IGNORE HOLLYWOOD: FOLLOW ONE PATH

Published Oct. 5, 2006 in "The Oklahoma Daily"
Viewable Online Here

Over the past two weeks, two movies employing actor Ashton Kutcher’s talents have been released. One is a drama/action flick with Kutcher playing one of the main roles. The second features the actor’s voice talents in a comedic animated feature.

While both films have performed respectably, the animated movie has easily outdone the live-action production.

Kutcher made his name in Hollywood as a solid comedic actor, the star of movies revolving around wondering where one’s car might be. In that vein, he was and remains successful, with numerous laugh-happy roles under his belt.

In the world of the small screen, he has gone on to produce several humorous television shows, in addition to his long-running sitcom work.

Kutcher is good at what he does.

As long as what he does is comedy.

As of late, he has forayed into dramatic roles, such as the aforementioned one. While name recognition and acting ability ensure that he does a decent job in these movies, they are generally nowhere near as successful as his comedic turns.

Without unduly insulting Kutcher or his career choices, this example can be said to be reflective of something more and more prevalent today — people trying to do too much.

This antithesis of specialization is most prominent in the entertainment field. It seems it is no longer profitable nor desirable to remain just an actor or just a singer.

Singers try to become actors, and actors try to sing. A modeling career is almost obligatory. Let’s not forget the clothing and fragrance lines. A personal restaurant is always good. And of course, there are the reality shows about, ironically, one’s life away from the spotlight.

In the process of pursuing these divergent ends, most entertainers’ resumes suffer greatly. This is due to a combination of overexposure and concentrating more on pursuits beyond their original one. Sadly, once glittering careers are often reduced to a shadow of their former selves, supported by a lifeline of celebrity endorsements and talk show appearances.

If this was a phenomenon limited to the arena of entertainment, it would not be so bad. This mantra of “do everything,” however, has trickled down to other areas of society as well. Particularly ominous is the infatuation and support this theory enjoys in the arena of education.

“Well-rounded” has transcended the label of buzzword and become something of a holy grail when it comes to college applications.

Each year, more and more high school students hear that it is not enough to simply have good grades. They must have musical talent, leadership experience, volunteer work, athletic skill and any number of other attributes.

While the pursuit of these multiple endeavors is beneficial and worthy, a very crucial point is missed by many in our multitask loving world — not all of these areas have to be mastered.

It is perfectly all right to specialize in one area, and maintain the others as hobbies or secondary pursuits.

In fact, this is a much closer model of the real world than one in which people are masters of all trades. True professional success is much more likely to come as a result of mastery of one skill rather than proficiency in many.

Let’s pretend that you’re about to undergo surgery to remove a tumor in your brain.

Would you even care whether your surgeon helped build an orphanage in Djibouti or could play the Brandenburg Concertos on three instruments while blindfolded?

No, you wouldn’t. As long as the surgeon was skilled with a scalpel and had thorough knowledge of neurosurgery, then it really wouldn’t matter what else he could or could not do.

This is just one example. In most any field, success and professional satisfaction are contingent not on wielding a plethora of skills all equally well, but on honing just the skills required for one’s particular arena.

By not focusing on other skills, one isn’t selling himself short, but rather is allowing himself to sharpen the skills that are truly important, the ones he cannot do without.

Take a lesson from the entertainers. Almost everyone that has tried to follow multiple career paths simultaneously has fallen into the trap and ended up with almost no career at all.

By all means, do anything and everything that interests you. But keep in mind that not all those things must be done to equally high standards.

Don’t let the pursuit of this facetious notion derail you from the path of your true niche, whatever that may be.

Let Hollywood be alone in its mistakes. Your true calling in life is much too great a prize to sacrifice.