‘…so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground.’
For those who know the story, this is a biblical reference to a master giving his servants ‘talents’ to invest with. Two of the servants invested theirs well and produced more, while one hid his away out of fear. At the time, a talent was a monetary unit, but this story has since been used many times to reference what we now think of as ‘talent’.
This story has come to mind over the last few years, and even more so over the last few months.
As an artist, there’s often a lot of investment up front — time, materials, art show application fees, shipping, accommodation, and so on. The benefit can come in waves, stops and starts, and sometimes all at once. There can be months of producing hard work without ever seeing the fruit of it.
For myself, and what I imagine must be true for many artists, it can be hard to keep showing up faithfully, day after day, when the payback can be delayed. It can be discouraging. Sometimes it feels like you’re shooting an arrow into the dark, hoping somewhere, somehow, that it will hit.
But art is a slow game. A marathon, not a sprint.
If we give up when the quick sale doesn’t come, how will we ever know? How will we know who is watching and waiting? How will we know where our art might take us — into directions we never initially imagined?
How will we know the hearts that are touched, the joy that is felt, or the stories that are spoken in people’s homes because of something we created?
If fear of failure or rejection holds us back, how will we ever know where our work could reach?
There are times when, like the servant in the story, I feel tempted to hide my ‘talent’. It will always feel vulnerable to put my work out into the world so plainly, leaving it open to rejection.
But I don’t want to hide my talent away.
I don’t want fear to rob me of the opportunities for growth, joy and connection that can come through my art.
So, in this season, I’ve felt convicted to show up faithfully — day after day — and keep investing, regardless of what I can immediately see coming back.
I wanted to share this with you too.
If you’re a fellow artist, perhaps you can relate. But if not, what is your ‘talent’? What is something you feel called to, or something that keeps pressing on your mind as something you hope and wish to do?
Is there something in your life that fear is holding you back from?
There is a world of connection, beauty and joy out there when we take what we’ve been gifted and share it with others.
We all have talents that, when invested in, can grow beyond what we could have imagined.
Please don’t hide. Be brave.