Media 6: Week 4, Errol Tyson

Week 4 | Passion and Career
Cal Newport, 2012, ‘The Clarity of the Craftsman’ in So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work, NY Business Plus, ch.4.

Craftsman vs. Passion Mindsets, summary of readings

• Making key points that there are two distinct method of working. One pertains ‘what am I getting out of this job?’, the
other ‘how can I best do the job-is this right?’
• I didn’t really agree with some of the points brought up in the second method, as it is difficult to put 100% effort
into a role that you are not passionate about. It doesn’t make sense to grind away at a job if there is no benefit for
you as the worker.
• This also seems to contradict with the examples used-a musician born into a family of musicians has discovered this
‘passion’ very early on is quite different to somebody searching for their passion.

Relating this to my own experiences, I have always worked on my own projects regardless of the interest to me, and then preferences my other commitments around this. For example, I am inclined to put uni second to a creative brief that I will find more beneficial to my interests and professional development.

I think that suppressing thought processes such as ‘who am I’ and ‘what do I truly love’ are an intrinsic part in any position, and they can really shape finding a job that suits your passion.

I do like the phrase ‘be so good they can’t ignore you’ however. I find it gives me some additional drive to keep working at my skills, and that there is always room for improvement. Especially when you realise the scope of talented individuals working in your field, there is no room to plateau and disregard improvement and innovation in your practise.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *