The Art of Skill Stacking: Building an Evergreen Skillset
“Stack your skills. A strong foundation will pay dividends”
In the intricate and rapidly evolving world of professional development, being a specialist in one field is no longer a ticket to guaranteed success. The economy today craves versatility, adaptability, and innovation—qualities often unattainable with a singular skill focus.
Through this realization, I discovered 'skill stacking'—the practice of layering different skills to enhance competence, versatility, and uniqueness. This concept has broadened my career opportunities and sparked a radical transformation in my professional identity, personal growth, and perspective on continuous learning.
To set the stage, consider this: each skill you possess can be seen as a unique color on an artist's palette.
Each color is beautiful in its own right, but when you skillfully mix these colors, you can create an array of shades and hues unattainable by any individual color. Skill stacking is much like this artistry — the masterful blending of diverse skills creates a vibrant and dynamic professional palette that sets you apart in the workforce.
The Importance of Skill Stacking
For a long time, society and the education system championed the idea of specializing in a single field. The conventional wisdom was that the key to success lay in becoming an expert in one skill and then leveraging that expertise to advance your career. However, through my journey, I've found this approach to be increasingly limited, especially in today's multifaceted professional environment.
Take the example of Steve Jobs. His success wasn't derived solely from his expertise in technology, in fact, he didn’t actually have the technical skills to create the first Apple computer. His success was significantly influenced by his ability to lead and inspire his team. Most importantly though, Jobs’ relied heavily on his design skills, especially his knowledge of calligraphy.
That seemingly unrelated skill of calligraphy, nurtured during his time at Reed College, played a pivotal role in the development of Apple's distinctive typography and user-friendly interface. It gave Apple a unique aesthetic edge in the burgeoning personal computer market. This is a classic case of seemingly unrelated skills creating a unique competitive advantage.
Surely, having a single skill can get you far, but having multiple skills can take you places you've never imagined. This revelation has shifted my perspective and shaped my approach to my personal and professional development.
The Journey Towards Stacking Skills
As a creative professional, my journey toward skill stacking began with an intrigue for visual arts. Over time, this intrigue evolved into a pursuit of various interrelated skills: 3D art, character design, clothing design, and character modeling.
While distinct, Each of these skills has a unique interaction and supportive relationship, creating synergy at the heart of skill stacking.
Take character design, for instance. It involves creating a character from scratch, which requires a deep understanding of form, color, and visual storytelling. However, with my grounding in 3D art, I can visualize this character in a three-dimensional space. This visualization informs my choices in the character design process and enhances the overall outcome.
Similarly, clothing design and character modeling go hand in hand. Understanding the drapery of fabrics and their interaction with body movements allows me to create more realistic and appealing character models.
The interplay of these skills has not only elevated my creative abilities but also expanded the scope of my career. These skills have opened up opportunities for creating visual elements for brands, developing assets for apps, and even embarking on web design and game development projects. The diverse set of skills provides flexibility, adaptability, and creativity in my professional approach—attributes that are increasingly in demand in today's workforce.
The Overlapping Nature of Skills
One of the key observations in my journey has been that skills do not exist in isolation—they overlap, interact, and often enhance each other. This overlapping nature of skills is a crucial aspect of skill stacking and plays a significant role in shaping the effectiveness of this strategy.
As I delved into visual effects, learning to use tools like Adobe After Effects and Blender, I discovered that my understanding of video was deepening. The intricate process of creating visual effects gave me an intimate knowledge of what's possible in video production. This knowledge not only helped me push the boundaries of my own creations but also informed my hiring decisions when building a team or outsourcing video projects.
Similarly, my journey into graphic design and typography has paid significant dividends. Understanding the nuances of typography—how different fonts can evoke different emotions, and how letter spacing can impact readability—has enabled me to create appealing posters, logos, and websites. In fact, the overall design of my brand as a whole is improving year over year because my design, video, and photo skills have compounded and overlapped over time.
These experiences underline that skills are not confined to their respective domains. They echo and enhance each other, creating a ripple effect that enhances the overall professional output.
Building Evergreen Skills
In addition to domain-specific skills, my journey has also led me to focus on evergreen skills—those that remain relevant and in demand, regardless of the changing economic or technological landscape. These include SEO, digital marketing, email marketing, sales, and content creation.
Consider SEO. Understanding how search engines work and how to optimize content for better visibility has been instrumental in increasing my online presence. Coupled with digital marketing skills, such as understanding user behavior and effective ad creation, my reach and impact online have grown exponentially.
Similarly, sales and email marketing have transformed my customer interactions. I've learned how to effectively communicate with potential customers, create compelling sales pitches, and develop engaging email campaigns. This skill set has led to higher conversion rates and a more substantial customer base.
Content creation is another evergreen skill that I'm continually honing. The ability to create engaging and informative content is increasingly valuable in our content-saturated digital world. Whether it's writing a blog post, creating a podcast, or filming a video tutorial, content creation is a skill that has increased my brand presence across various platforms.
The Cycle of Skill Building
Building skills isn't a linear process—it's more akin to a cycle. Over the years, I've developed a method where I immerse myself in a particular skill for a period of 1-3 months. Once I reach a certain level of proficiency, I move on to another skill, but with the intention of revisiting the previous skill later.
This cyclic approach offers multiple benefits. It prevents burnout that can come from focusing too intensely on a single skill for an extended period. It also allows for the subconscious processing of information, leading to 'aha' moments when you revisit a skill. These periods of focused learning, followed by periods of reflection and then re-engagement, result in a deeper understanding and mastery of skills over time.
If you’re looking to learn some timeless skills, I think the following are a great stack:
Writing/Speaking - the foundation of all communication and accumulation of knowledge is through text and speech.
Sales - persuade someone to purchase a commodity in exchange for money and you’ll never be out of a job.
Digital Marketing - creating, communicating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a market.
Design - visual communication that decides on the look and functioning of objects we interact with daily.
Programming - the world is becoming increasingly digital. Build software and tools to make your life and other’s easier.
Fitness/Sport - doesn’t have to involve lifting weights. A healthy life includes exercise. Pick a sport, you might as well be good at it!
Final Thoughts
Through my journey, skill stacking has emerged as a game changer in personal and professional development. By consciously selecting and integrating skills that complement each other, I've been able to build a unique blend of expertise that not only sets me apart but also continually opens new doors of opportunities.
Remember, it's not about mastering every skill under the sun. It's about strategically constructing a synergistic skillset that enables you to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing professional landscape. The power of skill stacking lies in the overlaps—the beautiful interplay of skills that creates a dynamic and vibrant palette.
As always, thanks for reading.
-P