorky or crazy. I am looking forward to hanging out with other puttypeep – and hopefully slowly become a more confident multipotentialite 🙂
Hi Emilie!
I discovered you and your site a few months ago when you did the live hangout with Melissa Dinwiddie, and I’m so excited that you’re opening the Puttytribe again! Here is a little bit about me, why I need the Puttytribe, and why I’d be a great Puttypeep! 🙂
I’m a thirtysomething living in Chicago with my husband, and my life has been the picture of multipotentiality even before I had any idea what that was. I went to school for musical theater and then ended up very successful in a career as a technology and supply chain consultant for eight years before returning to my artistic roots. For the past five years I’ve cobbled together a living as an actor, singer, director, music director, choreographer, photographer, visual artist, graphic designer (kind of), writer, teacher, and public speaker. Oh, while building and repairing computers on the side. Among other things. I also handle (and actually enjoy) all of the marketing, accounting, and other business-related activities of my business.
However, everything is SO disjointed!! You can get an idea of just how disjointed by looking at my different websites: http://www.TobiLowrance.com, http://www.TobiArtAndPhoto.com, http://www.TobiMattingly.com (a short-lived blog that tells much of the story of my path as a Scanner). And those are just the ones that are live. I’ve got so many businesses that WANT to be businesses, that are suffering under my stuckness and fears – businesses like Brew Tour Chicago, Beyond Starving Artist, Your Other Brain, and more.
I need cohesiveness. I have started to try to bring my businesses together under an umbrella theme, although I desperately need some joint brainstorming to get past a couple of the big sticky points.
Currently I am a part of two online groups, but neither is meeting my biggest need. One of them, Hanging Out With Barbara Sher, is great for getting new insights and inspiration, but there isn’t much of a community aspect to it. The other is another Portland-based forum community, one that I’ve belonged to for a couple years but that went through a major overhaul this year. Previously, the forum was all about community and support and a lot of what Puttytribe looks like. But this year, the entire structure has changed to be incredibly internally-focused. It’s a great place to go and process through things yourself, but if you try asking for feedback you get virtually no responses. And the community and feedback are the main reasons I joined, so I’m feeling a major hole in that area right now.
In Hanging Out (as well as many of her other teachings), Barbara Sher talks about how “isolation is a dream killer”. And that is what I am experiencing. I have virtually no accountability, nowhere to go for brainstorming and community and support. And as a result, many of my ideas and projects are stuck. I have all the tools! Between my years in corporate consulting and all the research and studying I’ve done on online business in the past three years, I should be a rock star at this stuff. I have all the knowledge – but no accountability.
I need the Puttytribe! I was mostly convinced of this already, but watching your video tour of the Tribe itself confirmed what I already suspected. I have so much to offer the world – my multipotentiality gives me such a unique perspective to offer! – and I need to get it out there. I need a team to help me get past my stucks, hold me accountable, and help me brainstorm.
And why would I make a great Puttypeep? Lots of reasons! From my years in consulting, I worked with a ton of different industries so I know a lot of random things about a lot of random things. 🙂 My friends are constantly amazed at my ability to give sound advice and information on almost any topic. I’m a Mensan, so that also exposes me to a lot of interesting information to share. I am pretty equally left- and right-brained, so I excel at helping people who fall on one side to draw on the strengths from the other (that’s the idea behind my still-unborn business Your Other Brain). I love helping others and sharing my opinions (when they’re asked for, of course!) and I really believe I have a lot to offer. Even though my fears sometimes hold me back when applying all I know to my own stuff, I’m a whiz at applying it to other people’s businesses and have helped a lot of people work through business-related stuck. (I guess that’s why I was such an awesome consultant for all those years!)
So Tobi and Puttytribe – it’s a match made in heaven, right? 🙂
Hi Tobi! I’m Hanging Out-er, too and I love it. I think we are slowly getting the community there together in the comments, but I know what you mean. We really need boards and notification of replies.
From your description, you sound a lot like me except you’ve got more paid experience in different things. I’m also accountability-deficient. 😉
Even if you don’t win the lifetime membership, I hope to see you in the Puttytribe because you seem to have a lot of great experience to share.
Cheers!
Hey Margaux! Yeah, I know what you mean – there is definitely community building up over at Hanging Out, but it’s mostly built around feedback to and musings on whatever Barbara’s post was that day. I know that sometimes there are some sort of sidebar conversations, but the structure isn’t really built for that. And besides, I don’t think anyone would appreciate it if I was suddenly like, “Hey everyone, so this doesn’t have anything to do with today’s post, but I have this burning thing I need to work out and here’s my 5000 word write-up with all the details!” LOL 🙂
I really do want to join the Tribe… hubby and I are in a “wait and see” in regards to the contest. It would be a bit of a stretch to swing it financially right now, so fingers crossed… but if I’m not one of the lucky winners, we’ll look over the finances again and see if we can’t make it work somehow. Maybe next round of opening if not this one.
Tobi, Google “barbara sher boards” and join up there. I would link, but I don’t want to hijack Emilie’s post! I’m emspace over there, and there are a good number of people who are always helping, especially some writers.
I’m trying to get more of the Hangers Out to sign up and use that board because we could have much more thorough conversations there!
If I don’t see you in the Puttytribe, I hope to see you at BSB!
My deep desire is to join your tribe,
How much this means I can’t describe,
I’m often found, head in book, researching my newest interest,
Ukulele, macarons, Herman cake and learning French my latest,
So please consider me, I have so many plans, I’d hate to have to bribe 😉
I found your website while looking up meetups at WDS, and then I met some of you guys and you were all really cool! I’ve loved the idea of being a Renaissance person but didn’t think it was achievable because I felt that you had to be an expert in all your subjects. I’ve also always felt lost because I enjoy a whole bunch of things (I get weird looks when I tell people that I fix computers AND teach dance!), and after reading some of the articles here and talking to some of the PuttyPeeps at WDS, I don’t feel bad that I don’t know that my ‘thing’ is–it’s okay to have lots of things!
I’d love to join the PuttyTribe (and will be joining it regardless) because I love the idea of having a tribe–most people I know are either fine with being a specialist or just stuck on finding their specialization. Plus, with so many multipotentialites in one place, there will definitely be people who have so many different ways they can help me be accountable and achieve my goals, and I know that there’s a greater chance I could have something to offer other people do the same. I am always afraid to offer my not-so-expert advice on things because I’m always surrounded by people who are experts in something. With PuttyTribe, I won’t have to worry about that, and I’ll feel like I really can contribute to the conversation!
You are going to have lots of wonderful comments/entries to read, mah dear!
Personally I love puttypeeps/multipods because we are so damn interesting. I spent years struggling wondering why no one ‘got me’. My own grandma told me once “Why can’t you just be happy at a job?” Well… I didn’t know the answer then, but I do now. I need my life to be dynamic, not static….
Over the years I have embarked on a journey to learn, learn, learn and have fun, fun, fun. Oh and make a living at it… how can I ‘smoosh’ that in there?! I’ve tried out a lot of things – accounting, administrative assistant-ing, working in an upscale tile shop (most competitive and stressful job ever!), working for nonprofits…. and finally beginning to mold my own path/job, which has been a twisty and turning-in-on-itself path too! Making jewelry, making art, and now coaching…. it feels like I may finally have hit my stride.
Notice I don’t say “I figured it out!” because I know that things will always and forever evolve. That’s the birth right of multipods, we can always and forever evolve. We thrive on it…. we have to evolve, we are called to do so, it’s what makes us special and it’s what we contribute to the world.
It can be so hard to take the twisty-turny path but it is so worth it! I’d love the opportunity to work with other multipods and to give back to the community by mentoring and sharing what I’ve learned with others. Puttytribe is the perfect community for me to do that. The perfect place for me to do what I do best: think big, learn, contribute, connect, and continue to evolve. I’m there for mah Puttypeep!
You know that look people give you when they ask “where are you going with this?” I’m ready to figure out how to answer with my head up high and a mischievious, confident grin: EVERYWHERE! Blowing their mind with my brilliance rather than stopping awkwardly to think through which answer best fits the context they know me in.
Pick me! Pick me! j/k. Okay, I’ve stopped jumping up and down with my hand waving all over the place like an overly excited Beatle-maniac.
The simple reason why I would love to be a part of the Putty Tribe is because I love it here, Emilie. I absolutely love it. And because I am learning a great deal about how to feel good inside about myself because I have chosen not to settle or specialize. This wasn’t the case for most of my adult life. There was a deeply rooted insecurity that attached itself to my changeling tendencies. Whenever I began to feel extremely bored, and at the worst, cornered into a society based expectation, I took evasive action, throwing myself into something new. I do have a few perennials in my life garden of annuals which help me during times of transition. I enjoy people and interacting with them, yet take the time I need to develop those urgent projects that continually rise to the surface of my “want-to-do” list.
No matter what happens with the final decision, I’m happy to be here on the surface. There’s more depth and understanding of my condition than I’ve found anywhere.
Your friend,
Jenny
Because of you, and the awesomeness you’ve created with Puttylike, I now know, and fully believe, that I’m not some lazy, undriven, procrastinator who never finishes anything she starts (well the latter, may be true- a bit). I don’t personally know a single person who is a multipotentialite, and I’ve always felt the judgement of my friends when I try to talk about my newest interest – to the point that I just don’t bother anymore. I’m tired of that “Here she goes again” look. That’s the beauty of what the puttytribe is to me. It’s a place to meet, talk to, learn from, help, and just simply be me, with other multipotentialites. And I believe that, that alone, will take me farther than anything else, and allow me to help others in unique and fun ways.
Emilie, I love, Love, LOVE what you’re doing with PuttyTribe. It’s like you took Jonathan’s stuff (glad you came over there, or I might never have found you) and tweaked it just for me!
As someone with a new idea every week (on a slow week), and ten million trillion projects on the hop, squashed around commuting to a dayjob that’s the closest I could come to combining all my interests – but still barely touches 20% of them – I grabbed your book as soon as I could tear myself away from surfing your site, and have even given up sleeping on the 5am train to work my way through it!
I’m excited about discovering my overarching theme, which so far I’m figuring is about exploring what lies beyond the frontiers of ‘consensus reality’, and even MORE excited about the possibility, that, like Leonard says to Sheldon in Big Bang Theory, “someday when science discovers other members of your species…” – those other members of my species might just be hiding inside your PuttyTribe doors!!!
Can’t think of a single other place that someone experimenting with Raw food, metaphysics, the Law of Attraction, software scripting, psychology, languages, drawing, the internet, bellydancing, creative writing, vegetarian weight loss, motorbikes, learning the flute, training/education, animal communication, mentoring, psychic phenomena, philosophy, fantasy fiction and quantum physics would fit in nearly so well…
I have only fairly recently come to know that I am a multipotentialite. This discovery has made a huge impact on my life. I have lived for over 30 years trying to find “that one thing” that I was meant to do, only to come to know that I will never be happy with just one. And this lifestyle where ideas come tumbling into my brain at all hours, where my space is filled with projects and courses and books (started, but not necessarily finished – sigh….) might actually be a “normal” way of living. And that there are others out there who take great joy in living this way, too.
