In Defense of Dabbling
A new essay and anthology!
Summer staggers on, but I am enjoying some cooler temperatures and intermittent rain in Washington. I want to share a new publication. Since I am deep into a long-term project right now, I enjoyed re-reading this essay “In Defense of Dabbling” that I finished this spring. In July, I completed the Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program (a project of WA Culture and Humanities Washington) and had a lot to say about this important experience.
The term multipotentiality is defined by Emilie Wapnick, author of How to Be Everything, as “a psychological and educational term used to describe people who display aptitudes across multiple disciplines.” As someone who has always felt most at home in interdisciplinary settings and fairly claustrophobic in the siloed landscape of higher education in general, I find this term validating. Instead of thinking of multiple interests as a distraction, there is solid evidence to show that some people are wired to have an affinity for many different things.
If you are a fellow dabbler or multipotentialite, comment below.
Here is the link to the full article in Spark.
Next month, I will be part of a reading at Village Books on September 19th at 6PM for this new essay collection. Info on the event can be found here. I look forward to meeting these wonderful editors in person and hearing from fellow contributors.
My website and Substack will be changing a bit this fall. Stay tuned for updates and another writing prompt is coming your way soon. In the meantime, I will leave you with a picture my daughter took of our garden basket.
xoxoJessica
