Generalist

As generalists, creatives wear many hats. It’s one of the most unique abilities we have. It allows us to seamlessly (and some times not so seamlessly) navigate a diverse range of industries and solutions. By embracing the generalist within us, creatives can transcend boundaries, so that we can discover innovative solutions that can be found in multiple fields and disciplines. Generalists also excel at adapting to new challenges, which on a day to day basis is key, in order to flow from a project that’s asking for a branding solution in the finance world to a sales situation that needs a customer-centric, memorable answer in the cpg industry. This, together with the mandatory flow of understanding behaviors across race, sex, age and cultures allows creatives to look for answers in multiple fields. From traditional points of contact to technology that sometimes is even in its beta testing stage, generalists need to learn quick and adapt to the ever changing landscape of human behavior.
I was not the best student, but I’ve always been a fast learner. As a creative this generalist approach has been challenged in many fields. I’ve learned and brought ideas, together with different teams, for banking, beer, spirits, baseball leagues, tourism, soccer leagues, golf tournaments, political candidates, detergents, carbonated soft drinks, government institutions, telco, hospitals, health insurance, tech advisory, renewable energy, restaurants, sports drinks and many more. What unexpected fields has this generalist mindset taken you?