I ran into a poet friend this week when I was in the middle of major doubt about a writing project and when I shared this with her, she quoted a former teacher: "You serve your community by developing your talents."
I was smacked out of the doubt and back to the activity of creating. In the days that followed, I’ve thought about what it means to “develop your talent.” To me, it means spending time writing trusting that wherever I’m going will lead somewhere that reveals a mystery.
Will it be good? Will it be right? Who knows? All I can do, is keep typing, listening, observing, being quiet, sinking into the work, not running away or hoping I was getting somewhere else faster.
What would it look like to you if you were to “develop your talent” without hesitation or doubt? What would patience for yourself and your art look like?
“Franz Marc and Maria in the studio” by August Macke, 1912.