My Journey To Become a Renaissance Man
I recently glimpsed my coffee table and laughed to myself at how the items that were scattered across its surface were so emblematic of my current campaign: electric guitar parts, power tools, Batman comics, hefty tomes on screenwriting and music composition, a laptop open with a web page on propagating bougainvilleas, etc.
I am, you see, on the path of becoming the mythical Renaissance Man.
A jack of numerous creative trades.
An intellectual handyman, if you will.
And if you don’t believe me, simply check out at my manifold amusements:
Electric, acoustic, and classical guitar (I’m also building three electric guitars), as well as piano and composing; screenwriting, with plans of directing and scoring a short horror film in the coming months (and because I’m paying for this out of my own pocket, I’m also the producer, set designer, and costume and makeup artist); cooking, baking, and barbecuing; gardening/landscaping; blogging on Medium (no doy, right?); reading about music and film history, as well as classic literature and comic books; and a bit of a whiskey, rum, and tequila enthusiast (other types of alcohol are on the way).
I’m also the proud owner/father/au pair to a smiling dog with a mohawk, which may not seem terribly specialized, but believe you me — he has specific needs.
If you’re wondering how a single human can be so multi-talented, I wouldn’t blame you.
But I assure you, if you do it right, it’s really not that impossible.
As some of you may have read, I’m quite unemployed at the moment, which not only means that I have plenty of time to pursue my myriad interests, but also means that things like responsibilities, consequences, and commuting no longer get in the way of my tackling a discipline with fury.
However, I think my biggest asset in juggling so many activities is approaching each with the same thought process. Recognizing that each hobby, especially the creative ones, utilize the same approach allows me to develop an affinity for each of my interests and cultivate the required skill set to succeed in them.
Sure, their respective vocabularies are different, but that’s nothing that can’t be learned with ongoing experience. I’m sure there’s a technical name for this method, but I just call it “creative consolidation”.
Maybe I’ll take up psychology as my next passion.
Hyper-curiosity comes with its share of challenges. Pastimes generally cost money, and having too many of them can take its toll on one’s bank account.
However, I’m young, inquisitive, and obsessed. There’s plenty of time for regrets and hand-wringing later.
But is my strutting on the path towards Renaissance Manhood a fool’s errand with no real benefit?
Probably.
Do people today even know enough about the concept of the Renaissance Man to be impressed or care?
Doubtful.
But that’s not stopping me from diving into the well of each of my baker’s dozen of interests to see what pearls I might find.
If you enjoyed reading my blogging antics as much as I may or may not have enjoyed writing them, follow me on Twitter for even more literary irresponsibility!
