To be a generalist or a specialist. Spoiler alert... I don’t know the answer yet.
The magic of writing is that it clarifies your thinking. Often, I start writing these posts without knowing what the result is going to be. I just explore an idea and see where it leads. Thanks for joining me in this exploration.
Generalist vs. Specialist Woodworker
First off, lets define what generalization and specialization might look like in woodworking….
At the extreme, a specialist niches down into a very small subset of woodworking and takes it as far as it can go. There are many other areas they could explore, but they don’t. They choose a narrow path, and they master it – the tools, the materials, the skills – everything about making that one thing is performed with unparalleled excellence.
Think of luthiers who focus solely on one type of musical instrument, or craftsman who build a specific type of rocking chair. Their workspaces, tools and jigs are catered to optimize efficiency of the process so they can elevate the precision of that one product.
On the other extreme, a generalist will walk down any path that interests them. Experimenting here and dabbling there. They explore the many areas that woodworking has to offer, and as a result, experience more continued novelty. The only guiding parameter is that wood forms a part of the medium, aside from that, anything goes.
A generalist makes pens, boxes, children’s toys, tables, chairs, light fixtures, cabinets, signs. They power carve, hand carve, use machines and hand tools, make small items and big items, work with soft woods and hardwoods. Their workspace, tools and jigs are broad and numerous, allowing flexibility in what they build and how they build it.
The pure specialist goes narrow but deep. The pure generalist goes shallow but broad.
I don’t think many woodworkers fall 100% into one category. It’s a spectrum and we can choose where to fall on that spectrum based on what our goals are.
There’s no right answer to this question because as your goals in woodworking change, so too should your level of specialization.
At the risk of over simplifying, below is my take on how your level of specialization can impacts various goals…
The Specialist
Maximizes: efficiency, mastery, earning potential, workspace
Secondary: novelty, well-rounded skill, general utility of craft
The Generalist
Maximizes: exploration, growth, skill transfer, utility
Secondary: mastery, earning potential, efficiency
It’s not a surprise to anyone that if you want to be the best at something, you should focus on only that thing and block out the rest. But like anything else in life, there’s nuance.
In the past, I’ve told myself that I need to specialize if I want to truly elevate my work. If my focus is to be custom furniture, I need to choose my niche and focus solely and intensely on that area. This means studying the work of great furniture makers, reading every book on the topic, sharpening my drawing and 3D design skills, and mastering the use and maintenance of my specialized tools.
The Generalist and Specialist on My Shoulder
While I have been trying to follow this path of specialization, there have been roadblocks along the way - roadblocks in the form of internal tension when my desire to build something doesn’t fall into my “specialization category”.
It’s like there are two voices in my head, the mastery voice (we’ll call him Max), and the exploration voice (we’ll call her Elaina).
Max tells me “Don’t dilute yourself with projects that aren’t going to make you better at your core thing. Stick to your area of expertise. Build up your portfolio. Otherwise, do you really want to be mediocre at everything?”
Elaina whispers “Exploration isn’t dilution. By trying new things, you expose yourself to much more of what this craft has to offer. Creativity requires exploration, not siloed efforts. Just because you broaden your focus, doesn’t mean you won’t achieve mastery if you work with intention and focus. Remember, if you stop enjoying your craft because you over constrain yourself, you lose the essence of the craft, and your work will begin to show that.”
You Control Your Burners
Theres an interplay between these different goals – mastery, enjoyment, efficiency, creativity - that the woodworker needs to understand and strike a balance with if they want to ensure they work on the right things. To borrow an analogy from the author James Clear, these focus areas are like different burners on a stove. You have a finite amount of gas and you can turn up or turn down the intensity of each burner, but they cannot all be on high at the same time.
For me today, woodworking is not my main source of income. It’s a hobby that I make a small side income from. My goals at this time are mastery, exploration, and enjoyment. While not polar opposites, these tend to compete for primacy, and I have to continually navigate that balance.
Again there’s nuance – it’s not all or nothing.
Can I explore broadly but apply narrowly? Yes.
I might work to perfect the design and construction of a particular type of furniture, but my inspiration can come from anywhere. Something about nature, or martial arts, or building Legos with my son might spark an idea that I might not have discovered if my aperture was tightened.
Can I enjoy a task while mastering it? Sometimes.
Some people are wired to get pleasure from progress, no matter the domain. I am one of those people. If I work tirelessly to produce a clean, hand-cut dovetail joint and I see progress with every repetition, you bet your ass I’m enjoying myself. (Ok, maybe not every repetition... I wish it was that linear)
Goals Change Over Time
One way to help organize these goals and direct your focus is to put them on a timescale. To believe that your goals today will be the same 1 year, 5 years, 10 years from now, is well… short sighted.
At the beginning stages of your craft, the exploration burner should be cranked all the way up. This is where the highest density of learning will come from. This early exploration will bring plenty of novelty and enjoyment. There will be times where enjoyment temporarily wanes, (“I just need to finish this damn project so I can move onto the next one”), but if it’s not there at the start, that’s a clear warning sign.
As you progress in your craft, you have to make the decision of whether you want to place emphasis on a specific area and really crank up the heat or stay broad. It’s a trade-off because it means you need to block out other avenues, but it will be in service to continuing your journey to mastery with that one specific thing.
Conclusion
Breadth or depth. I think you can have a degree of both - a strong general foundation, with a mastery in one or two places. You just can’t master everything.
We decide how wide or deep we go by the type of work we take on and the intensity of our focus on that work. Choose with intention and you’ll be right where you want to be.
Thanks for reading friends, I hope you got some value from it.