For those of us doing interdisciplinary work, trying to compress what we do into a straightforward “thing” can feel like a lost cause.  We might have a portfolio career, or be drawing seemingly disparate ideas or fields together, or translating our expertise to folks outside our industry.

Trying to fit this interdisciplinarity into a job application, a grant or fellowship proposal, or even an academic manuscript – VERY tricky!

I regularly hear a version of this from the creative academics and professionals I work with who are doing interdisciplinary work : “I have real, deep expertise based on years of practice. But I can’t seem to put it into a sentence that a stranger would recognize.”

If this is you, let me assure you, this isn’t a confidence problem or a communication problem. It’s a “container” problem – and our world loves containers and for things to “fit”!  

If we have to fit our work into these containers (things like the single job title, the clean “I help” statement, the linear resume) but the strength of our work lies in its diversity, what do we do?

What Do I Mean By Interdisciplinary?

By interdisciplinary” I mean you are drawing on insights from and/or working in a way that integrates information, techniques/approaches, tools, ideas (etc) from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialised knowledge to solve problems, think differently, or advance our understanding of a particular area.

The word “interdisciplinary” contains the word “discipline” – and people often associate this with scholarship or some kind of academic work.  But I am using interdisciplinary in a much more expansive way to include working across industries and practices.  The designer who works at a bank in marketing, the writer/editor who works with engineers, the theatre stage manager who transitioned into corporate office management, the musician who collaborates with medical doctors.

Why Interdisciplinary Work Feels Harder Right Now

I’d argue that interdisciplinary work has never been easy.  But it feels harder at this particular moment in time.  (No you’re not imagining it).

Here are a couple of examples.

1. When Your Experience Is Broader Than the Job Description

You might have deep practical and scholarly expertise, backed by credentials, a phenomenal track record over decades, and glowing colleague references. But the job description in front of you is asking for expertise that is so narrow you’re not even sure you should apply.  Even though you absolutely would not only fly in this position, but you’d bring meaningful insights because of the breadth and depth of your experience.  Way beyond the narrowness of what they’re asking for.

You apply anyway, because the postings are so rare due to funding cuts. And you know you’d rock it.

Likely 75 other people have applied too.  They’re all in the same boat.

2. There’s No Human To Explain Yourself To

You might be frustrated that you used to be able to walk into an agency’s office, introduce yourself, and explain how all your experience in Industry A translates into their specific industry – and they could see you (the human in front of them), and understand the weight of your experience based on how you discussed your work, supported by your resume that was right in front of them too.

But now there is no office to walk into.  No human to connect with. No opportunity for translation.  Now, you fire your resume into a digital portal and cross your fingers.

It’s Not a You Problem – It’s a Container Problem

So, why is it so freakin’ hard right now?  We are navigating unprecedented industry changes and restructuring, compounded by the uptake of A.I. that is dehumanizing working and hiring, and increased pressure to make work efficient and solution-oriented (read: narrow).

Let me be clear about this: it’s not that you’ve failed to make yourself legible as an interdisciplinary professional, it’s that the systems reading you (ATS, job titles, funding categories, “one clean box” hiring logic) are being re-built for something narrower than what you actually are.

Many people seem to know this reality (how many people complain about the broken hiring system?? Or the funding system??).  But because things continue to be in flux, we’re left navigating the turmoil and trying to stay afloat.

Navigating This as an Interdisciplinary Professional

None of us can personally fix the funding landscape, or how A.I. is affecting your industry restructure, or the ATS system.  But we all need to bring in income.

Here are a few things you can do to navigate the tumult:

1. Recognize that your challenges around compressing your experience into something straightforward is not proof there is nothing valuable in that experience.  The present moment is challenging.  Interdisciplinary work is challenging.  It does not mean you are not awesome.
2. When you communicate about yourself, your work and the value you bring, lean into your own humanity, human skill and capacity for relationships.  In your work, you are generating knowledge that does not yet exist – unlike A.I. that digests and synthesizes existing knowledge.  What you bring is uniquely human – the human advantage. Remind people of that.
3. Find your people.  Do NOT go it alone.  This is especially important given how systems are removing us/humans from working processes, and how humanity- and creativity-centred our work is.
4. Consider creating “A Thing” to build community yourself. What will generate the kind of conversations you want to have? What will bring people to you? Maybe start a newsletter. Maybe offer free in-person sessions at your local coffee shop (crafting, co-reading, co-working, etc!). Maybe offer a free workshop on your area of expertise. Whatever you do, make it consistent in whatever way is sustainable for you (weekly, monthly, quarterly, whatever!). And collect email addresses — so when/if you start to offer something paid, you’ve got your people on-side already.

The container that’s being put forward for you to work in wasn’t built to hold what you bring.  While that’s not your failure to fix, it does mean there can be consequences of not fitting.  None of us can solve these problems alone – but we can start by refusing to shrink ourselves.