The benefits of living the Mash-up life
The year I left school was when I ‘went plural.’ During an unplanned gap year before I went to university I worked part-time at a radio station alongside having a job at a record distribution company. Two afternoons a week I studied Photography A level.
Photography! Radio! Music! I loved it. These experiences combined my desire to work in the creative industries, while not being restricted to a single discipline.
I learned an important lesson that year. That you don’t need to be boxed-in at work; that you can carve out a working life that reflects your multidimensional talents and desires.
When I joined The Unique Broadcasting Company in the 1990s I soon got a reputation for doing more than one thing. For a couple of years I was managing director of a radio studio operation alongside project managing a joint venture with The Financial Times, whilst leading other key projects, and even launching a media training company. I also edited the company's external newsletter. I’d carved out a me-shaped role that went well beyond the boundaries of a job title. I was still about creativity and communication - now I’d added in a leadership element.
I have continued that theme into my life as an independent. In the ‘00s there was a period when I was running marketing campaigns for Benetton, alongside co-managing a band, and writing a kids’ book!
In my 2012 book Mash Up! - co-written with David Sloly - we talk about the concept of the T-shape (first coined by IDEO’s Tim Brown). The shape of the ‘T’ reflects the desirability of having a deep skill in one discipline and then adding related broad skills in other ways. Looking back over the last two decades, I note that everything I’ve done has been centred around storytelling & creative communication. This is the vertical stroke of the T. It’s deep and has remained the essence of what I’ve done these last twenty-odd years. The horizontal bar of the T are some of the other supporting features I’ve added to this over the years. There’s always been an element of adding and enhancing what I do.
So my offering now is one large ‘mash up’ of all that’s gone before. I’ve poured all my early experiences into what I do now: as a storyteller and worklife expert. I write, present, run workshops. And I still love the multi-dimensional life. And I still love taking photos.
Here’s why I like a mash-up worklife. It:
Provides flexibility in uncertain times. It can give you an adaptable mindset so you can go with the flow and take the opportunities as they come along
Can make you more of an asset in your role. Be the person in an organisation who puts their hand up for stuff - especially relevant when starting out on your career and you want to stand out
Gives you empathy and understanding, helping you see things from different sides and getting away from an ‘us and them’ silo mentality
Brings you variety and stops you getting stale - can be more fulfilling and make for a more exciting career
Leads to cross pollination and offers a different perspective: so helpful when trying to solve a problem.
Frees you from being defined by a job title. You can follow your curiosity and do more than what a restrictive label says you can
