Creativity Is Transferrable

If you have spent a long time learning a creative skill, but you want to shift your focus to another creative skill, don't be discouraged.

It might seem like you'll have to start all the way back at square one.

This isn't true.

Creativity is a transferable skill, even between disciplines that aren't very similar. My friend has made music his entire life. But when that road stopped being a viable way for him to make a living, he changed disciplines to design and videography. I watched his first video, and it was leagues better than the first video from a creative beginner. This is because he has already learned how to edit his ideas when he made music. He learned how to scan the space, find inspiration, and incorporate it. His creativity was a transferable skill.

It can often feel frivolous or foolish to follow your whim to learn photoshop, video editing, copywriting, or something like that. If you've already invested so much time into one skill, shouldn't you just double down, and stop being distracted by shiny new opportunities?

If you realize that learning a new creative skill will give you more leverage in the marketplace, and enable you to work better, you should learn it. It will take less time than you think, and it will give you an understanding of the ecosystem. In the long run, having a general understanding of different creative disciplines will open up more director and management roles than if you stuck with one thing.

Good luck out there!