Honing your gift is essential if you want your talent to be your business. They (whoever “they” are – wink, wink) say that you must put in your 10,000 hours. So true! Put in the time. Learn your craft. Read books, go to classes, spend time in your art or music studio. Don’t just throw things out willy-nilly to the public unless you want ridicule or criticism. Work at it. Hone it. Be diligent. It will pay off.
Oh, and you might want a backup plan. Ouch! I know. I’ve had a singing/music career all my grown life, putting in at least a thousand hours before going into college for my music degree—and putting in the rest of those hours thereafter. I have spent 10’s of thousands of dollars on schooling, voice lessons, etc. College payments forever, it seemed. I never made it big, but I shared my gift. I taught voice and music, sang backup on 15 CD’s and have 2 of my own, wrote and still write music, have sung for the opera, have toured and given concerts locally, have been a backup singer for several Christian artists, and have been in choirs longer than I have been alive (LOL). I don’t say this to brag; I say this because it has been fulfilling.
But now, I have an enormous growth in my throat. Backup plan? I didn’t really have one. But I had time to work on one because of COVID, ironically. Well, I started the process before COVID, but being forced to stay home motivated me to pursue another window of opportunity. Don’t miss those windows.
I started writing music and poetry in my teenage years. Now, in my 50’s, I am writing books on how to write poetry. Since June, four books have been completed, each containing at least thirty different forms of poetry. I’m currently in the market for an agent and publisher in the Christian genre. Prayers in this regard will be appreciated if you are so inclined. Thank you in advance.
My Historical Christian Romance manuscript is set aside for the time being. There is a time for every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1—I Will come back to it. Have joined an excellent writer’s guild several years ago and attend writer’s conferences. I belong to several FaceBook writing groups and have subscriptions to online and hands-on writing magazines—taking the time to learn and write every day. I’m researching all the time. Word Genius emails me a word of the day to build my vocabulary. Grammarly says I’m doing excellent work. Haha! And last year, Z Publishing published one of my poems.
The point is I didn’t give up. I may never sing opera again, and that’s okay. I want to be able to record all the songs I have written for my children and grandchildren. We shall see. My hope is in Jesus, who can heal me. In the meantime, I keep writing, honing this skill, and getting those hours in, and looking forward to being a published writer of poetry and prose.
Have you given up? Chin up. Keep working at it. Don’t give up. Keep on keeping on. Put in your 10,000 hours. You won’t regret it. And, hey, you may become famous in the process. When you put Jesus first in your life, all things are possible.
Blessings – Kaci
COVID opened up so many doors for me creatively that I do not think would have opened if COVID had not come into our world. An I glad for it? Oh no never BUT GOD did use it for good for those who needed a life change, a break in routine etc.