Some days you are known for one thing, and other day you are known for another. For those of us who wear many hats, there is this misconception that we will be remembered for all of them.
Although a little while back a guest on the PolyCast mentioned something to me that stung a bit:
I think that's important to note that you, at the end of time you'll only be known for one thing, maybe a collection of things, but you'll be only remembered for this like one massive triumph. Hmm. Is at least the pattern that I've seen studying history. -Ranjit Marathay
This is a common occurrence in society to be put into a singular box in people's minds. Our brains like to focus on categories, yet we as polymaths and generalists are by nature: Uncategorized.
An Anti-Thesis to being put in a box
While it is true that our brains like to put things/people/objects into boxes in order to simplify things. The opposite is true as well... our brains love complexity, and figuring out how the systems form the puzzle.
Now while Leonardo Da Vinci is known pretty much purely for his painted artworks. He was expertly skilled in over a dozen disparate skillsets.
Given that a big part of the populace know him as a painter, maybe a sculptor, there are people like us who see him as the very divergently skilled individual. The idea of categorization of a person comes from a specialist mindset, and not everyone has that ingrained in them.
Antidisciplinary, Multipotential, and Pluripotent
I was talking to Alex Weber yesterday on the PolyCast about being Antidisciplinary. The best way to explain it is if disciplines are nodes in a graph. Then multidisciplinary is multiple nodes. Interdisciplinary are connected nodes. Antidisciplinary is the space BEYOND the nodes.
Antidisciplinary is very much the philosophy of being uncategorized.
Being a Multipotentialite
I thought this term fit well in here as well. I put the Multi title as the first part of the Multidisciplinary Spectrum for a reason. Having the potential to do many different things, isn't the same as DOING those many things.
However this Pluripotent lifestyle that Multipotentialites have is something that can only be described as uncategorized. Out of all of the terms in the Spectrum, this one is the most free form. The most wide ranging, and the most "exploratory".
Categories are useful
While this post was made to celebrate the Opposite, let's take a moment to realize we have boxes for a reason.
They help explain and translate what we know to others. However if we market ourselves in certain ways, then we can make the boxes work for us.
I use polymathy as my "main" box, my meta-niche, and that encompasses over everything else. Then I share my subniche/subtopics as little boxes under that umbrella meta-niche. The point is that I took control over the narrative, and now the boxes people know me for are the ones that I cater to.
Uncategorical
Being this antidisciplinarian is as simple as thinking outside of the box. For some people it comes naturally, and others it is more of a learned technique.
I think for multipotentialites it is a natural state for them, and this is why people of that group tend to stick to that term over generalist or polymath.
Since generalist and polymath often limits the boxes to a degree (sure they can have any number, but it is usually a certain amount).
I strongly encourage any of you who are writers/creators, to write about this Uncategorized concept. It needs to spread! #ideaworthspreading
