Omnichannel

a buzzword in the business world these days is “omnichannel.” stripping away all the corporate bullshit, omnichannel essentially refers to expansion beyond brick and mortar into the digital realm.

but for me, this word has a different meaning. a long time ago i wanted to be a singer in a band, and nothing but a singer in a band. it was a limited vision that probably caused me to miss a lot of opportunities that were right in front of me. when, after years of throwing myself against that wall, it didn’t go as i had hoped it would, i sort of abandoned that dream. i took some of the reasons behind why i wanted it so bad in the first place and applied them to my next quest: becoming a journalist. and then of course, through journalism, i discovered photography.

after years of non-fiction writing, i started to get an itch to dive into the fiction world. i have always had a knack for creative writing, and when i’m in my element, the written word is my most powerful weapon.

today, i’m realizing that while all of these things - music, photography, fiction and non-fiction - seem on the surface to be disparate, they are all connected by unifying themes. the lyricism of music and the prosaity of long-form fiction and non-fiction are just different ways of telling a story—lyrics are essentially a well-written outline. photography and video are alternative storytelling devices that can replace or reinforce the written word.

so rather than choosing between photography, fiction, music or any other form of expression that opens itself up to me, i am making a conscious choice to become omnichannel. today i have capacity to write, so today i write. if tomorrow i feel the urge to produce a song, then that is what i’ll do. no limits. no holds barred.