And so, I’ve been hanging out here, and working my way through “The Renaissance Soul,” and “Refuse to Choose” and feeling like a fresh new wind is blowing into my life but I still need to figure exactly where this wind is going to take me. And this is where the Puttytribe comes in. A group of people who know what it’s like to be there. Fellow journeyers on this road to find a method and purpose within the madness of our varied lives. Those who will listen to the “passion of the moment” without laughing, but hey, might even get excited about it too! A place to share what I have learned, to learn from others, to celebrate what I am coming to learn is the awesomeness of being a person of endless ideas and interests. And I can only imagine the energy that happens when a group of energetic, passionate, intelligent, multi-talented Puttypeep get together! It sounds like my kind of party! 🙂
I’ve always been a multipotentialite. I knew it from the time I was 6, when everyone would say, “You know who’d know the answer to this? Michele.” Ha…all those passions…how do you know what to do with them at SIX?
As years passed, I became a proofreader, then a full-time stay-at-home mom/quintessential volunteer. After many years, we divorced. But my ex–an attorney–had sparked my passion for law, and I went back to school and earned my BA (in Legal Studies!) at age 44. Seven years of paralegalism–family law was my ONLY passion–and lawyers wore me out, and I transitioned to NON-legal research, where I sang when I went to work every day. But after two months, they couldn’t afford to keep me–and I also had a realization that I wasn’t a “hide and seek with competitive intelligence” lover. I was just a “I love research that’s fascinating to me” lover. So I was working all these temp jobs, getting nowhere, paying divorce dollars out the wazoo, and then we hit the recession. Hard. Twelve years of divorce $$$$ had done me in. I was in my 50s (I spend SO much time preaching to the “who wants to hire an older person” crowd that age truly IS just a number!), and I started to realize that I didn’t want to work for another company again. I wanted to work for ME–doing what I wanted to do that made my soul soar. But what to do?
Two years of unemployment and two years of underemployment later, I know what my passions are: learning in a hundred different directions helping people by providing knowledge (there’s that research thing), going after scurrilous people who are taking advantage of others in our current economy, giving people kicks in the butt to motivate them AS I motivate myself, and helping the former middle class (ahh, this is definitely my overarching theme, that one!) There have been so many people affected in this economy. I want to help people find their way out of this darkness.
The problem? As excited as I get about all of this–and man, I can’t stop thinking about how to put it all together–I am surrounded, yes SURROUNDED, by people who are saying, “Well, if you’re not getting enough hours at the call center (yes, I’m working at a call center; I excel at a call center job…and am SO not happy to be working at a call center), why don’t you see if CVS is hiring?” CVS. Someone shoot me now. My potential at 55 is to take a second job working at CVS? Any multipotentialite will tell you this isn’t the way up and out!
AARRRRRGH. Help me, Emilie. I’m so close to just figuring it all out. I can FEEL it. But I don’t have the “manpower” around me to do the smooshing with me. One of my favorite quotes is: “Why do you try so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?” With this membership, with a puttytribe, I know I CAN STAND OUT and achieve my wildest dreams, while also helping others in the process!
My company is closing and I am on the verge of losing my job – a very, very cool job that I’ve had for 7 years. A big part of me is ready to move on and another part of me is mourning the loss of something great and wonderful. It’s a hard, scary place that I’m struggling to understand while I search for the next opportunity. When I found your website months ago, I immediately identified as a multi-potentialite. I keep thinking that I want to make my OWN opportunities, but I don’t know where to begin. I feel like I’m in the most creative period of my life and the more things I can get myself into, the better. I am in a period of wanting to learn and experience as much as possible – something that scares my husband as we talk about the future and bringing in money. I need a plan, I need to show him something tangible to show that I don’t necessarily need to go work in an office again. I need a place to flush out my ideas and help me think about the bigger picture, all while contributing to a community. Online communities have been so important to me for so long (18 years!) and I’ve always searched for a place to belong online. I don’t think there’s ever been a more appropriate place for me than the Puttytribe – not even the RENT message boards I obsessed over in high school. 🙂 I am so inspired by multi-potentialites and I would love to meet them and go deeper as we all figure this out together.
Why is the Puttytribe the perfect vehicle to help you reach your multipotentialite goals?
——
I’m surrounded by ppl in my life that just don’t get me. They think I’m a slacker. They think I never focus on just one thing and make a living at it. They want me to join the rest of society and hv a normal 9 to 5 job and work till i’m 65 then retire. No thanks. I’ve always taken chances. I’ve always wanted to be known for what I love, I want to make a love doing what I love, my passions. Yes, I have more than one passion. Isn’t that okay? is what I ask myself constantly. Isn’t that okay? I have varied interests and varied passions. And I’m good at a few of them. I just want to be understood and accepted for my strengths, instead of always being told I need to get real and get a real job. Those kind of ppl constantly try to bring me down. I would WELCOME a puttytribe of people that would understand me and be supportive in my daily life and exploits. Currently, I’m selling my empowerment art prints in my etsy shop http://bonnierose.etsy.com and blogging daily and just being me. And yes, that’s me.. just more support and understanding would be nice.
Currently, my hubby and I are busy planning a cross country move fr ND to FL in late Dec.. we’re going on an adventure to live near the sea.. something we’ve dreamed about for years. I just wish more ppl could understand us.Be excited for us.
I’d love to be a member of this awesome group of people!
hugs bonitarose
Like many of those who have already commented, I feel isolated in my multipotentialitism, and am in need of a safe place to to ask for help and share what I know, as well as to connect with accepting individuals who will encourage me and hold me accountable. Although good at holding myself to tasks, my fear of taking risks is my greatest challenge at the moment -I want to start my own business(es), and have some great ideas, but fear holds me back. I often lament that I don’t belong anywhere. In your email you said “The Puttytribe is about belonging, not fitting in.” This is what I am searching for: acceptance for who I am .
Hey,
Fear is something I’m trying to work on at the moment. I was wondering recently why I have all these great ideas and don’t follow through and the answer I came up with was that the more times I try and fail, the less belief I have in myself. I realised this is completely the wrong way round! The more times I try, the more chance I will have of actually succeeding. The two ways to ensure that you don’t succeed are not trying and giving up.
What are the risks involved with setting up your own business? Can you limit them somehow?
Hi Emilie,
I’ve always thought I was just a huge flake. It took me 10 years to finish college — and I’m pretty sure I majored in EVERYTHING at one point. I’ve been a teacher, a sous chef, a seamstress, an event planner, an obituarist at a newspaper and a handy(wo)man for a building complex. I’m passionate about Japanese short-form poetry, alt-country and sauerkraut. For the past six or seven years I’ve made my living as a fortune teller — reading tarot cards and building my brand in the New Age field. It’s been a blast! But now I’m struggling to figure out how I can make this little music project fit into my body of work — how I can leverage my audience in one field to bust in to another.
Combine that with a book deal I’m in the middle of negotiating and an actual real J-O-B I agreed to take (because I’m insane and/or it seemed like a good opportunity?), a cross-country trip I’m planning to teach at a conference, and the fact that I’m a single-stay-at-home mother to two beautiful but precocious children…
Sooooo – I need a support group! And I have a lot to offer a support group as well! Such as electional astrology charts 😉 And I think Puttytribe might be great for me. Cause I’m not really a flake! I get that now.
I’d love to join the tribe! I have so many ideas and skills I want to develop, I’d love to have a community to discuss them with and winnow down my options (or not, as the case may be).
Keep on rockin’ in the free world, everyone!
First off the Puttytribe has already proven that I am not crazy, just in need of direction lol. So that’s why I would love to join the tribe- accountability, direction and being with people that I don’t have to explain why I can do many things and it doesn’t make me a flake.
For 39 years my head has been spinning, searching for who I am, what I’m supposed to do, why I don’t seem to fit in with most people and why I just can’t settle down and settle for one thing. Only recently I have really come to the realisation that there are quite a few other people going through the same thing and that it’s okay, that I’m not a freak.
I can’t seem to focus on only one thing because I have just too many interests and it keeps growing. It would be wonderful to talk to other people that are just like me and get some guidance on how to figure out how I can combine diverse interests and talents such as art, music, history, genealogy, gardening, sewing, alternative health, psychology, animal welfare, small business…. I could go on and on.
I would love to join a community of similar peeps 🙂
I grew up a swan in a duckyard, surrounded by ducks. I have lived the story of the Ugly Duckling my whole life. When everyone else walked right, I walked left. I have such a cornecorpia(sic) of interests from astology, numerology, quantum psychics, music, massage and bodywork, web design, hypnotherapy/hypnosis, and I could go on. I have grown rather tired of being a swan in a duck yard.
I want to be connected, supported,and surrounded by swans. And I believe the Puttylike membership will help with this. With other swans cheering me on, offering me brainstorming suggestions, and being there to say, “Hey, what’s going on with project x?”, I know I’m more likely to take the risks necessary to create the life I WANT TO LEAD. Not to mention the fact that everyone in the Putty tribe understands that belonging and fitting in are not mutually exclusive.
I guess what I’m trying to say is I need the membership. Period. I need a tribe of people like myself with whom I belong. A tribe who understands me, supports me, and is there for me as I step out of my comfort zone into the great unknown.
Being understood (and belonging with/) by my kindred is both precious and priceless to me. This swan wants to belong to a tribe of other swans. That’s why the membership is so important.
I’ve experienced some deeply significant losses in recent years that quake-shook my confidence that I had anything left to offer. I’m actually editing heavily so this *won’t* sound so tragic. :b. I gathered myself together with the help of some very fine friends and programs. I know from personal experience it *is* possible to undertake active metamorphosis and emerge, perhaps a bit fragile, into a new life. For me this includes launching an internet business. My difficulty is that beyond “helping others through their struggles”, I haven’t “defined” my customers nor have I designed a specific product. I have many skills (incorporating Mindfulness into daily practices) and talents (writing, speaking, drawing, painting). I have knowledge (brain science), and the compassion to bring the science into an understanding and awareness of one’s state of mind, mood, behavior and habits. I firmly believe we are capable of re-directing our less healthy habits along more self-loving paths. We each have the power, but too often we try to “tough it out”, isolate ourselves and get worse before we can accept alternatives. I’d like to share with people in distress, the ways I’ve studied and practiced that have helped me stay alive and regain hope. Currently I’m receiving little emotional support for taking the risks of starting a business that I believe can help many thousands of hurting individuals. Somehow I want to combine all my abilities to this cause. I have bought so many different domain names I’m embarrassed to admit it because it will “prove” my inability to make decisions and finally “get a focus” on what I want to *specifically* do. I feel very defensive when pushed about “this business thing” I’m trying to develop. If one more nay-sayer uses the phrase “in this economy”, I may be moved to violence. I believe that it is *exactly* in uncertain times that the entrepreneurs shine through the gloom. I would love to teach you all about mindful drawing, which anyone can do to produce beautiful, “Wow! I made this!” results. I would be enormously appreciative to be part of a supportive tribe who “gets it”, who understands that it’s a) possible, maybe even best, to have many talents to offer and b) it’s ok not to have everything defined before beginning a project you’re fascinated with and want to share. Thank you all for you stories, Jane, Providence, RI
Let’s start off by presenting myself, shall we?
