Thursday 8 September 2011

Jack of all trades...

...master of none.  I love this expression, which doesn't exist in French (tthere are equivalents, but they don't have the same punch), as it describes what I am perfectly. I thought about this when Gwen commented on my recent post about mayonnaise. She was generous enough to say that I was a man of many talents.

She may be true, but I never developed them fully. I am a specialist in almost nothing. I am a medievalist, but never taught medieval literature. I know how to make mayonnaise and I am very good at it, but otherwise I am a limited, even terrible chef. My cakes are often so terrible that I even gave them a name: catastrophy cakes. I do think I am naturally talented as an actor, but I never developed it enough to make it a profession. And I have a beautiful singing voice, but again, I haven't really worked on my voice to grow it it into a professional one. I never even took the risk to become a failed actor, a failed baritone, a failed writer...

Well, at least I can make good mayonnaise, I can sing and given the proper preparation I can go on the stage and be a character. I like the extended version of the expression, which cheers me up: "Jack of all trades, master of none, though often times better than master of one". I think I might ask this one to be written on my tombstone.

3 comments:

Gwen Buchanan said...

I think it is best to be a jack of all trades.. it shows you are curious, and not afraid to experiment and try and therefore you are versed in many things where many folk can only talk about a very narrow field of interest!! so keep on trying all things...

PJ said...

C'est quand même mieux de savoir un peu sur tout que de savoir tout sur rien, pour réitérer/paraphraser la version longue. Quand on est expert d'un domaine trop pointu, on sert à rien pareil.

The Artful Gypsy aka Wendy the Very Good Witch said...

Wow....I say that about myself all the time! So funny you brought that up. I know enough to be dangerous and quasi-successful in all sorts of things....but I seem to lack the staying power to truly be an unequivocal expert in anything. I've read that is a trait of 'gifted' children and adults. High curiosity levels and interests in so many things, that it almost becomes a burden to be able to do all that one is seemingly capable of doing, before either fully mastering them, or just losing interest and moving on to the next challenge.

My mind goes in a million different directions at once and I find it very hard to corral all my thoughts constructively. It's not a cast of "attention deficit disorder,' because I can immerse myself so deeply into something that I almost get lost in it. I can concentrate and focus like no one else can when I want to...but once I've gotten a firm enough grip on something to feel accomplished, I am thinking of 100 new things I want to investigate and learn about. {sigh}

Guess that is the plight of the curious mind. Thanks for posting the rest of that saying. I've only ever heard the first part...now I feel at least a tiny bit better...ha! :o)