This I Believe: "The Artistry In Hidden Talents"

A discussion thread from a class I was taking in September, 2010

This week has been a week of creativity coincidences. I tried a hand at oil painting for the first time and painted a travel photo I had shot myself. I also finally picked up the fresh Amazon.com copy of  "The Monk and the Riddle" to read after it had been sitting on my desk for weeks. Then, in my research for an assignment for my Innovation class, I came across a wonderful essay about cultivating hidden talents. 

Our daily responsibilities often consume us and every once in a while we have to find things that revive us. In her essay, “The Artistry In Hidden Talents,” Mary Elen Rusnov, a civil engineer, encourages her readers who find themselves living in “the big gray bubble of ordinary life” to get in touch with the creative side to find happiness, and let the power of creativity transform and connect.

Rusnov learned to play the piano as a child. Life took over and she couldn’t really focus on her talent for many years until she heard a colleague sing a touching rendition of "Silent Night" at a holiday party. Rusnov didn’t know about her colleague’s hidden talent, was reminded of her own, and started practicing the piano again after many years. She recollects that no one applauded a major construction project she had designed while once when she was feeling spontaneous and tried a hand at the “Mozart Sonata” on an airport lobby piano, some people stopped to listen, some smiled, some looked up from their books, and some even applauded.

So, if you find yourself in a rut it might just be time to let that hidden talent surface.