Currently I am 17 years old and live in the south of Brazil. Saying that I like my country would be a lie, that’s why I’m leaving next month and hopefully won’t need to come back for much longer, I’ll be living in Sweden, which brings me to my interests. For the longest time the Nordic culture, mythology and even language fascinated me, I’ve been reading about it basically since I was a kid. But that’s still too little for me. I always wanted to be a novelist, voice actor and even record audiobooks. The challenge is that I wanna do it all in English, English just sounds better in my mind.
I still don’t have a plan for how I’m gonna achieve it all, I guess I’ll just keep writing something on a daily basis and search for a part-time job there to support myself. I also have some plans that I would rather not say in my comment, but they may or may not involve a blog and a youtube channel.
Thanks for the opportunity Emily!
/Vinicius
I think the Puttytribe is the perfect vehicle to help me reach your multipotentialite goals because I have such a wide variety of interests and having a community of other multi-potentialite people to help me develop a business that combines all of those interests. Something that I will actually stick with because I don’t get bored. I’m tired of trying all these different businesses (and there have been many) that don’t work for me. I need something that works so I can quit this terrible job and be home for my kids while actually enjoying my work.
Ummm Hi Emillie..
My background is Aboriginal Australian, i also have Scottish Ancestry,
I have had a very un-conventional upbringing.
Semi-Traditional lifestyle,mostly growing up with Aboriginal Communities being taught Culture and spirituality.Eating Traditional Food from the bush,and still having to attend Western Schools and live in 2 worlds.
I have been a freelance performing Artist singer/songwriter for over 15 years, i don’t even know what a ‘multipotentialite’ is but I’ve probably been one all my life,
Ive done workshops teaching performance skills,recently become obsessed with digital technology,blogging etc
Iam a single mum of 4/just about to Graduate as an Indigenous Australian Arts Manager/
Iam still sane haha…refuse to be labeled…. iam me A spirit Walker …Walking My Spirit Path..where ever that takes me ….Would be great to walk with Puttytribe…Cheers NN
I want to be a part of the tribe because I feel like I belong there. Not in an entitled way but just simply because I want to be challenged to grow AND be accepted as I work through the process. I want to be helped to get ahead so one day I can help another 🙂
Hi Emilie,
You crystallized the deep confusion in my heart about who I’ve been all my life. I’ve always had a multitude of interests and talents that I was taught to believe were completely unfocused, and “why can’t you complete anything you start?”. But now I am starting to see things from the Puttytribe perspective. When I read your manifesto I began to see why I’m having such a difficult time establishing a “niche” market. How can someone like me – an artist, teacher, singer/musician, graphic designer, book maker (not the illegal kind!), gardner, author, blogger, Jewlery designer, printmaker, fabric and surface designer, blah, blah, blah . . . Focus on and make a sufficient living in any one of these fields? I find myslef moving from one area to the next when I get restless and bored. Then I beat myself up over the falsely perceived failure to be an achiever. Geez, I’m the biggest achiever there is!! And yet I find myself isolated, needing to ask for help on various technical issues, social media stuff….and don’t know where to go. Laid off my graphic design job 7 months ago and feeling like a failure.
At the same time, I don’t want to work for anyone else. I want to explore the putty life and engage with others on the same amazing path…or multi-paths. And sustain myself.
It seems that you and so many others have the kind of lifestyle I have craved all my life.
I MUST be a part of this tribe!! It’s where I belong, Emilie. Please choose me and I promise to give back to the tribe in every way I can. Thanks for teaching us not to be ashamed of who we really are!
The Question: Why is the Puttytribe the perfect vehicle to help you reach your multipotentialite goals?
My Answer: I’m 54 years old (gasp!) and have struggled my entire life with being a multipotentialite in a world filled with people who just didn’t understand. I was overjoyed to find Puttylike and the Puttytribe, an entire community of folks who understand what it is to have a wide variety of interests and projects – just like me!
More importantly, though, is that being a member of the Puttytribe also allows me to share my unique set of skills and knowledge with others in the ‘tribe. To meet and help people. To learn from others.
I was a paid member of the Puttytribe and loved every minute. Unfortunately, financial difficulties required that I drop the membership, and I have missed it every day.
I want to become a member of the group again – to help me, to help others AND – perhaps most importantly – to model the Puttylike/Tribe lifestyle for my children. My kids are 24 and 19, and I want them to understand that they can make a grab for that brass ring and GET IT! I don’t want them to go through life the way I did – struggling to fit my round peg self into that corporate square hole. I want them to learn how to really LIVE and EXPERIENCE life, not just trudge through it.
I’m embarking on an exciting journey – building a new website (and future community), learning how to become a digital nomad so I can travel the world while doing satisfying work and helping others. And… I feel that I need to be a part of the Puttytribe to do that.
I hope to be selected for one of the memberships, but if not I know that someday I’ll be back in the ‘Tribe – somehow, someway. Keep my seat warm!
It has finally occurred to me that I don’t have to know everything, be finished my self-healing and development, and be a complete expert to have something to offer people. I’ve had enough years of excelling at one thing, just to change directions before I could quite make a living from it (but taking plenty of debt with me). I’ve just started a business doing reiki (which is very balancing for me because it is a fairly passive and intuitive process, rather than spinning the mind wheels, which is my tendency), and I am very excited about adding this and that other interest (blogging, music, sound healing, nutrition, conscious parenting, herbalism, book-making, poetry, wildcrafting, self-empowerment) to create a business of Creative Wellness. But I get stuck all the time. . . I USED TO get stuck all the time. . . I’m working on reprogramming my negative beliefs, and habits that I use to hold myself back. . . I am always looking for friends to help me with check-ins on progress, and support when I seem up against the same old wall, but I find it very hard to find that support. My biggest recurring wall is money, and I’m chipping away at my old self-limiting ideas, but it takes time (until it doesn’t), and I can’t afford to pay to join at this stage in my evolution, so it would be a fantastic gift to win this membership. Either way, your blog is a wonderful inspiration and reminder that I’m not messed up, I’m just spectacular.
Why is the Puttytribe the perfect vehicle to help you reach your multipotentialite goals?
I’ll try to make this brief and to the point. You have enough reading to do! Lol
Putty tribe is perfect for me! I was born a multipotentialite! I feel like I’m on the verge of a breakthrough. Then again, I think I feel that way at least once a year! The breakthrough never seems to happen for some reason. Hopefully with puttytribe I will be able to make that leap.
A bit about me: vegan mom of two and 5 and 15, Wife, singer, activist, Crafter, utopianist, spiritualist, reiki practitioner, who wants to help everyone!
I have been a business writer, a professional photographer, a web developer, a graphic designer, a textile designer, and a professional poker-player.
I am interested in just about everything, and I’m happiest when I’m learning. I like being around people who are better at something than I am and from whom I can learn.
I’m about to leave the city I’ve lived in for nearly two decades and move to a town that has an extremely lively arts scene, but where I know NO ONE. I really could use the support, encouragement, and challenge of the Puttytribe to focus my efforts on my creative coaching business, my surface/textile design enterprise, and ultimate plan for a studio/retail space.
Being in regular contact with enthusiastic, like-minded people would go a long way to keeping me keeping on, and I’d LOVE to provide the same kind of support in return.
Hi Emilie! My name is Kate. I discovered your site a couple months ago and started devouring your articles immediately, and signed up for the newsletter. Just the knowledge of the word ‘multipotentialite’ was a breath of fresh air to me. Your site is so great and empowering, and got me thinking about my life in a new way. Before I found your site, I considered myself somewhat of a flake. A person who couldn’t follow through. Someone who would never find her ‘true calling’ and who would therefore never be happy. You changed all of that for me, and I am so grateful to you. You are changing lives through your passion, which is something that I want to do too. You’re an inspiration.
I have always struggled between boredom, and having so many interests that I become paralyzed at times. I have many talents and passions, and have wanted to pursue a career in almost all of them, at one time or another. But I never want to make the commitment to just one thing, so I end up stuck in thinking and planning mode. Some of my many interests include making music, being a fan of music, comedy, herbalism, editing music and video, dancing, photography and scrapbooking, being a performer, learning and writing about personal development and philosophy, learning about the nature of human relationships, trivia games, and linguistics/words.
Being a part of the Puttytribe would be amazing for me. I’m an introvert, which makes it more difficult to meet new people. At the same time, I am a very social person who needs like-minded people in my life. I look to other people for inspiration, and I value the thoughts and opinions of others. I have a desire to be visible to people and not be off in the background (which is why I’m an occasional performer). I want people to know what I’m up to, and I want a social component to my multipotentiality. The Puttytribe would allow me to interact with other multipods on a regular basis. I want to be able to share my ideas and frequently-changing interests with people who understand my personality. I want to be surrounded by people who have a passion for everything life has to offer. I want to support and encourage other people, and for them to support and encourage me. I can also tell, based on the comments sections of your articles, that this is a very positive, open-minded community, and I want to surround myself with positive people more than anything.
Reading articles and Barbara Sher books about the subject has been wonderful, but a membership to the Puttytribe would make it all feel more tangible and achievable because of the other people involved. Thank you for creating this awesome space, for a community of people who need each other.
G’day Emilie! My name’s Jess, and I’m an Australian jeweller/blogger/writer/zine-publisher/speaker/runner/yoga-loving/ex-teacher/ex-scientist… well, I think you get the idea 😉
In short, I am a quintessential renaissance soul/multipotentiate, and spent my 20s figuring that out as I bounced from job to job in education, never quite finding what I was about.
Now I’m a full-time creative entrepreneur, with (of course) a number of different facets to my business. I have 2 jewellery lines, a blog, I publish a print magazine, and I have plans for so much more.
Being part of the puttytribe would be amazing – to find belonging with a group of people who understand my crazy mix of passions, and discover what they love. I imagine a lot of ‘a-ha’ moments go on in the puttytribe 🙂
I’ve read your book (thank you, by the way, it was really insightful!) and I’m still struggling a bit with the overarching theme/direction for my biz in the long run, so I’ve still got a long way to go.
Hello Emilie,
First of all I must admit I ran across your website by accident. I’ve tried reconstructing the sequence of internet addys that brought me to making your acquaintance, but I’m sorry to say I really can’t recall.
Let me tell you that I could be your “mamma”, since I’ve already witnessed 55 summers on this earth already, but in a certain sense, its almost as if YOU were my “mamma”; Mammas serve for soothing and encouraging their children, among other duties, of course, and that’s just what you did for me: it stunned me but also felt so good to finally know that I am not a good for nothing, erratic, fickle, non committing, inconsistent, inconstant moody human being. I’m “just” a multipotentialite! And I have every good intention to continue doing whatever I feel like doing every single day from now on!
So thank you, cara Emilie! You have lifted not a veil but a brick wall from my eyes, and I’ll never forget it! I can hardly believe it, but even breathing has become much more easier, thanks to you!
