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All the time in photography (and honestly, in life too) I feel like I hear two conflicting pieces of advice.
1. Have many experiences. Try everything at least once. Look at other people's work. Look at art. Don't put boundaries on your creativity.
2. Focus. Decide what you want to do, and practice that. Get really really good at it. Don't waste your talents on other pursuits.
Now, in terms of life and photography I wholeheartedly subscribe to the first piece of advice. But the second resonates too. Practice makes perfect - I believe that. And it stands to reason that honing your skillset in one particular area would make you much better at that particular thing.
I rebel because I think number 2 would be boring! When I focus on something I do it because I'm so fascinated or passionate about the subject that I really can't help myself. Without that feeling and that impetus, I don't know what good my focus would do.
In addition, I feel like sometimes you learn the most by playing, just trying as many new things as you can until all the information just coalesces into an understanding of the guiding principles.
What do you think? Jack of all trades, master of none?
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I think it is far more complicate question then what you pose in your blog. In photography, the focus might be on subject matter or on technique, for example. I think we should try many different techniques, as it increases the number of "tools in the box", which we can later use on any subject. But the subject matter is a different story. The one opinion I agree with is to commercialize only one chosen subject, like architecture, weddings or travel- it makes you marketing efforts more focused if nothing else. At the same time, you can and should in fact pursue many other subjects as "personal projects", to keep your creativity alive.
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