Who, me? I’m not talented.




 

 

Are you thinking you don’t have a talent? That you are not creative? I bet you are wrong. I come from a large, multitalented, crafty family. My mom plays piano, makes ceramics, arranges flowers, decorates cakes like a professional—and the list goes on. Each of my sisters, children, nieces, nephews, and now my grandchildren has a creative side. All except my youngest sister.

My sister doesn’t paint or draw. She doesn’t sew. She doesn’t write or take photographs. The lady claims she has no talent, that she doesn’t have a creative bone in her body. I call bullspit.

She bakes heavenly cakes, cookies and cupcakes. For Christmas, she made each of us a glass-fused snowflake. Not creative? That woman abounds with creative energy. My sister just doesn’t realize it. She also has the innate talent of knowing when to reach out to each of us, when to pull us back into the family fold. She’s the human glue that holds our family together. So why does she deny having talents?

Because she doesn’t believe in her gifts. With a grandmother who won art competitions with her pen and ink drawings starting as a teenager and only improved her art with age, and a mother who excels at literally anything she puts her mind to whether it be photography or auto paint and body, it’s easy to feel intimidated. To not feel good enough.

I believe each of us is creative. Each of us possesses at least one, usually many strong talents. We just forget to nurture them. To build them and let them grow. Yes, even you. Perhaps especially you. Remember the old song about hiding your light under a bushel? It’s time we stopped hiding. Time to let our light shine.

Maybe our talents don’t lie in the realm of making something physical. That doesn’t lessen their value. My boss is an amazing musician. A friend of mine can comfort any crying child with just a whisper. Another friend can untangle a jumbledup, unbalanced bank statement in the blink of an eye.

Are these traditionally creative? Maybe not, but they are talents. We all have talents. We just need to recognize them and accept them. Embrace them.

We need to quit trying to fit into a predefined pigeon hole. Above all else, we need to quit comparing ourselves to everyone else. Now get out there and find your talent. And don’t forget 15 minutes a day dedicated to creativity and a weekly Artist’s Date will help.

GLENDA THOMPSON, a columnist for the Pleasanton Express and is currently writing a series on finding your hidden talents. Glenda resides in Charlotte where she is hard at work on the second novel in a series about Texas Rangers with dark secrets. Her first novel, Broken Toys, is now available on Amazon.

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