If you ever happen to come to Bologna, you and Grendel are more than welcome to drop by for a big helping of tortellini!
Grazie ancora, cara!
Un abbraccio
Sandra G.
I didn’t even know what a Multipotentialite was until I found this site. Thank you!
I am a Polymath (Renaissance Man) with four doctorates that I got trying to find my “specialization.” I had even started to think I might have multiple personalities. Now, I know what it really is.
I am a Christian with a strong desire to help other Christians rise above their programmed judgementalism, bigotry, hypocrisy, hatred and critical natures, and help them to grow in the Love, Freedom and Compassion that Jesus taught us to live in.
I feel that being part of the Puttytribe will help me with this goal, as well as help me to understand myself better.
Four doctorates Dean, that’s amazing!
I’m with you on the problem of judgmentalism in Christian circles. I have an undergraduate degree in Theology and I don’t see as much of the open mindedness and good humor in churches like I found among my fellow students at school.
One of my creative projects is to address that issue of educating Christians to take themselves (ourselves) less seriously.
Are you interested in writing? It sounds like you already have the academic cred for people to listen to you.
Regards,
Marcus
I have always written things, but I have never taken it seriously before.
Looking back on it now, I realize how utterly lost I was from age 15 on up.
During that period, I started a lot of things, but didn’t finish many. And many of the things I did follow through on, failed.
I wasn’t depressed or anything like that. I was just marching to the beat of everyone else’s drum but my own.
I ended up moving from school to school, from degree program to degree program, and from job to job.
I went to college and then went to grad school and got a degree. Started grad school again and got another degree. Did quite a bit of diversified jobs, but never really felt satisfied.
And each time I started something new . . . I believed that THIS TIME I’d found the one thing that I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I thought THIS TIME I could finally roll up my sleeves, settle down, and start traveling down a lifelong path.
But during this period of my life the possibility I once believed in felt far, far away.
Now, I’m discovering more about who I am, and how to weave the threads of my life together into a tapestry that fits the real me.
Now, I want to make a life setting people free. free to be themselves. Free to live in happiness. Free to love others.
FREEDOM! Viva la Revolution!
Dean
Why is the Puttytribe the perfect vehicle to help you reach your multipotentialite goals?
Sometimes I get flashes of inspiration and wonder if I’m crazy or maybe I’m onto something amazing. Having a group to bounce ideas off can be very helpful in bringing non-judgmental clarity.
Hi, my name is Marcus Amann and today is my 45th birthday.
I’ve spent over twenty years in the IT industry: programming, training, technical writing, website development, but I’ve recently decided to pursue a new career that guarantees cutting my salary in half: I want to become a high school teacher.
Soon I will embark on teacher training, but to maintain my current levels of income, I need to employ my broad range of skills and create additional revenue streams: I’m also a semi-professional banjo player, stand-up comedian and freelance writer.
My undergraduate degree was in Theology, so I can teach religion, but my upcoming studies will also include literature and creative writing so that I can become an English teacher.
Eventually I’d like to take that qualification overseas and teach in schools around the world.
Having read your eBook Emilie, I have ideas that I think can smoosh a lot of my skills together (banjo playing & teaching + comedy writing) into a whole series of digital products.
It would be awesome to find out if these ideas would appeal to my potential market(s) by testing them first on a group of sympathetic people, or if my ideas could be refined.
Given my own skill set, I’m sure I could be off assistance to others since I’ve been involved in eBook production since the mid 90’s and teach on that subject too. I used to have a web development business but recently shut that down because I didn’t have enough time to pursue my own creative projects. So I’m now in the middle of a first-draft of a paranormal-comedy novel.
So all that said, I know what overwhelm feels like. 🙂
All the best in your endeavors everyone!
Marcus
Canberra, Australia
(Oh yeah, I’m also learning piano, but that’s just for fun.)
Hello,
I would love to be part of PuttyTribe, both for what I would get from it, and from what I can give to it.
When I first read the Renaissance Soul, it was taking a deep breathe of cool air–my whole body relaxed. Finally I could stop trying to push myself into one little box, or trying to find the One True Box that would fit.
That was several years ago, and I’ve grown to embrace all my various passions, from psychology and personal growth to coding and futurist geekery to business and design. With the occasional spurt of writing or painting or sewing.
What I’m missing, and still looking for, is community. People connect around what they have in common, and yet I never quite feel like any group I join is one where I can bring all of me. Either I’m hanging out with woo-woo people who shy away from business and technology, or I’m geeking out with nerds who think spirituality is irrelevant or wimpy. I long for a place where people are genuinely interested in making connections between vastly different paradigms, precisely because that is how we find the most truth and have the most fun.
In the past few years, I’ve figured out what I want to do, how I contribute, what my unique gifts are, and how I can combine all my passions into a cohesive, multi-faceted business (www.healerworks.com). I’m in the process of building it. I’m looking for friends and support; I think that is the missing piece that can help me not just reach my goals, but have fun doing it. (FUN…yes, the one thing I’m not so good at…I need help!).
I can offer the community a clear example of how you can combine your passions into a mission and a vision–and a deep awareness of what a gift that is to the larger community of humans, many of whom cannot make these kinds of connections. We multipods often feel disjointed, trying to be ourselves in a compartmentalized world. But ultimately the world will look to people like us to find the connections–to *be* the connections–so the world can become more whole. Hardcore geeks *need* spirituality, lightworkers *need* business skills…being comfortable in both worlds, and being the translation is something I’ve grown to recognize as my unique contribution and something the world desperately needs.
I am passionate about being an example and offering encouragement to other multipotentialites who struggle with a sense of cohesion, purpose, and legitimacy. Self-acceptance and creating a life where you can be fully yourself can be difficult, and yet through the struggle you hone your inner strength and awaken to your true power.
On the other side, you find an unshakable confidence that you will honor all your interests, because you know their value and your own value. Without the constant self-doubt, the doors are open for powerful action and creation. It becomes possible to focus, because you trust yourself to honor the detours you need to follow. You are no longer disjointed and looking to the world for acceptance and validation; what was a quest becomes a mission, to bring all of yourself to the world because you know the world needs what you alone can offer.
It’s not a quick or easy process, but it is do-able, and easier, I would imagine, with friends! The friendship and community piece of the puzzle is what I struggle with the most, and it is my biggest “project” right now in terms of my personal growth. This feels like a perfect fit for that exploration.
Thank you for the opportunity!
Emma
I’ve followed Puttylike for a while, but have been to shy to post comments…trying to break that habit now!
I’ve always had so many interests – jumping deeply into a hobby for a few months, then jumping to something else. I’ve always loved learning new things. Now that I am in school (again…), I love each semester for the first couple months, but I’m ready to move on before the semester is done. When I was younger, my dad thought I was really good at quitting things – from sports to musical instruments to hobbies – and I believed him for a while. Now I realize that there is so much validity to trying many things. Part of what helped me realize that (other than just figuring out I love learning!) was reading Puttylike. When I first read the description of what a multipotentialite was, I finally, finally understood!
I’ve finally developed an idea that I want to run with for a website. I don’t have a lot of people “in real life” who understand the idea of multipotentialites, and having others around to motivate me and to multipotentialite with (yep, now its a verb) would be so, so helpful. Either way, I hope to jump in when the doors open – but, as a college student living on loans, I’d appreciate the break too.
Thanks for all the inspiration! I really appreciate the work you do.
Emilie,
I first heard about you listening to an archived mentorship call at Trailblazer. Much of what you had to say really clicked for me. I’ve been stuck at the end of month one for a few months. I finally burst through with a smooshed interests idea and created an active seeker survey. I thought, Finally!, I’m going to get this show on the road.
The survey did well, I got 12 responses and most seemed receptive to a healthy cross-section of what I was thinking of offering. But while analyzing my survey data and getting ready to plan the next step…I came up with a completely different idea – well okay, ideas that I really want to run with; do a completely different survey and start again. Not surprising, right?
I rationalized that my original survey was for passions that I used to have, but didn’t necessarily resonate fully with now. That’s not to say if you get me started I couldn’t talk for hours on these topics – I could. But I have felt kind of flat on the idea of trying to guide and instruct others in these areas.
My new ideas are for stuff that I need to address for myself right now. So I thought it might be cool to get researching and learning and figuring stuff out for myself, and as I do, also put it together in a format that would instruct and guide others – you know, stay two or three steps ahead of the material I’d create for others and sort of be my own guinea pig for what I’d develop. Since my interest would be ultra high because I’m also currently doing it for myself, my hope is my attention will stay with it and my passion will remain high. At least until I start to feel somewhat like an authority on the subject and then I’m sure I’ll get bored with it, but then on to the next great thing.
The Puttytribe sounds like the perfect place to play and discuss all my different interests. I’d love to be able to exchange information and help others with knowledge I have in old interests I don’t really plan to use in my overarching theme. And if others have information and knowledge in my new interest areas to share with me,that would be awesome,too! The huddles sound like a great way to really connect with people in a way you can’t just writing in forums. I’d love to feel that energy and contribute to it.
I think the greatest feeling will come just from interacting with so many like-minded people who get me; who don’t think it strange that I want to develop an online business, let alone develop one that doesn’t “specialize.”
By the way, the birdie in your video made me laugh. When I heard it, I looked over at the corner of the room where we keep our birdies. At first I thought one of them went off on their own until you mentioned your puppy was playing with your birdies.
Keep Trekking,
Lori
Hi, Emilie! 🙂 I honestly didn’t even know I was a “multipotentialite” until stumbling across your blog through Twitter. But now that I’ve been reading your Manifesto and reading through some posts, I realize that this is totally me.
I have varied interests such as writing, crafting, singing, entrepreneurship, helping others in some form or fashion… the list goes on, maybe even to lengths that I’m unaware of. I’ve always heard or been told, “Hey, you need to focus on one thing. If you aren’t laser-focused on your ONE TRUE PASSION, you are doomed to failure.”
The thing is, I don’t have ONE TRUE PASSION. Unless you count helping others and creativity and somehow making a living off of that. See? Not even that overarching description was comprised of one thing!
I’ve been thinking that I’m unfocused/scatterbrained/slightly crazy for a while now. At one point I even jokingly told someone that I have, “Career ADD,” because that’s seriously what it felt like. My interests were jumping all over the place and I just could not pin one down to hone in on. It didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like me.
I have been longing for my tribe for a while now. People who understand me, where I’m coming from. People who are willing to listen, and who will appreciate any support that I can offer. People who will reach out to me as I will reach out to them, and we’ll support each other in being multipotentialites. 🙂 Okay, the last part about multipotentialites (gosh that’s hard to type) was just thought of now, but… I realize that’s what I’ve been wanting all along. Just peeps that I can jam with and we all get along because we GET each other, man!
I hope that the Puttytribe will be all that and more for me. I also want to be an active contributor, lending my wildly active and imaginative brain to the conversation! I hope to make friends and lasting relationships and connections. Really, for me it’s about the connections, contributing, and learning from each other.
Thank you so much for this opportunity! Peace! 🙂
Yo Emilie!
