Ditch “Stay in your lane” backlash: How to change lanes in work, life, art, etc.

You don’t always have to “stay in your lane” because sometimes the lane you’re in doesn’t get you where you want to go.

As someone who has done many different types of art, craft, work, etc. with varying degrees of depth. I generally don’t hold with “stay in your lane” nonsense.*

Mixed-media, cross-pollination, creating in the space where two fields overlap, having a wide range of interests and disciplines, all create some magnificent works.

It is also true that people tend to get confused (at best) when you try to change lanes. “Stay in your own lane” is a common criticism.

But the reality is, sometimes the lane you’re in doesn’t get you where you want to go. If you’re driving in the middle of the highway, and you want to exit, you need to change lanes.

From my experience, “stay in your lane” is most often said almost automatically as a reaction to change, and sometimes to try and keep people in their place.

Sometimes it’s said in a “I liked what you were doing, please don’t change” way. Sometimes it’s said in a “how dare you try something different” way. Some people are protective of their lanes and don’t want others entering. Sometimes it’s said for no reason other than that’s what they say when someone tries something new.

But some people manage to change lanes in their business, their life, their art, etc without getting too much of this blowback. They might hear “this new direction isn’t for me” or “I’ll stick with your older works” or “I’m not so sure about this.” But less reactionary “stay in your lane.” How might that be?

Because there’s a skill to changing lanes. Whether in your creative process, life, business, or anything really (including highways).

So how do you change lanes without causing a metaphorical road hazard? Here’s how I think about it:

1. Understand the landscape. What lane are you currently in? Where are you trying to go? How far away is it? Why are you trying to get there? Get clear about the landscape first. It makes the rest of the process a lot easier.

2. Understand the conditions. Who else is on the road? How crowded is it? How large a gap do you need? How frequently do those gaps appear? How angry is someone going to be if you merge too close to them? The conditions don’t need to be ideal, but you do need to understand them.

3. Signal and look for the opening. This part might be the most important and also the most overlooked when changing personal or professional lanes. Surprises are not always appreciated.**

4. Get it done. This is why step 1 is so important – knowing where you are, where you’re trying to go, and how to get there, helps you stay focused. You can always change back to your previous lane, but driving in between lanes is not cool.

If you change lanes badly and people will be (understandably) confused

When we’re driving and change lanes improperly, we understand that’s on us. But we don’t apply the same understanding to changing lanes in our business, our art, our life, and then get annoyed when people are confused.

If the people yelling at us are in the metaphorical car with us, it’s because they don’t know where we’re going anymore.

If the people yelling at us are in the lane we’re merging into, it’s because they also don’t know where you’re going or what you’re doing.

If you decide to change lanes in your business, or life, or art, etc. without understanding the landscape, without understanding the conditions, without signaling and looking for an opening, and then half-ass it, don’t be surprised when there’s backlash.

*The types of projects I’ve done include: theater, writing, lifestyle, designing, business, fiber arts, etc. (many of which have been documented here over the years.)

**Some people don’t even like change they know is coming. (See: Taylor Swift’s career and The Life of a Show Girl discourse.)

Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash