Another Reason to Be a Generalist (Feat. Salehe Bembury)
“I’m one of the few people who can chill with the Migos backstage and drink tea with Donatella [Versace] in her home. I’ve done both comfortably and I belonged.” Salehe Bembury, sneaker designer for Kanye, Versace, New Balance, and at one point in time, Payless, had this to say about his ability to connect with a wide range of clientele.
Being a generalist has gained popularity over the past few years, in large part due to David Epstein’s book Range. Epstein culled stories from experts like Roger Federer and JK Rowloing, showing how their varied experience due to late blooming was an advantage to them. While Malcom Gladwell’s 10,000 hours concept dominated self-development thought for a while (the idea that to master something, one must spend 10,000 hours doing it), the alternative idea that one can specialize in a wide range of things, and be successful, has been encouraging to many.
In an interview with Cam Wolf for GQ, Bembury compared himself to more talented and specialized designers he knows. “I would argue that the thing that makes me the designer that I am is a combination of 10 things. Whereas I know some designers are sick fucking designers, but they are awkward as fuck or they don’t know how to dress, or people don’t like to be around them. [They] don’t have the other nine things.”
I’ve written on this blog for years that being a good freelancer is as much about doing good work as is it about taking care of your clients well. I learned this the hard way when I started out. I was constantly dropped by my clients, because I focused too much on my work, and not enough about their experience. Of course, focusing on the work is a practice that requires a set of a few skills, as is taking care of clients. A acclaimed expert in a field is often not the best teacher or spokesperson for that field, which is ironic.
All this to say: learn everything you can. Anything you pick up about marketing, communication, finance, design, mental health–anything–will help you become a better version of whatever you’re trying to become.
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