I came across this site just over a week ago, I think, time isn’t my strong suit! When I arrived I knew I had landed and it feels incredible to be home.
My hobbies and passions have changed over my life just as most of the awesome peeps here. From being super sporty: basketball, football, track. To my computer hacker days: learning C++ (too old school for a young kid, I know), building robots out of old remote control cars. To the most recent personal development and closet hippy binge: meditation, yoga, nature enthusiast, writer and wanna-be ultramarathoner. Not to mention web designer, philosophy student (currently), sailing instructor, only-child (just popped into my brain!), furniture builder and vegetarian cook. Oh boy.
Now if find myself trying to find my path in life, walking, slowly but surely. Watching and participating as my life unfolds. Trying to act even though uncertainty is always present.
I have ideas that make my heart sweat (elance for non-profits: connecting companies who need work with people looking to boost their portfolios/resumes/experience, a worldwide meditation network: think realtime meetups for meditators/spiritually minded folk, my “newest” blog: focused on authentic/sustainable living for “fringe dwellers” walking between the lines of life) only to die off once the initial brainstorming phase is over and the “necessary” unsexy work begins.
These ideas overflow my brain and a lot of times I feel like a complete failure for not seeing these and a lot of others through to fruition; instead I project hop onto the next idea I’m super duper juiced about.
I realize, after being here for such a short time that there’s nothing wrong with me. It’s the way I work best. It’s the way my brain works and processes the world. Integration of all the sporadicness is the only way! One niche is no longer!
The content here has already changed my life and given me the direction to go confidently in the direction of my dreams. BUT, if the content had that much impact I can’t even begin to think (it gets me giddy) of how much of an impact the community will have on me and those I can work and connect with.
My dreams are huge, and my ideas are larger, my attention span is short, and my curiosity is off the charts. The community here of like-minded peeps will help to actualize my potential and allow me to continue on my path of strange passionate pursuits.
Love to all,
Kevin
ps everyone here is really f****n cool! I’ve been checking out your blogs and feel right at home, keep on keepin on (whatever that means).
My life has felt not-my-own for several years, since my husband got cancer and died four years ago. I was – still am – six years older than him, which I guess makes me unconventional for a start! I’m 52 now. I’ll always be sad he’s gone, but I’m ready to move on.
Two months ago, I had an overwhelming need to stop, let go of the past and start reinventing my future. I began the process of putting a halt to many things, including my business. I’m decluttering everything – my house, my heart, my head – and my inbox! I’ll keep all the good stuff and dispense with the stuff that no longer serves me. I am open and ready for new possibilities.
Putting the brakes on has led to a totally unexpected outcome. A month ago, I picked up a story I’d begun writing a few years back. That story had its origins over 35 years ago when I was a teenager. Well, getting back into it, the genie escaped from the bottle – I was like a woman on speed! The words flew onto the page and I have now written 80,000 words – around 260 pages of a novel – and counting. It’s been a joyful, liberating and spectacularly surprising experience. I cannot remember the last time I felt this happy. My daughter found me dancing with abandon around my bedroom yesterday, earphones plugged in. She loves the change in me.
I yearn for variety (hence no focused career path) and have been something of a puttypeep all my life, but I’ve always conformed, always followed the rules. The creative nature in me has often struggled to fly, and it’s not till now that I’ve realised how constantly it’s been suppressed.
In my imagination I am crewing on a yacht, hiking up mountains, travelling to remote places, volunteering in third world communities. In my imagination I create amazing textiles, learn to use pastels, speak fluent French and Italian, carve wood, doodle. In my imagination I am a rebel, laughing, belly dancing, bursting with vitality and living a fulfilling life. In my imagination, I am ALIVE!
I’ve often been criticised for not finishing things. Friends and family would roll their eyes at my enthusiasm for the next thing that grabbed my curiosity, another workshop I had to attend. The derision resulted in me keeping things to myself. It’s lonely not feeling validated, and it’s disheartening not being able to express delight at something that only I appreciate. How wonderful it would be to share with the Puttytribe something obscure and not have people think I am weird. I am so glad to have finally found this community.
The Puttytribe will be a great place to be inspired, challenged and supported as I experiment in making some of my imaginings a reality (or maybe not!) and discover the person I am happiest being. And I love interacting with like-minded people. It’s amazing how different people’s thoughts and experiences can launch new ideas, new approaches to things, and build confidence. It’ll be great to be an active participant in helping fellow multipotentialites on their journey to realising their dreams – and we can all have fun in the process! This is a very cool place. 🙂
Wow – I only stumbled on this website last week, and yet every single post here (I think I’ve read most of them now!) resonates so clearly with everything I’ve been struggling with and I am so massively excited/relieved/inspired to find out there are not just a few, but hundreds of other people out there who face the same challenges day in day out… And that I’m not a complete weirdo who’s indecisiveness means she never sees anything through and struggles to settle down. (Not to mention crapping my pants because now I have no excuse for procrastinating and not building an awesome business!)
So thank you Emilie, and everyone who has taken the time to respond, for making me feel so normal and special all at the same time!
I would be honoured to join the puttytribe. It sounds like you’re all already achieving awesome things, and I’d love to be a part of that.
Much love
Amy xx
Why is the Puttytribe the perfect vehicle to help you reach your multipotentialite goals?
Oh man where do I begin. For the longest time I have been searching for the ‘thing’ that I am best at etc etc. And the trouble always was ( & is) that it is whatever is lighting me up at the moment. Like many other commenters here, I thought I was just flakey and lacking backbone!
I would love the accountability of a tribe of me-like people. And the chance to find out new stuff & learn new things & meet new people.
My interests are many, varied and diverse. I have 3 kids each with their own interests too. And a tolerant husband!
I have just blogged about my dilemma of being a mulitpod (& I linked to your site Emilie I hope you don’t mind!) and how I really want to find a way to make a living from doing what I love. To be able to explore the different areas of my world. http://www.keepapi.blogspot.co.uk
Thanks Emilie for creating such awesomeness! x
Hi Emilie,
I’ve been following Puttylike since February of this year. I found out about you at one a Meetup that focuses on Lifestyle Design and Solopreneurship.
Finding out about the existence of ‘multipotentialites’ will always be one of the moments where you finally realize that you’re not alone and the world comes into focus.
It’s kind of like the time when my doctors told me I was ADHD and NOT stupid. Maybe I’m not ADHD at all, but actually a Multipotentialite. I’ve thought about it but haven’t decided yet.
It’s a defining moment in my life and it always will be. It doesn’t seem like a big deal to other people who aren’t multipotentialites, but for those who are, it’s huge knowing that you’re not alone.
You gave us permission to be who we are. Without having to apologize for limited attention spans or unfinished projects. You gave us permission to embrace our multipotentiality and actually ENJOY it.
Now instead of shame or embarrassment, I feel pride. Not everyone has the ability to be a multipoltentialite. I’m so glad that I’m one of them. That’s why I want to be part of the Puttytribe.
It’s not only because it’s the only place in the world where multipotentialites can be together and inspire each other (although that’s true).
It’s not because I want to learn from other multipotentialites and teach others (even though I do).
It’s mostly because I’m proud to be a multipotentialite and I want to do everything I can to grow the community. I also want to petition for the word ‘multipotentialite’ and it’s variations (multipotentiality, multipotential, multipod) to be included in the dictionary. Because it’s REAL. You’ve stumbled upon something that’s existed for such a long time and you gave it shape. That doesn’t happen very often. It’s not a clique or a group. It’s a real subset of people with real definable characteristics and traits. I believe in us and I believe in the Puttytribe. I believe that what we are best as is being a Multipod. That’s good enough for me and it’s more than a lot of people can say.
I want to use the Puttytribe to REALLY figure out how I can build a business out of everything that I’m interested in. It’s the only place in the whole world where I can be fully understood. It’s the best place for me to thrive and it’s the best place for me to help others thrive.
A little about me:
*I’m 26 & work at home building niche sites, writing a blog, writing books, freelance web design, building computers, and making novelty certifications for knighthood out of handmade paper & wax seals.
*I never graduated High School. Grades were good but focus was bad. I wasn’t a genius, I was just too multifaceted. I was trying to read every B&N classic in my junior year and I couldn’t let anything get in the way.
*I went to community college and majored in humanities & piano w/ a minor in philosophy and a side of calculus.
*I graduated and became a professional bartender at night and kennel worker during the day.
*I went back to college and got a degree in Biomedical Engineering. (these engineers touch on every discipline of engineering and science but focus on none. Its a multipotentialite degree and I didn’t even know it!)
*I had to quit my job because it was too narrow for me
*I paint
*I’ve written a novel
*I’m a blogger
*I still love philosophy
*I’m a master knitter (and I’ve never even seen anyone else knit)
*I’m a Zumba Queen
*I’m hispanic but I speak German
There’s some more but that’s the majority of the things I’m interested in. I want to share my experiences and I want to soak up the energy from others in the the tribe.
Hopefully I fit the bill!
Thanks Emilie for being you and creating this amazing place. No matter what, I will the dictionary to accept us. If only because I hate seeing all of these red lines on my screen. I’m a terrible speller!
P.S. I wish I could have been at the Puttypeep meetup at WDS! I’ll see you there next year for sure!
Top 10 reasons why Puttytribe is the perfect vehicle to help me reach my multipotentialite goals…
1. Having a crew of awesome people who understand each others sometimes scattered ways will be greatly beneficial in supporting me to attain my goals of creating a blog and doing online business.
2. I thrive when surrounded by likeminded individuals, especially when I can bounce ideas off of them and get many different inputs on what I am doing.
3. There is nothing better then a community for fostering growth.
4. I have yet to find anything that calls to me as much as Puttytribe does. Until I started reading about multipotentialites I had no idea that who I am and how I act is totally normal and that there are other people like me.
5. Watching and supporting other multipotentialites to achieve their goals would be incredible inspiration.
6. I want to offer others the sense of belonging that I crave.
7. I am ready to face my fears and help others do the same. I really feel that Puttytribe would be the perfect vehicle to help allow me to do this.
8. I believe in the motto and message of Puttytribe and wish to continue on the greatness that its already been.
9. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of something called Puttytribe? It just sounds amazing! Reminds me of silly putty, which I love.
10. I think Emilie is awesomely creative and a total inspiration!
I am a 36-year-old “stay at home mom” of two delightful and exhausting children, I have never had anything resembling a career in spite of having probably 50 different plans for one in my life, and I have always felt like something was just wrong with me.
I discovered Puttylike several months ago, and it was such a wonderful revelation. There is nothing wrong with me, and there are lots of other people like me. Though I sort of knew there are strengths to the way I am, it still felt hard to explain and defend. Since finding Puttylike, I have had a lot more confidence and understanding about who I am as a person.
But I still don’t feel right being “just” a stay at home mom, I want to do more with my time, and particularly more that feels like mine. So I recently bought Renaissance Business, and I’ve started working through it.
Long ago, I had a notion of a Renaissance Business for myself and I put together a website, but I clearly needed more guidance. It’s not quite right, and it never turned up anything for me, and I didn’t do any blogging with it or creating community or any of the wonderful things that Emilie encourages. (If you’re really curious, here is that extremely mediocre website: http://third-idea.com/ And yes something is horribly wrong with the text layout.)
When working through the True Passions worksheet, and analyzing my past Magical Moments, one thing that I noticed many of them had in common was what I am calling a Helpful Advisor. Either it was the person in charge, or if I was in charge it was someone assisting me who I could discuss things with and bounce ideas off of.
As I’m working through this book, and pondering future plans, both career ideas and personal dreams, I’m realizing I really really need that Helpful Advisor role filled. And then suddenly I see the Puttytribe will be opening soon. I had previously thought it sounded like a good idea to join to be part of that supportive community, but now I feel I have a true need for this, because who better to be a Helpful Advisor than a whole bunch of multipotentialites with lots of different backgrounds and experiences and perspectives.
And an additional particular desire I have is to connect with other multipotentialite parents who have multipotentialite kids. I’m pretty sure my 6-year-old son is a scanner, and I’m not always sure what is best for him. It’s hard to tell the difference between something that he’s finding challenging and needs extra encouragement to stick with because it will ultimately be rewarding and something he genuinely wants to do, vs. something that he’s just truly done with. I’m grateful my mom encouraged me to stick with piano lessons, even when it felt hard. I wish she’d known to do the same thing with dance.
Anyway, I can’t wait to connect with other Renaissance people. I’m really excited.
I’m new to the site and have much more to explore here, but I wanted to make sure I got to “plead my case” for lifetime membership- I desperately need it!
I am a single mom of an 11 year old boy who is ADHD and has recently been diagnosed as mild Aspergers, and about a year and a half ago I was also diagnosed ADD (finally!). You can imagine what our home life is like (!!).
Two and a half years ago I was laid off from a job I hated (but learned as much as I could from it and was RELIEVED when the layoff notices came). I have yet to find any gainful employment (gainful meaning PAID). But I have been more productive during this time of unemployment than at any other period of my life, and have been grateful for the time with my son, which has really been needed (I don’t know what state either of us would be in if I had to work a 40 hour week on top of the full-time work of being a mom/tutor/maid/cook and having to volunteer a minimum of 18 hours at my son’s school every school year).
I am a volunteer coordinator and maintainer of three websites (on genealogy- all three I redesigned and I respond to research queries on a regular basis); I started a blog to organize my own research (more genealogy- this lead to being contacted by someone in a state historical society); joined DeviantArt to post my photography (used Photoshop to clean up my old negatives); started two online shops for customized products (using Photoshop to create my designs); joined Instructables.com and posted my first Instructable (my second will be posted as soon as I figure out how to finish what I’m making!); and I’m currently in the middle of trying to figure out how to make some Frankenbikes out of parts from a dozen or so old bikes which I got from Freecycle and from thrift shops, and am working on organizing tons of photographs of our rock collection to post in a mother/son blog about rockhounding.
Oh, and last year I developed and proposed a project that involved reclaiming Box Tops for Education/Labels for Education/and Coke caps and codes for the local public schools (who participate in those programs) from one of the local recycling drop-off locations, and I researched and wrote a proposal wanting to create a hackerspace (makerspace) in an old vacant school building that I sent to local officials.
I have an undergrad degree in Film and a Master’s degree in Writing (but I like the research side more). I get big ideas and get really excited about them, but can never seem to find anyone else who gives a crap. When I try to take a formal approach (like writing up full proposals), I think I end up giving them to the wrong people who also don’t care, can’t be bothered, have too much to do, etc., even though their titles would suggest that they are THE people to contact for that kind of project. I end up either giving up or having to do everything myself, and I don’t know how to do everything that needs to be done, so it implodes! Talk about depressing!
And my son and I are avid tinkerers/makers/ wannabe hackers with tons of projects half-started, very few finished, and dozens more on the backburner waiting for us to get to them. We have a workshop in the garage but not enough tools yet (or know-how) to do the things we want to do, gobs of computers and old laptops with nearly every OS you can think of, half a dozen old Palm OS devices we keep meaning to mess with (including a couple of Cybikos), ham radios, four carts full of electronics parts from things we’ve taken apart and will someday make wicked cool projects with… sigh. I’m sure there’s more. Oh yeah, file cabinets full of genealogy. And lots of books. And I keep filling up the hard drive on my laptop with – everything.
I find that a lot of my interests seem to tie into exploring (in every sense of the word) and to stories, and to communications-related things (my undergrad degree was part of the Mass Communications department, and my grad degree was Rhetoric and Composition and covered everything from orality to hypertext and communications issues and interpretations). I often wrote research papers on neuroscience and on making connections between seemingly obscure things, and did a major paper on autistic art. That proved invaluable to me with our current household issues with ADHD/ADD/Aspergers.
I always feel like I get great ideas, but it would be nice if I could hand them off to somebody else so they can figure out what needs to be done to make it happen, and then I can figure out what part of that I might be good at tackling. Did I mention I absolutely HATE marketing? I want to be judged on my work and my accomplishments, not on how well I sell myself to someone who I have no desire to work for anyway. I have given up on the job search and vow to be my own boss from now on- to do things my way and get paid for it. But I have problems figuring out all the steps to get things done. I need a Think Tank to take some of this chaos out of my head and help me organize it and be able to see how to make it happen.
And all on a budget of $0. I’m tired of being broke, so I need to really figure out how to make a Frankenbike so I can sell it and reinvest the profits. Or pay a bill. Whatever.
Looking forward to reading everything on the site (between starting some more projects, of course!).
Thanks, and a big hello and good luck to everyone!
I have only recently realized that I am a multipotentialite (thanks Emilie!), so I am still learning how to harness my many skills and interests for good. While it is amazing to now know that I’m not a failure because I can’t pick one passion for an endless career, I’m still having trouble gaining the confidence to strengthen my skills and interests. I think part of this is because I am still uncomfortable telling other people about this multipotential I have (silly I know).
So Puttytribe for me will first be a place to realize how much I can do with my unique abilities by learning about all of the other multipotentialites around the world. It will be where I can go for support and accountability and where I can give that back (I’m always better at giving advice than taking my own, aren’t we all?). As I move from being a newbie to a full member, I can see myself hosting huddles and workshops, being active in discussions, and mentoring other new members once I’ve found my own feet.
Puttytribe for me will be a sanctuary to grow in, an incubator for my self-confidence, and a haven for success stories and laughter. I’m having trouble realizing my own potential because I feel learning a random new skill needs to have some meaning behind it and there is no one in my life that understands why I would want to learn it. Puttytribe is the perfect antidote. Having access to others like me and learning from their experiences about my own potential is how Puttytribe will help me become a better me.
A little about me: I’m a twentysomething American living in London (one year so far!). I studied international peace/conflict resolution in Washington, DC, have worked in international development, but am currently doing a short-term contract with a homelessness charity. Service is a big part of who I am. I also really enjoy everything on-line (website content, design, social media) and have begun collecting virtual things I like (the link). All of my work related skills go back to research and writing, because, really, I just love to learn. I would like to become a fiction writer (finished NaNoWriMo 2011), but am having trouble finding and sticking to ideas. So in the meantime I’ve been writing news type pieces on PolicyMic.com. I love going for long walks with my SLR camera and I’m teaching myself to sketch and paint (so far I’m blown away by how patience can make a piece so much better). I like to stay active and meditate when I can get my brain to focus on it long enough. Lastly, I would never get tired of any videos with Grendel in them… I love dogs and can’t wait to be able to raise my own.
This is way longer than expected, but thank you Emilie for making Puttytribe and opening it up to two new people (for life!). Good luck everyone!
Hi, I’m Tess.
The fact that writing this has been such a struggle for me due to too many ideas for what to say and a desire to make it perfect to the extent I almost didn’t write it at all, shows I’m a multipotentialite in need.
My sister sent me this website and I was relieved to have found a resource for what just seemed to be a jumbled and hyperactive mind. However, although reading about certain issues and challenges associated with being a multipotentialite has helped me to more clearly understand what’s happening in there, I’ve still got the jumbled and hyperactive mind and very little forward or constructive action.
I have this strange belief that I could be good at anything if I gave it my all. Not a joke; I feel like I could be an innovative rapper, help to change the volunteering world, as well as design an amazing clothing line. But I always felt like I needed to do it from scratch, alone, 100% my work. But recently I have discovered that I work so much better with people, I thrive from the give and take, I feel actual happiness helping others achieve, and I am more committed and even more enthusergetic (energetic/enthusiastic…I can’t separate the two) about a project when it is alongside other people, in a team.
So in short, I’m sick of floating on my manic raft that I can’t get control of myself, and am hoping to anchor down with those who know, get some help and pull my weight.
Oh also, the putty tribe would be awesome for me because I am travelling/living abroad non-stop and never have a creative space truly of my own. So, I believe the putty tribe would be an amazing home.
Thanks for having a read. 🙂 Catch you somewhere in cyberspace.
New, strangely magical, the norm is there is no norm! Life is beautifully individual. We’re all in the putty.
I know I’m a puttylike tribemember (at heart, isn’t everyone?).
I’ve *just now* realized my new, undefined merits, which you have so conveniently defined…a Multi-potentialite state of being. But of course.
I’m abundant with talents and curious exploration walkabouts, and have contributed to such a diversity of projects, producing tangible results, successes, milestones.
It think my artistry and creativity makes the presentation a little hard to read. Though my skill set and performance always make my talents perfectly noticeable and plain, I’m repeatedly met with a “Prove it to me. Are you serious?” kind of a dynamic that I’m seeing (and confirm with with ’em) my peers don’t quite encounter as they roam about in the working world.
I don’t know which came first, but I’m sure over time that I’ve come to anticipate, and therefore encounter, even more and similar responses out there in the working world. Yes, that’s a part of the process. However, during the work experience, post-hire, the inquisition continues. That part’s normal. Taming the hydra-headed creativity and contextualizing it in a way that takes it out of Babel-land? That concept’s important.
So….Zoot: back to the drawing board.
Puttylike, seems to me, makes it so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel in that regard during that re-contextualizing / spiritual chiropractic process.
Yes, I’m a creative who can provide value in many colors, gradations, facets and even (gasp!) tangibles leading to success! I don’t hover it over you, and create PowerpPoints about it (though I can for sure), and I don’t try to intimidate you with it, I’m not a pedant about it, and I’m very transparent about it. I simply do it.
Too, we are who we are. Where we are. We all have genius. I may have more skill in CSS or coding mojo, but drafting and executing a private flight plan for a trip from here to Buenos Aires? Maybe not so much. We are all in different levels of knowing regarding different subjects in life, that’s the deal. I meet folks where they are and am working on manifesting that refection (I’m in the lab with that idea at the moment).
I have a flood of positive recommendations for the work I’ve done and creative projects I’ve birthed, midwifed, and co-created. There’s definitely value happenin’.
Is it my “flight plan revision time?” Should I reduce my exclamation point ration in communication? Question, rhetorical. I’m sure you’ve encountered a zillion “Dear Putty’s” about this exact same kind of thought process. It feels new to me, but of course, like so many writer types say, “what’s personal is often universal.” Is this that universe? Hm…seems so!
As I’ve been reading your emails and hearing about your vicarious tribe-play, it LITERALLY did sound like heaven. I even told you so here:
Emilie Wapnick ?@emiliewapnick
8 Puttypeep from around the world just did group guided meditation in a member-led workshop about conscious dreaming. ?#mindblown? ?#puttytribe?
12 Jul SocialMMidwife SocialMMidwife ?@SocialMMidwife
@emiliewapnick Sounds like Heaven! <3
Heaven is in the mind, for sure. It's harmony, it's community, it's thriving creatively. That's the deal right now and I'm learning how to deal with it and, I suppose, optimize it? Feels like to me that's what Puttypeeps do. It would be great to see beyond the preview and take the next clumsy step forward towards more Grace. (All or clumsiness is definitely in Life's elegant plan!) It would be awesome-sauce to connect with fellow Puttyfolk. May I?
That's my contest entry and I'm stickin' with it.
L <3 V E,
Jaye
Aloha, I have been following Emily and here Puttypeep tribe since being introduced to them by Jonanthan Mead a few months back. I am another one of the many out there looking to shed the robot monkey skin and embrace and learn how to create a more fulfilled and prosperous life through pursuit of my multiple passions which include art, music, story telling, creativity, self exploration, internet marketing and tearing down the walls of social conditioning.
I have always lived and have developed a lifestyle based on what I felt was right for me and not based on what others have told me was the “right” of “normal” thing to do. I am happy with my life and the places I have gone but now looking to turn my passion into a business that can afford me more of the things that will help me to help others live a more creative life and embrace their own creative genius.
I have sold my own art, worked in graphic design for the last 15 years and continue to work in a some what creative field but I still don’t feel like I am working to my full potential or in complete alignment with my passion. Puttytribe might just be the the tribe of folks that can help me adjust my focus and achieve better clarity to develop my products and/or service.
I have a few things left on my plate before I can fully commit but my interest in this group has not faded since learning about y’all
I’ve spent 20+ years of my life trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up… I alternate between excitement over the multitudes of ideas and projects, and crushing depression over the job I’m currently in because I’ve yet to find a way to put all my passions together or find people who get the struggle. Okay yes, I have found you, but I can only peer through the window and guess at the fun inside as our family budget doesn’t allow for things like paid subscriptions right now.
I’ve read all the other comments, and feel that mine is lacking in content and truly answering the question… but mostly I’m looking for a home, where there are people who understand.
Hi Emelie!
Oh, to be part of the Puttytribe! To finally BELONG somewhere, and get HELP with all the many, many aspirations, projects, and ideas running through this cluttered head!
Here’s my story (I am trying to give the short version): After switching my major twice in college, I graduated with a degree in Communications from U of Delaware and then proceeded to have a million jobs that I didn’t fit into after that, mainly cheesy marketing and sales jobs. After my mother passed away in 2005, I decided that I couldn’t go on doing things I hated for a living anymore and went BACK to school for graphic and web design and started my own business. Soon I moved into helping with both design AND social media, and have changed my branding 4 times (!!!) to reflect what I am trying to do. Now, after a year of Marie Forleo’s RHH B school, Danielle LaPorte’s Firestarter Sessions, and Simon Senek’s Start With Why, as well as Emelie’s Multipoteltite Biz Starter workbook, it has come to my attention that my “raison d’etre” is to make people laugh. I have a few projects that I want to do in this arena, namely a blog, a book I’m working on entitled “40 Jobs in 40 Years: The Misadventures of Ms. Unemployable”, and another blog/community which is a secret for now. I also want to continue working with clients one on one for their websites and branding, as well as podcast and speaking gigs – but I’m stuck trying to figure out how to brand and market it all! It’s overwhelming and the Puttytribe could really help, I think.
Anyway, a membership could really make a difference for me and hopefully many other people like me. Thanks so much for the consideration!!
I was always interested in many different things. Growing up and even now my thirst for knowledge and experiences is never truly quenched: I was a natural multipotentialite. I played basketball, soccer, was an anime card collector, speaker, singer etc. I loved doing many diverse things. But people in my life did not see the world as I did. My mom even once told me ” Your always going from one thing to another, I can never keep up with you.” It came off so negative and it hurt me. I didn’t choose to be a multipotentialite, It was just part of who I was. But everyone continue to pressure me to specialize. ” Are you an Actor?” Are you a Writer?” Are you a Psychologist?” On and on, why I couldn’t do and be whatever I wanted to and be at that moment? Why one thing?….
I was about to give up hope, when I read your guest post on Jonathan Fields blog. You spoke me in a way no one had ever spoken to me before. I realized it was okay to like lots of stuff. Specializing isn’t the only way. It was okay to me. There was nothing wrong with me!
I immediately bought Renassiance business and so inspired by your writing and knowledge I stared my own multipotentialite blog called Trekking Artist. Its still going strong and your book helped me make it happen. To this day I still follow everything you post.
I have drive, knowledge, passion and love in my life and in my goals. But I don’t have people to backing me up. Remind me on regular basis that being a multipotentialite is a wonderful gift and I should continue to cultivate that gift. I also don’t know any multipotentialites in the real world. I love to aid, encourage and uplift other multipotentialites in the same way you have uplifted, encourage and aided me.
Thanks for your consideration 🙂
I think the biggest reason I should be a part of the Puttytribe is because I’m afraid to join.
My life has been a textbook case of multipotentialism. In grade school I would thrive when the class started studying a new topic, but would quickly become bored when we were still studying the same concepts a week later. My answer to “What do you want to be when you grow up?” changed at least once a year, but probably more like once a month – and frequently had more than one answer at a time. The high school I graduated from required us as seniors to put our future career down on paper, to aid the counselors in writing letters of recommendation for colleges… I agonized over it for weeks. How could I pick ONE thing?
Later as an adult, I was finally diagnosed with ADD. That explained part of what was “wrong with me” (really, just DIFFERENT from what society expects), but as time went by, I could tell there was something else, beyond the ADD traits, that kept me from falling in step with the status quo.
Then, a mere few days before my baby girl was born, I tripped across the BlogcastFM podcast with Emilie in it. At first, I thought, “Hey, she sounds like me.” As the podcast progressed, I kept getting more and more psyched – this new word, Multipotentialite – this is exactly what I am. There are more of us. And there’s a site run by someone who can help us bring it all together and ACCOMPLISH things!
Since then, with my few short bits of personal time I’m allowed as a new mom, I’ve subscribed and read every new article, dug into the archives, and finally gotten advice that I can apply to myself without figuratively cutting off my arms.
And here I am, afraid to join. Afraid of changing. Afraid that I’ll disappoint the group by not being enough.
But this is what I NEED. Encouragement to chase my dreams one step at a time until I achieve them. The wisdom of an outside observer to differentiate between frustration with temporary tedium, and a true need to change course. The camaraderie of people who “get” that I have a million and one interests and a deep desire to pursue each one – because they’re in the same boat.
Having a daughter (she’ll be four months on Saturday!) has put my need for interaction with other adults into sharp focus, and with limited free time, I need it to matter, to make a difference. I can’t afford to spend this time with people who don’t affirm my strengths or my goals; I know I belong in the Puttytribe.
And as time goes on and I get better at managing my time (and my little one gains a little more independence and autonomy, or at least a capacity for longer naps!), I’ll be able to give back to the group – whether it be teaching bits of my own personal interests (the newest being sashiko – Japanese quilting!) or simply encouraging the next person working through the struggles I have right now.
I hope I’m chosen. If I’m not, I’ll still aim to join the Tribe. It’s time to do something I’m afraid of.
Hey Emilie and everyone else!
I discovered the site a few months ago and I have loved reading everything here. Reading everyones stories here, I feel like I am constantly nodding my head because so much resonates with me. My name is Meggie and I am 24 years old. I’ve lived a traditional life for the most part, I always did well in school, but I’ve always been pretty scatterbrained. I followed the path I thought I was supposed to follow, choosing a major, going to a university, student loans, getting a part time job, supporting myself, etc. I had always been told that this was “life” and something would click at some point, but as time went on, it never did. I continued working at a job I hated every second of and changing my major at least twice a semester. I was constantly unhappy and I felt broken because I saw other people who fit into a mold that I couldn’t figure out.
I have an extremely obsessive personality and I started to read about people who made an income online doing things like marketing, writing, selling stock photos, youtube, etc at the beginning of this year. The more I thought about it the more it made sense and I thought, ‘I’m intelligent, if it works for some people I should be able to figure this out’. I started out blogging and building small websites about different interests and found I loved it and I started to make a little bit of money doing it. It seemed like a nice hobby and something that I could dream about one day being a full time income.
Fast forward to 2 weeks ago and my manager at my crappy job sat me down to tell me that my position was being eliminated and offered me a new one. I did the bravest thing I’ve ever done and told him I don’t want it and my last day there is August 1st. I have always had stability in my life and that job has been my day to day for 6 years now.
I have never been so excited and terrified at the same time for taking a leap of faith and setting out to try to find my own way. I could definitely use the support of the puttytribe. I often feel like a walking contradiction, I’m one of the most disorganized people around yet somewhat OCD, I am a math/science geek who loves the arts, I’m a comedy nerd yet one of the most serious people, I still feel like I could be a rockstar even after trying unsuccessfully to learn guitar for 10 years, etc. I feel like I have so much potential waiting to be unlocked and I have spent years ignoring and I plan on making up for lost time. Time to write that novel, film that pilot, travel the world, teach calculus, explore abandoned buildings, build something new, finally learn guitar and accept that this is who I am. 🙂
Hi Emilie,
Thanks for taking a chance and starting Puttypeep. You’ve inspired a lot more people than you realise. I’m so happy for you that it seems to be going well! I recommend your site to a lot of people.
I’ve done a lot of very different things (“straight” jobs like being a statistician, policy analyst, researcher, but also other things like being a self-managed, independent singer-songwriter, and mentoring artists and musicians, providing help with strategic planning and marketing, and life planning to most people I meet!).
I’ve done a lot of work trying to come up with an overarching theme and to figure out how I can earn an income doing what I love (but leaving enough room built-in for growing and potentially changing direction a bit). I think I’m heading in the right direction, but it’s a challenging road.
I know how important it is to have a like-minded community around you, and have done a lot of things to try to build it (I started a writing group, a songwriting group, and participate in many other groups that are already running).
I spend a lot of time helping people figure out what they want to do, and how to do it, and right now I’m looking for people who can help me!
The thing I’m missing is a community of multi-potentialites, who are similarly driven, who understand the complexities and don’t tune out when I mention an area that isn’t their passion.
Also, I would relish the opportunity to help other multipotentialites, and I already have ideas about huddles I can run that might be of interest 😉
Best of luck making your decision! I don’t think it will be easy!
Rose
(from Melbourne, Australia)
I believe that most of us have almost everything we need. We all have food, clothing, shelter, and health (at least most of the time). Pretty much everything else in life is just bonus. But I think there is one part of life that I would consider a need, one that many of us lack: Community.
