Skill Stack is a term coined by Scott Adams, author of Dilbert.
It’s the idea that you can combine different skills and specific knowledge to create something unique. Something that no one else can easily replicate. Scott’s Dilbert is a perfect example of satire, corporate experience and uniquely bad drawing (that’s a skill too). However, it’s not a new concept, since it can be traced back to Julius Caesar.
And this is what makes the difference between mediocre, forgettable artists, and excellent ones.
Verticality isn’t enough
Verticality is what the school system teaches us: learn ONE specific system and master it.
Horizontal learning is when you become a jack-of-all-trades, like most of our grandparents and ancestors used to be. To build a solid skill stack, you need both.
You need to master some skills and knowledge at high levels, while you need to surround them with many, less developed skills.
Knowledge and skills are not closed systems
Another issue with the school system is that it divides subjects and skills.
So you learn statistics, logic and history, but you never learn to interconnect them. The same applies to any skill and any form of study. You can, and must connect everything you do.
You can’t simply build palaces: you need to connect them as deeply as you can.
Your unique combination becomes your style
We all have things we are particularly predisposed for and topics that spark our passion.
These are all signs that you should dig deeper into these paths. You should follow your passions and gifts and see where they lead you. And, while doing so, you must create.
The more you create, the more you consolidate your skills and knowledge.
And, by doing so, you naturally develop your unique style and voice.