Why Your 'Scattered' Interests Are Actually Your Superpower

The Permission Series #1: Permission to Be Multi-Passionate

Welcome to The Permission Series, where we're challenging the "shoulds" of creative entrepreneurship and giving you permission to build a business that feels true to who you are.

The day I finally stopped apologizing for being interested in everything was the day my creative business started to make sense.

For some, the term "multi-passionate" means the worst thing that can happen to an entrepreneur. Others claim it's the secret to their success. I'm somewhere in between, and I'll explain how I see it.

No matter how much I wanted to deny it over the years, I am a multi-passionate type who gets excited easily, is curious about many things, and enjoys blending them together.

It’s an AI-generated photo

Even as a child, the thought of having only one life and having to choose just one profession terrified me. To bridge this, I aimed to be either a writer or an actress until I realized I could be a journalist and a TV reporter as well.

I loved the variety of topics. Later, social media gave me the same thrill. I wrote posts for banks, cheese brands, car companies, interior designers, doctors, designers, and I could keep going. Every time, I could step into someone else's shoes and get a glimpse into an exciting profession. I photographed, filmed, interviewed, edited, and wrote.

When "Too Many" Interests Become Your Secret Weapon

Here's what happened: My seemingly scattered path started creating unexpected opportunities. I started a blog about interior design, and suddenly an agency needed exactly that combination – a social media manager who understood interior design. When I wrote about sustainability, eco-conscious businesses came knocking. When motherhood became part of my story, mom-focused brands found their way to me.

It wasn't random. Each new interest added a layer to my expertise, making me not just another social media manager, but one with a unique perspective that specific businesses desperately needed.

Why Being "Scattered" Is Actually Your Superpower

Think about it like this: While everyone else is building straight roads, you're creating intersections. These crossing points are where the magic happens. When you understand both social media and interior design, you see opportunities others miss. When you blend your love for writing with your passion for sustainability, you create content that stands out.

Being multipassionate doesn’t mean juggling five different offers at once or switching topics every other day. It’s not about scattering your focus—it’s about selecting the passions that feel most aligned right now. Just like seasons change, so do our creative energies. The key is to tune into what excites you in the present moment and build from there, rather than trying to do everything all at once.

Your Unique Combination Is Your Edge

Look at some of the most interesting creators out there:

• Marie Forleo blends business advice with hip hop and life coaching

• Austin Kleon mixes art with writing and curation

Let's take a step back in time for a moment. Consider Michelangelo – probably the most famous multi-passionate creator in history. Most people know him as the guy who painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

But Michelangelo wasn't "just" a painter. He was a sculptor who gave us David. An architect who designed parts of St. Peter's Basilica. A poet who wrote hundreds of sonnets. And an engineer who innovated construction techniques.

Was he "unfocused"? Should he have "picked a lane"?

Imagine if someone had told Michelangelo, "Hey, stick to sculpture, that's what you're known for." We might never have seen the Sistine Chapel. Or if they'd said, "Just focus on art, forget about engineering." The dome of St. Peter's might look very different today.

The magic wasn't just that he did many things – it's how his various skills and interests fed into each other. His understanding of sculpture influenced his painting, giving his figures that remarkable three-dimensional quality. His engineering knowledge enhanced his architecture. His poetry gave him a different way to express the same themes he explored in his art.

Sure, not all of us are Renaissance geniuses (though who knows? Maybe you are!). But Michelangelo's example shows us something important: True creativity doesn't care about lanes. It cares about connections.

Making It Work

• Map Your Constellation: Instead of trying to pick one star, look at how your interests create a unique pattern. What unexpected connections do you see?

• Find Your Through-Line: What themes keep showing up across your different interests? For me, it's always been about communication and creating cozy spaces, whether digital or physical.

• Build Bridges: How can your different interests support each other? Maybe your photography skills make your writing more impactful, or your understanding of psychology helps you design better user experiences.

• Embrace the Evolution: Your interests will shift and grow with you, and that's okay. Each new passion adds another dimension to your work.

A Call to the Curious

The world doesn't need more people forcing themselves into narrow boxes. It needs more creators who dare to bring their full selves to their work.

Your diverse interests aren't a liability – they're your edge in a world that's hungry for fresh perspectives. They're what make you interesting, what make your work unique, and what will attract the right opportunities to you.

So stop apologizing for being interested in everything. Start celebrating it. Start using it. Because that unique combination of interests? That's your superpower. And the world needs more of that magic.

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Next week, we'll explore why growing slowly and organically might be the best thing for your multi-passionate business. Because when you're creating something truly unique, it deserves the time to bloom in its own way.

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What's your unique combination of interests? I'd love to hear about the unexpected ways they've created opportunities in your life.