When looking for work, do the categorisations drive you crazy? “Are you a curator? A marketer? A manager? A lecturer? An engagement specialist?”
In the Creative Industries, these silos are pronounced. “Are you a content creator? A museum director? A designer? An educator? An artist?” Each discipline has its own expectations, language, and definitions of value — and yet, the work we do rarely fits neatly into a single box. I’ve struggled with this my whole career. I don’t see myself as having one definitive role title. I see problems to solve and opportunities to solve them, and that’s what I’ve always set out to do.
You run organisations, manage budgets, drive income, attract funding and sponsorship, build websites, coordinate, design, and deliver marketing campaigns, manage volunteer and memberships, design and deliver education and outreach programmes, teach, lead teams, support professional development, undertake research, develop, deliver, report on and evaluate projects, propose and implement new initiatives, grow organisations, attract new clients, manage communications … yet in New Zealand, employers often want to pigeonhole skills and knowledge to fit a narrow role description.
The risk is that when we reduce people to one box, we miss out on the full value they bring — the insights, connections, and innovations that emerge when multiple experiences intersect. Imagine if these boundaries didn’t exist. Imagine working across disciplines freely, drawing on the full scope of knowledge and skills people bring to the table.
To employers: look beyond the boxes. Consider the broader skills, experiences, and perspectives people offer — they can make your teams stronger, your projects richer, and your outcomes more impactful.
To anyone whose experience spans multiple areas: articulate it, demonstrate it, and show how your diversity of experience creates real value. Take the chance to be all you can be. Don’t be reduced to a box.
