Once, I was a promising Artist. It was so  evident. Often times, I would sketch and paint on every available surface. It didn’t matter what the aftermath would be. Although, the aftermath usually ended up in series of sanctions and very few times, praises!

Painting wasn’t even an escape to anything. It was just a feeling I was addicted to. It was an addiction that mattered to me. I grew from the little girl that drew unrealistic houses in rectangular and triangular geometries to being the teenager that paints hyperrealistic arrays of the houses with actual doors and not the ones with the tiny doors that wouldn’t fit a baby doll in and dotted doorknobs.

Seemingly, it was an interesting growth. A growth that’s coming in the path of a discovery!

However, on the short run, a plot twist occured and changed everything. It completely turned situations the opposite way…

In the gap of five years on non practice, I lost my imaginative compositions, the will to create on canvas. It was an entirely different story! I let other things ruin the utilization process of my artistic skills. It led to the death of most or rather every skills I had gathered. My skyrocketting compositions, everything was gone. Due my inability to build a focus. 

Nonetheless, that was my own story. Every other other creatives have theirs too, ranging from one to another. Some are yet to even actually discover their talents, other have discovered and are battling a block or another in their creation process.

For those still threading the part of undiscovered talents, you need to need to understand that discovery is the first step before utilization of talents.

Discovery of talents may be actually trickering because somewhat, there are stereotypical laid talents and many believe that the society has certain already-laid-down activities that are standardized to be called talents! Don’t be deceived, there’s no standard to talent. Everyone has been uniquely wired with a talent or another. It doesn’t actually matter whether it’s a generally accepted talent or not. Consider what you do best as your talent. Excelling in that thing you enjoy doing the most is how it will be branded as your talent!

The discovery phase may seem pretty easy. There has to be a plan of sustainability! How do you intend to brand that talent for yourself? How do you intend to be known for that talent? How do you intend to keep getting better at that hobby you’ve recognized as a talent? Those are the very vital questions you need to provide workable answers to. The inability to provide workable answers to those questions could bring about the exhaustion and extinction of that thing you love doing!

Travel far beyond the discovery phase of your talent. Invest in your talents. Grow it, nurture it!

Find a platform to build yourself. Meet with other people that share similar ideas with you. You get to learn new things and try them out as well. Don’t be scared of showing your capabilities to the world.

Written by Inioluwa Akinleye

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