Hey! I’m Jess Barker. Welcome to Multifaceted.
Here, we’re exploring what it means to find direction and fulfillment in a multi-passionate creative life. ✨
Here, you’ll find:
No-nonsense guidance and words of encouragement to help get your creative butt moving.
Approachable prompts to help you explore your creative nature and more confidently navigate your non-linear path.
Real stories and snippets from my own journey creating for work and play while wearing many different hats, from writer and designer to work-from-home mom.
Groovy collage art, videos, and more! (I’m multifaceted, after all, so I can’t just write, right?)
Together, we’ll explore:
Your “why” – How to define your creative “why” when your “what” changes all the time.
Your value – How to value and validate your multidimensional creativity within a culture that wants you to pick a lane and stay in it.
Your process – How to get started, embrace your style, and make progress on the projects you care most about.
Your time – How to quiet the voice of resistance and prioritize your creative passions – even if you’re short on time.
Your brain – How you get ideas, why they buzz around like they do, and why getting in the flow is totally good for you.
Your sanity – How to deal with questions that buzz around your brain at all times (like “am I really an artist?” or “should I make my hobby a side hustle?”).
Who is Multifaceted for?
It’s for Renaissance people and jacks of all trades. Scanners, multi-hyphenates, and multipotentialites. Serial hobbyists and side hustlers. Multi-passionate dreamers and doers who just love trying all the things.
In other words, this newsletter is for anyone who juggles a lot of creative ideas and interests. It’s for you! 💖
And, to be totally transparent… It’s for 20-something me who struggled to find her way in the entry-level working world, at that awkward time when we’re supposed to do the impossible and pick a focus. (Quarter-life crisis initiated!)
During that period, I found comfort and clarity in resources like The Renaissance Soul by Margaret Lobenstine, Barbara Sher’s books, and Emilie Wapnik’s Puttylike blog.
Writing Multifaceted is my way of continuing the conversation, sharing what I’ve learned, and connecting with other creatives who are figuring it all out, too.
(Oh, I’m also writing a book, too! ☺️ It’s called Idea Avalanche: Conquer Creative Overwhelm to Discover Who You Are and What to Do Next. I shared a little preview here.)
What readers are saying:
“I’ve been relishing your newsletter – the creative images, the vulnerability, the genuinely insightful content. Today’s just struck a chord that really moved me.”
“I read your article and it was really cool because I thought, ‘This is exactly what I need to help get me going!’ I wanted to thank you very much for that.”
“This spoke to me in more ways than one. Really enjoyed reading this!”
“A friend of mine loved how wise this piece is. She called to catch up and the first thing she mentioned was how much she enjoyed your article – she wants to share it with her daughter, too.”
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About me
I’m Jessica Barker – you can call me Jess. I’m a multifaceted creative who can't stop writing, art-making, sewing, and following my curiosity.
Work-wise, I’ve spent over a decade honing my craft as a writing tutor, professional writer and editor, and editorial director.
School-wise, I hold a master’s degree in fashion history from NYU; an undergrad “Bricolage of Arts” covering theatrical costume design, communications, film, and history; and a GIA jewelry diploma. You could say I’m a pretty serious nerd about the creative process. 🤓
Project-wise, I’m always fully immersed in one passion project or another: designing a fine jewelry collection and brand, teaching sewing summer camps, seeing my research published in scholarly journals, updating my historic house, making pretty things in Canva, writing a book... (You can learn more about my work here.)
Life-wise, I live with my husband, daughter, and two cats just a train ride away from Chicago. I also kinda live at the library across the street.
Where to go-go next? 🕺
To help you find your way around the archive, I’ve organized my writing into two main categories: Creative Living and Multi-Passionate Mindset.
Creative Living
This category covers all aspects of creativity – purpose, practice, process, product, and everything in between. A few favorites you might want to start with:
What I Know About Resistance, Transformations, and Getting Started
You’ve Got Good Taste. What Can It Tell You About Your Creative Why?
What Does It Mean to “Create Every Day”?
Multi-Passionate Mindset
This category focuses on the experience of having lots of ideas and interests. If that’s an all-too-familiar struggle, give one of these a read:
If you’re feeling creatively lost, stuck, or confused…
Hopefully, what you find in Multifaceted can help you push through the uncertainty and overwhelm to launch feet-first into your next creative adventure.
But if you’re looking for more support, check out my Multi-Passionate Creativity Coaching Program. Through a series of one-on-one meetings, I help people like you find much-needed clarity and direction within just three months.
Wherever you go next, thanks for reading – and don’t forget to drop me a line in the comments section if you’re new here. I can’t wait to meet you. ☺️
