Why You Can't Niche Down: You Might Be a Multipassionate Creator

Multipassionate creator: a content creator with multiple interests

I started my content creator journey eight months ago.

When I started, every successful online entrepreneur convinced me that the only way to get ‘there’ is to niche down. That means that you pick one industry, one topic to talk about, and be known for that one thing. That thought was honestly so painful.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved learning about different things. I taught myself how to play guitar, make websites, crochet, speak Spanish. More recently, I’m learning about writing, entrepreneurship and the creator economy.

I didn’t know how to fit in the online world with the typical advice.

So, I asked myself, “what would happen if I decided to show up as who I am with all the interests that I have?” By solving this problem, I learned to show up my way. In less than 6 months, I was able to build a following on Twitter, find my voice and attracted my first few paid clients.

Here’s how being a multipassionate creator worked for me.

You choose not to belong in a box

I started creating online as a way to get out of my nursing field.

I didn’t want to be known as a nurse. When I went online, I was surprised when people said that “you have to specialize or else.” I thought I was trying to escape from this box in reality. The logic behind niching down is that because you specialize, you get paid more. They’re not wrong, but it just didn’t suit me.

Until I hired my spiritual coach. She showed up on Instagram in a very weird way. She danced Kundalini yoga, danced while wrapped in a burrito blanket, and looked so happy. She talked about the universe and knowing your purposes. I didn’t understand a single thing, but I was attracted to her work.

I wanted to learn how to do that.

When I worked with her, I learned that you can become successful by simply being yourself.

Slowly, I began to believe that. The fact that I’m on Medium is an excellent evidence. One day, I’m talking about content creation, and another day, I’m talking about my nursing career. I know that it’s possible to express your different interests because of the successful writers here.

How to apply this:

Give yourself the permission to explore whatever your heart desires. Explore all the topics you want whether with personal finance, travelling, or relationships. Over time, trust that you will know the same theme that you will enjoy talking about.

When you do this, you have more freedom to choose from, and you will enjoy the creation journey more.

You choose to become creative in your own way

I stopped listening to the ‘niche down’ advice after two months.

Those two months felt horrendous. I felt that I couldn’t explore my creativity. I felt like I wasn’t genuinely expressing my whole self. I practiced talking on my Instagram stories every day. I talked, created yoga clips and tried to build my confidence. The problem was that I didn’t enjoy what I was talking about, so I had to re-evaluate.

I decided to shut down my Instagram and pivoted to writing.

One day, I decided to create a video on Twitter that showed my writing workflow in the morning.

I showed clips of my yoga practice, freestyle writing on my iPad, dancing salsa, and editing on my laptop. I wouldn’t have come up with this video if I stuck to “texts” on Twitter. People resonated with it. This video made me realize that can be creative by combining your personal interests.

How to apply this:

If you’re starting out, don’t disregard your unique interests when creating. If you like writing and playing an instrument, come up with a way to make the 2–3 things you’re passionate about intersect. I can assure you, that’s how you’ll stand out.

You bring your whole self to the table

I believe in niching down once you are ready to productize yourself or create some services.

Niching down means you know exactly who you’re helping and what you’re helping people with. You can only figure that out once you create content and start engaging with others.

Until then, there are very limited benefits of niching down.

When you bring your unique point of view, skills, and other interests, you will stand out. And also, you will naturally attract the people that you want to be friends with. I coined the term ‘Multipassionate Creator’ on Twitter. Almost every day, someone DMs me thanking me for giving a more powerful term for the people who can’t niche down.

Once I decided to express what I believed in, people came flocking into my space.

How to apply this:

As a creator, you want people to learn about who you are as a person. If you combine your unique interests and the skills you want to help people with, you will be unstoppable.

When you fully express yourself online as who you are, the vanity metrics (followers, views, money, voice) that you’re concerned about will naturally come into place.

Screenshots by the author.

Final Thoughts

I’m assuming that you’re here to make an impact.

But you can’t do that if you are holding yourself back about your unique point of view and your interests. I hope that this gives you the freedom to explore your creativity in a way that feels amazing for you. Because at the end of the day, the energy you put in your content will felt by the user.

I know because when I read stories on Medium, great writers made me feel something. I hope that this post empowers you to create, share and do things that you want to do instead of what you’re told to do.

Being a multipassionate creator is a superpower because no one else can replicate what you do.

This post first appeared on Start Up.