Communities lighten the load and improve the quality of life for everyone involved. We’ve heard all of the phrases before. “It takes a village.” “A rising tide lifts all boats.” I would argue that most of our emotional and spiritual ills could be much more easily handled when we feel like we’re part of something larger, a sense that we’re all on the same team, all pulling each other–and for each other–in the same way. Some people can find this in church or synagogue or mosque. Some people find it at AA meetings. But many of us don’t have this at all.
I believe I could find this community in the Puttytribe.
I’m still in my day job, which I’m using as a springboard to jump from. I don’t want to just find another job; I want to create work that is meaningful, both to me and to others. From managing money to playing music, I want to be able to use whatever skills I have in the service of others, to help to make them become more fulfilled, to help them see their world through different eyes. That in turn is my fulfillment.
Just like you, I am a unique collection of experiences, a huge glorious mess. As Whitman famously said, “I am large, I contain multitudes.” This is an exciting and scary time, a time when I’m realizing that I can–and must–take control of my life. I know I won’t be satisfied until my life is my own, on my own terms. How much better it would be to have people to lean on, to share successes and small wins with, to commiserate on “failures”, to bounce ideas off, to throw things at the wall like the Puttylike “splat”…and see what sticks.
I’m still working this all out, and I could use a lot of help.
I value people who think differently, who see the world in ways that I couldn’t even imagine. And I honestly do believe that there are people out there who may be able to “hear” me in a way that they are unable to with others. So if being here will enable me to give support to others and receive support in kind, well, I can’t think of any reason why I wouldn’t want to be part of this community!
Plus, it sounds like a heck of a lot of fun!
“It’s a port-of-call, home away from home, for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs and wanderers”…
I didn’t have a word for it, but I always knew I was a multipotentialite. I picked a college based on the program they offered where I didn’t have to pick a major or follow a list of requirements. I was happiest when I was running across campus from the sociology to finance to sculpture classes (because you know they don’t group those buildings together!). I ended up an accounting major with an art minor (and one class away from a German minor). While working at an accounting firm after graduation, I tried to keep up with my multiple interests by taking art classes at night. Eventually my free time got squeezed away, and I was pretty miserable, although successful at a job that seemed stable and ideal to many of my friends and family.
I had an inkling that I was supposed to be doing something else, and had in the back of my mind that my stock answer as a child for “what do you want to be when you grow up?” was always “architect!”. I researched and applied to architecture school, quit my job, and spent 3+ years studying the design and construction of buildings. I was in a program where people came from all different backgrounds (education, engineering, theology, etc.) to pursue a Masters in Architecture. In a way, it was a mini-Puttytribe! And I had a part-time job preparing tax returns so that I could pay my tuition. I was back to using both sides of my brain and happy as a clam.
When I finished grad school, I faced a recession and few job openings, especially for a girl with a less than traditional resume in a pretty prescriptive profession. I wrote a guest blog on Michelle Ward’s site about my experience looking for a job in my new field: http://tinyurl.com/83yax5j I think Michelle’s site is where I got connected to Puttylike for the first time and thought “YES! These are my people!” It was such a welcome change to hear people describe the ideas that have just been brewing around in my head for so long. My family likes to joke that I’m working my way through the alphabet, get it? “Accounting… architecture… maybe biology next?” While I’ve gotten good at laughing off the jokes about my many interests, I think deep down it hurts all multipotentialites when people don’t get it.
The Puttytribe, on the other hand, reminds me of the C.S. Lewis quote: “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” That’s the energy that I already feel from the Puttypeep, and I would love to lean into that energy as I figure out what to do next. I’m finding that a traditional role at an architecture firm may not be for me, and I may have to create my own business or place or website or something that lets me continue to explore my different interests. I have ideas of what that may mean, but would love a safe place to bounce ideas around, collaborate, and be encouraged/inspired.
Thank you for considering me, Emilie!
Hey Emilie,
Like most other people here I came across Puttylike a few weeks ago, and instantly felt I’d found somewhere I belong. It’s been brilliant reading the stories here, and waiting for your e-mails to land in my inbox every week.
I would absolutely love to be part of the Puttytribe and feel like it would be an enormous support for me, especially at this point in my journey. Rather than writing everything here (it looks like you have a lot of comments to read this weekend already!) I’ve recorded a little message to introduce myself, which you can find here: http://fullfatliving.com/why-i-want-to-be-a-puttypeep
Thanks for offering such a great opportunity. I hope to introduce myself more on the other side…
Keep doing you thing(s)
Chris
I can’t even begin to say how much this place has resonated with me. All my life I have been interested in…well…everything!! Both my husband and I describe ourselves as “jack of all trades, masters of none.” Everything is fascinating to us and we want to try it all.
Of course, we will dive into a project or new hobby and then not finish it because the next new shiny interest has caught our eye. We come back to the old projects…eventually! When it seems new and fresh again, haha.
Not many people “get it”, though. They don’t understand that I can be interested in sewing AND gaming AND motorcycling AND kayaking AND singing AND writing AND cake decorating…I could go on! I am homeschooling my kids because of the same thing. They are so interested in everything, and there is just not enough time in a day to explore all those interests when you’re stuck at a dull desk for most of the day!
I’d love to be a part of this tribe, not just so I can benefit from the awesomeness, but because I am just itching to contribute to it as well!! I just want to share what’s worked for me and learn from others who understand where I’m coming from, hehe.
I just deleted everything I wrote as it sounded like a sob story – not my usual approach. Let’s just say I think the Putty Tribe might help me get my mojo back.
Thanks.
–On transition, or why I think the Putty Tribe would be a fantastic opportunity for my renaissance soul of exponential potential–
In four months time, I am leaving my three year job at a local grocery chain. Coincidentally, in four months time, I will be transitioning from one gender to someone…more genuinely me. I’ve dubbed it “Me 2.0”.
So what, one might ask, does my exploration of gender identity have to do with being a multipotentialite? Well, both elements of my essential self have been frequently dismissed by the general public and even close family. But more importantly, being both a multipotentialite and a trans individual have allowed me to throw away the rule book on how things are ‘supposed’ to be, and embrace being in the in-between and revel in the beauty of not choosing to be in a binary, ‘either/or’ mindset.
To some extent, I have found a small supportive community for my journey of gender transition, but I still crave a space where people get excited about multiple subjects and transitioning from one project to the next and embracing their multipotentialite selves.
Leading up to, and upon leaving my job, I have several projects in mind and underway. I am writing a short play about family and gender transition and a series of monologues of teen misfits that will be given away under a Creative Commons license. I am a radio/sound nerd, and I will be interviewing folks on their hometown experiences, love, memories, and living in my current city. I am also planning a curriculum for housing and work cooperatives on conflict resolution, consensus, and idea-building. And lastly, I am building an all-ages performance space for traveling and local bands and other artists.
I can’t think of any other space that would be so welcoming, influential, and mutually beneficial as the Puttytribe for building a community that embraces my transitioning ‘2.0’ self!
Thanks for your time!
The Putty Tribe sounds like home. 🙂 I am a happy scanner and would die of creative starvation if I couldn’t do a hundred different things at a time. Though I absolutely love my friends who have single-minded passions, interacting with those who dwell and revel in multiple worlds would be finding kindred souls. I am so glad I stumbled across your blog today, just when this deadline is to end. It’s serendipity, I am sure of it! Hugg.
I’m writing this at 11:40 because I’ve been occupied doing yoga and reflecting on what the hell my overarching theme is. Teaching. Learning. Networking people…
Finding your blog was discovering that I was normal for a group of people I didn’t know had been ‘normed.’ I’m working a 9-5ish programming job while dreaming about teaching/learning fiddle and math and yoga and zen, and I don’t know how to get from A to B. I went to college for Electrical Engineering and German. I throw pottery, play jamgrass fiddle, love to dance, and invented Cheese Fire. (Haz cheese and fire and good people. Iz, therefore, awesome.)
I seriously love sharing information and connecting people who would benefit in some way from knowing each other, including raucous laughter. I take great joy in the energy of enthusiastic sharers and learners… I love learning about the world from and with other interesting people.
I’m amazed by the community you’re building. The wealth of knowledge and energy that you are bringing together is phenomenal, and I would love to be a part of it. 😀
I am putty. I spent over twenty years as a musician, lost my hearing and compensated with 10 years as a technician. I just installed a mechanical sculpture, speak four languages, fly kites, read, write… putty. I need help reforming my own opinions of who I am. I need to be part of a group. I need people around me who need me. I love helping people, learning, teaching. I speak the language. I dropped out of college. Twice. I hear my son singing opera tonight in the garden. We are teaching the neighbor’s child to order food in spanish for her trip next week. I have no job. I cannot afford to pay you to be part of the group. It is all right if I am not selected, I will still be here, reading, learning, and longing to contribute. I missed the deadline, as I was in London, at the British Museum, learning about the early clocks, the ones that helped pave the way for John Harrison, the man who invented the sea-going chronometer that allowed man to conquer the oceans using time to determine longitude. And here I missed the time deadline. I love this blog. Thanks for spending time here.
Jim
It was surprising and amazing to accidentally wander into this site and community from a downloaded book that I misplaced during the download but refound (thanks PTE!). From random curiosity about WTF is a website dedicated to a squish-feeling about to ohhh. Yea. I know that. I really know that. It was amazing to find the lynchpin that tied so many things together,and almost creepy in that visiting-a-psychic-holy shit! how did you know that about me kind of way. (Thanks for inspiring the ruin of my good intentions for a good night’s sleep last night, I rambled on through and about all the awesomeness for hours!)
It would be so cool to be a member, to have that push to interact and connect, because I know that otherwise I would hide and just creepily lurk in the bushes, which in this neck of the woods is pretty amazing…but I sense it could be more…for me, this is my small tip-toe risk-try. (See? Slowly emerging, but still reforming hider…saying so much and so little all at once. :P)
But mostly and definitely, hello and I am so grateful!
Very Sincerely,
Me.
As so many have stated, for years I felt strange because I had so many interests and reacted obsessively in short bursts to each one, moving from one to another. Knowing the terminology and that I am not alone has certainly helped. There was a time where having many projects and goals was much easier, where I had the energy to continue on day in and out.
However, I have chronic pain and anxiety. This really confuses the issue, making it very hard to streamline my life and to do any work outside of the home. Conserving spoons while keeping four projects going and dealing with the rest of my life, my doctors’ appointments, my family and in laws, is very hard when some days I wake up hardly able to move and is sometimes nearly impossible. It also greatly limits my funds.
Having a chance to learn, connect, and get some advice on embracing my multipotentialite nature and integrating it into a life lived on spoons would be a wonderful thing for me. I am also wonderful at writing workshops, so I’d love to participate in that aspect. I have many multipotentialite friends (somehow I’ve surrounded myself with them) but my main need is what I’ve stated above: learning to be a scanner with disabilities. I have deep hope that maybe, maybe, I can find something I can do to make life flow more easily and to give me a chance to reach outside of the usual confines of my life.
Thank you for all the hard work.
-Bonnie, a.k.a. Revision