Do you have a hidden talent?
I sat with my 13 year old Niece at the weekend, watching her create unbelievable illustrations on ProCreate and I started to think about talent and how many millions of people in the world may be sat silently on a passion/ talent because they've never had the confidence or encouragement to utilise it.
I know from personal experience just how frustrating this can be! I always felt "creative" but never had the opportunity to explore it "properly". I did the usual... school, college, University, all the time getting very little or very POOR careers advice. I bumbled along and luckily I did stumble upon PR, which did fulfil me in many ways and gave me great experience and some amazing memories. It also gave me life skills that I won't ever lose and lots of transferable skills... BUT I always wanted something more.
When I look back on my childhood, I was obsessed with making models from PlayDoh, old fashioned plasticine and later Fimo. I also loved art and doodling. I look back fondly on my tech classes, in particular woodwork and design (I can still remember the smell of the workshop) but I was encouraged to focus on Maths, English and Science and guess what... I became DISENGAGED. I switched off and I can honestly say that I didn't enjoy education. I now know that I was set for a less academic path but because it wasn't nurtured I wasn't able to be my true self. I followed the traditional path, I did what I thought I should do and guess what, I got caught up in life! However, as most creative people know, it's never enough. There is always a void.
So how do we break the cycle? Talking to my sister, she hit the nail on the head - we must nurture. Simple. You give people room to explore and grow, whilst giving them the tools to build a life regardless of whether they decide to proceed and use their talent or not. What is important is that even now, at 36 years old, I am learning that I need to do exactly that for myself as well as for my children. I am nurturing myself, allowing myself the time to grow and develop as a designer and creator and I have come across so many people who are also rediscovering their secret/hidden talents and starting to nurture them, realising that they can build a business doing the thing that they LOVE.
Of course I understand the importance of subjects like Maths, English and Science... after all, I require knowledge in all three to run Soul Purpose Jewellery! However, I just wish that I would've known back then that I didn't need to sacrifice my creativity - these things should work side by side. Imagine the talent that has been missed because these people simply didn't know that you can indeed, have it all.
Do you have a talent that you wish you would've pursued?
Let me know - I would love to hear your experiences!
Really could relate to this post and its responses… Fortunately for me, my Mumsy was a Creative Soul and always nurtured my artistic endeavours… She herself was a poet. Unfortunately, our extended family had no real appreciation for our talented skill and she was touted the rebellious maverick… in turn I tried to be all they expected (a doctor or a lawyer) unsuccessfully – because that’s not my calling yet still get swamped by self doubt because I’m not as ‘successful’ as they understand success… We are all on a purposeful Journey… What a beautiful world it’d be if we all walked the path that was actually true to our Core! Hope to see you soon! ☝🏾💛
Hit the nail on the head absolutely. I am still stuck in my ‘vicious circle’ of not knowing how to focus or choose what to actually pursue. So many things I love doing (especially creative and helping others whether that vibe in a care setting or even a support act in a team). How to break out of that mental rutt and just settle on something is my major challenge. Love your work, knowledge and attitude. Xxx
Yes! Love this and feel similarly. Millennial Fudge is my creative outlet now and I have so many ideas of how I’d like to grow that and turn it into a potential business. Just need to get rid of the self-doubt and ‘oh it’ll never make enough money’ mindset which is very hard.