Isn’t it amazing that right now in this pandemic a lot of people have suddenly become good at something? It may either be a talent that came out of nowhere or a craft that they are suddenly adept at.
It was as if something creative suddenly woke up from a deep slumber.
The Bad Dream that is the Pandemic
The pandemic is a current nightmare-ish situation that woke up sleeping talents.
The pandemic did not only give us time to pursue skills but it gave us the courage to overcome limitations, as well. They say that our fear and setbacks are motivations from which our successful creations can come.
It was no surprise that the pandemic has paved the way for talented and skilled individuals like:
excellent bakers
devoted plant carers
committed entrepreneurs
exceptional organizers with Marie Kondo levels
skillful DIY carpenters
purposeful resource speakers
admirable tech-savvy individuals
and of course, yes, yes
the talented entertainers of YouTube and Tiktok
Waking Up A Sleeping Giant
My son calls them “sleeper talents” because like it is with sleeper agents in marvel comics, they get activated or promoted all of a sudden.
These are talents that had not been revealed —like some untapped potentials left hidden, that would suddenly come into the open when needed.
My sleeper talent is art.
So how did my sleeper talent got promoted then?
If I recall it properly, it first began with another painting. There was this painting I super loved. A watercolor painting by April Custodio of Hunahunaph. It was a painting of a Filipino breakfast. It has dried fish ( of course, it has😉). So you know how I felt about having that painting. It spoke to me.
I asked her if I could buy it from her. But would you believe she told me she would give it to me instead ( she is not only talented but generous like that)?
So I just asked her if I could send her favorite dried fish then, in exchange for it (lucky for me she had a favorite dried fish).
When I received it, I just kept staring at it. And also, I felt I had to create something like it (as if I could just create something like that when I have no formal training in the arts).
But what do you know, a few weeks after, I came across my son watching a video on creating a color wheel for his AdTech class.
It piqued my interest and everything after it was creativity that wanted to get out.
Wake up Feeling Human
After having understood how color wheels are made, something inside me wanted to try my hand at painting. It was like I woke up a new person, a creative one.
The art materials that were immediately available to me at that time were poster paints and synthetic brushes, so I took a brush and dipped it into poster paint and well, painted ( today though, my art materials include acrylic paint).
I can play around with the pigments and the colors. I can assign my subjects whatever color I want.
Most of the subject I painted is close to my heart. And most of my paintings had burst of colors. Besides, I believe that the energy (of the colors )you give is the energy (of the colors ) you receive.
After that, I just painted to express my feelings.
Painting gave me an extraordinary escape from all the greys and drab colors that surround us, especially during this pandemic.
Besides it has given me a chance to bring color if not to this world at least on paper or canvas for people to appreciate.
My sleeper talent woke me up to when I needed it most —in the middle of a bad dream.
How about you? What is your sleeper talent? Be ready.
If you have something inside your heart that you want to pursue, now is the time. You will be surprised with the talent you have inside of you!
