Welcome to Episode 18 of Navigating the Fustercluck—a podcast full of snackable insights to help you navigate the love/hate world of creativity and marketing.My name is Wegs, like eggs with a W, joining you from Deaf Mule Studios in Dallas, and whether you work in advertising, design, gaming, fine art, commercial art, content creation, a maker or imagineer, today we’re here to talk about generalists and specialists. Is one better than the other, or do we need both?There’s a number of ways of looking at this, so expect a wild ride of point of views and opinions.The Generalist vs the SpecialistFor years, consultants have told us that it’s the specialist who makes the major breakthroughs and the major bucks. The example I’ve heard most is the comparison between a surgeon and a MD in the medical world. Your MD knows a lot about a lot of things. A surgeon knows everything about one thing. And she makes the bigger money.The Advantages of the SpecialistWith the extra education and training that usually comes with becoming a generalist, you can demand more pay and have a chance to rise to the top of your field.The DisadvantagesAbsolute focus on one thing can create blinders.  Can become boring. Stagnant. Innovation often relies on connecting the dots. But if all your dots are bunched together, your thinking may not stretch your perspective. Your vision may become myoptic, or any other number of college entrance exam type of words.The Advantages of the GeneralistYou get to experience a lot. Spread your field of vision. Cross-pollinate your ideas with those of others. Plot dots all over your mental map.The DisadvantagesSpreading yourself too thin. Leaving spaces that can’t be tied together or bridged. Threads that can’t hold such far-flung thoughts together.The BalanceLike most things in life, balance is the key. Balance, unfortunately, is kinda boring to most people. It also requires a lot of work. And it doesn’t come via a silver bullet. Ever refer to someone as well-balanced? Probably not. Maybe one day you can help change that.So Where is the Balance? Well, that’s a damn good question. And I’ve got an answer for you that has it down to a T. T-Shaped people that is.T-Shaped PeopleMaybe the best way to describe a person with just the right blend of general and specialty skills is the term “T-Shaped People”. Think of it this way, the cross-stroke of the letter T represents your broad general knowledge. You can write a bit. Edit a bit. Maybe shoot some, too. But your real strength is in art direction. Establishing the look and feel of a piece. That’s the downstroke of the T, and what you specialize in. Yet, there will be times, whether it’s because of budgets, workload, passion, availability, whatever…that you combine 2 or more of your skills on one project. This flexibility and range may help futureproof you when downtimes come. And downtimes will always come.Jack-of-All-Trades, Master of None.You hear this all the time in describing someone with a wide breadth of knowledge. But I like this response from a legend of the business:The Key Word is Trade. A Trade Requires Many Skills and Tools. I Like a Carpenter with Lots of Awesome Tools.  – Alex Bogusky, Co-Founder &Chief Creative Engineer Crispin, Porter & BoguskyTo me, that’s a pretty balanced notion. These are the kind of people Alex refers to as Swiss Army Knife Creatives. It’s an interesting topic; one I can’t help to filter through my personal story.MeThis is a very interesting topic for me, because somewhere on the continuum of Jack-of-All-Trades to Renaissance Man, you’ll find yours truly. (Hopefully you’ll find me closer to the latter than the former.) Over the years, it certainly has helped to keep things interesting. But I don’t use terms like Swiss Army Knife, or anything like that. Instead,