I stumbled upon the fabulous podcast 10% Happier with Dan Harris a few months ago. In one of his latest episodes, he was interviewing author, lecturer, angel investor, co-producer of Broadway musicals, Christina Wallace.

Initially listening to the podcast, I had the urge to skip ahead to another episode after a judgmental eye roll when Wallace referred to herself as a “walking Venn diagram” and how she has designed a “portfolio life.” It sounded a little too much like…I don’t know…forced cleverness with words.

Perhaps Wallace uses just a few overly creative buzzwords but I’m grateful to have persisted with the episode, not only because the podcast is hosted by Dan Harris, but also because Wallace’s wisdom and experience provides a voice among the growing list of people who are encouraging healthier and more compassionate business lives. This is the mission the 10% Happier podcast is built on.

Dan Harris is the journalist/host whose nationally televised panic attack changed his whole life and opened many people’s eyes while validating others’ experiences with mental health. Prior to the very public panic attack, this guy covered wars, traveled the world for investigative reporting and seemingly had it all together. And yet, because of his one-time on-air meltdown, he shocked many and became the target of mean-spirited low blows.

His humility in reinventing his life was unheard of in a landscape of prominent, buttoned-up business settings. I remain curious about anyone’s perspective when they’re able to rise above hardship successfully. Hardship is something each of us encounters in our lives and we all have much to learn from that process of healing. Harris’s guests are a way of inspiring this. His guest, Wallace, has become my latest inspiration.

In an effort to keep my mind and heart open to the “walking Venn diagram” who was “designing her portfolio life,” I heard her talk about the cultural shifts in attitudes that have made it okay to embrace a “multi-hyphenate” life and career. Now that’s a buzzword I can certainly relate to. She encourages us to create a Venn diagram for ourselves to learn more about our passions and strengths and to help validate the overlapping paths of our life that may, at first glance, simply look like flakiness.

If you follow any of my social media channels, you’ll see evidence of what might be found on my “Venn diagram.” There are also elements of compartmentalization to each one. You’ll find design work, textile surface design, illustration, and even personal work. While flakiness could certainly apply to me in some situations (I mean, I consider daydreaming a boon to productivity), each “compartmentalization” of my creative processes online encompass a main connection: aesthetics.

Occasionally, I’ve been embarrassed that I embrace so many paths, but only because society has historically told us we should focus on a single thing to do it well. I remember a networking event I attended for small business owners and freelancers: after introductions, someone quietly but firmly looked down their nose at my choices to embrace so many avenues of expertise. It felt dismissive at the time. My embarrassment evolved into profound and personal insight though. I saw this person shortly after the pandemic had loosened its grip on our daily lives—she had since taken a job somewhere and was no longer self-employed. I was still embracing “the multi-hyphenate life.” And I still am. We both simply evolved in different directions.

I don’t say this to be smug. I simply use it as an example of how skill building, especially over the course of a decades-long career, can foster the survival of a dream. Mine has largely been to create beautiful graphics for others. It brings me great joy. This multi-hyphenate approach is not for everyone but more and more people seem to be embracing it. And according to Wallace, it’s beneficial for businesses. She has found creative ways to build bridges between the arts and business. It got me thinking what bridges I build: design and art, simply because there doesn’t seem to be much separation between them in my mind. Both are promoting ideas even if to different audiences, albeit through different avenues.

In some respects I agree with specializing, but I don’t think a person needs to limit one’s implementations of their skills to a single concrete specialty. My career is definitively what Wallace calls multi-hyphenate. I’m a designer, artist, teacher, student and more. All of these things feed each other and enrich the services I offer.

I designed my own Venn diagram to not only build upon my dogged refusal to be boxed in but also to discover how all of these “hats” I wear are applicable to projects for clients, customers, teaching scenarios, and more broadly, my entire life. I’m a designer and artist through and through. I’m also a student and teacher. These are the fiber of my being and therefore an important part of my whole “portfolio” of life.

I have no intention of drawing firm boundaries between the roles I can offer. They are likely to keep evolving. I suspect all of us bring the multi-hyphenate approach to all our endeavors because each of our unique life experiences informs everything we do in life—no embarrassment necessary.

While I may compartmentalize my skills on social media, they are applied in specific and relevant ways depending on the project in front of me. That is how I specialize on a single thing: each project gets its own unique approach and outcome. Unique creative for unique customers: that is what I love to focus on. What would your Venn diagram look like? How would you design your portfolio life?