MULTI-POTENTIALITE FEATURE OF THE MONTH

TIRZA L. BUELTO

 
From New York, NY

Presently residing in District Heights, Maryland

Fight Song is Fight, huh?

Social Media: Instagram @tearsbelle

Tirza L. Buelto is a lover of life and the universe with a life-long allegiance to her identity as a New Yorker. She can never pinpoint exactly what she does, when asked, but can always relay that she is doing what she likes.  She enjoys the simpler things in life, coupled with warm and cozy environments in which to enjoy them.

STB: What did you major in?  Are you currently working in that field? 

TLB: I majored in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology with a minor in Africana Studies. I am not working in either field.

STB: Interesting! That sounds about right for a multi-potentialite such as yourself.

STB: What community service activities have you been involved with over the years?  

TLB: Mainly working with students and low-income/disadvantaged populations. A lot of work with the homeless and some work with human trafficking.

STB: Human trafficking is a huge issues today that we don't discuss enough! I commend you for that work. What else do you like to do in your free time (if you have any)?  

TLB: I'm such a nerd. Right now i'm working on putting together a draft business plan, I work part-time as a Clinical Specialist and really, I just do a lot of artsy stuff.

What Does a “Real” Multipotentialite Look Like?

I’m going to present two competing narratives about multipotentialites and reality. And then we’re going to figure out why they’re both wrong.

Narrative One: The “Real World” Won’t Let Us Be Ourselves. We’re Doomed! We Have To Get a Job Instead.

One of my favourite things about the multipotentialite community is seeing the fascinating projects everyone is working on: writing books, building eco-homes, internet marketing, knitting, songwriting, entrepreneurship, giving talks… It’s a constant stream of creativity and inspiration.

But many of these projects are risky. They don’t have guaranteed income. Maybe they have a high chance of failure. Or perhaps we can’t make money from them at all, and they’re just for fun or for learning new skills.

This is where Narrative One comes in. We’ve heard it a million times in a million different ways: “This is not realistic. Give up.”

Perhaps it would be nice to spend our time working on these interesting things, but it just isn’t possible. It’s time to resign ourselves to a life spent in the office, and to consign all these dreams to the bin. The real world isn’t multipotentialite friendly. Get a job.

Narrative Two: Getting a Job Means Selling My Soul. We’re Doomed! We Have to Not Get a Job.

On the other hand, it can sometimes feel like there’s an unspoken peer pressure for a “real” multipotentialite to avoid reality as much as possible.

If I imagine how I might feel if I quit self-employment, my brain objects quite strongly:

• Getting a job means I’ve failed.
• It means I’m not a “real” multipotentialite.
• I’d have no time to pursue my other interests.
• If I get a job, then I’m letting The Man win, and I’m participating in an awful inhumane system of employment, which basically makes me evil. (This one may be going a bit far.)

I don’t think these objections are based on anything I’ve heard anyone actually say.

If there’s a Multipotentialite Police Force out there checking for confirmed freelance status when anybody calls themselves a multipotentialite, I’ve never met them.*

* Ironically, this sounds like quite a fun job, so if the Multipotentialite Police are reading this, feel free to get in touch!

I suspect that this picture of a “real” multipotentialite has come from my brain seeing the most visible multipotentialites, noticing that they tend to be self-employed, mobile, alternative, and creative, and then crystallising a pattern around the idea that all multipotentialites must be this way to qualify.

And so I end up subconsciously believing that being self-employed – or doing certain kinds of work – is 100% necessary to being part of the club.

And I think that’s wrong. There’s no one way to be a multipotentialite. (In some ways, that’s kind of the whole point!)

Thank you for being a friend: A Tribute to my Sisters!

I tend to surround myself with 2 types of women.  Women who are like me, and women like whom I aspire to be.  Most women that are a part of my inner circle fall into one of these two categories.  This doesn't necessarily mean women who "look" like me, "act" like me, or even share most of my values. You would be surprised to learn the simple, seemingly attenuated characteristics I share in common with some of my closest friends.  What it does mean, is that I have an arsenal of diverse, intellectual, ingenious, gorgeous, multi-potentialite sisters in my corner to support my dreams, exchange ideas, and enhance my life in countless ways.  This is not something I take for granted.  Whenever I meet a woman who says she has no real girlfriends, my heart breaks for her.  What would my life be without all of the strong women who have helped to shape it.  I can pick up my iPhone and receive solid advice regarding love, parenthood, finance, fashion, spirituality, fitness and mental health from women who are subject-matter experts in all the aforementioned fields, and whom I also consider to be my dear friends.  My girlfriends have literally saved my life on countless occasions.  Special recognition goes to my line sister who literally saved my life once or twice! :-)