Are We Born Creative or is it a Practiced Skill?

I asked this question on my Instagram “Do you believe you are born with creativity, or is creativity something you can practice your way into it?” A lot of people responded, “both.” 

But the most interesting response I received was

It’s a little bit of one and a whole lot of the other.

Either way – show up.

So maybe you’re born with a little bit of creativity, but you work your butt off practicing it. 

Or

You are born with a ton of creativity, and you need to do the minimal practice.  

I’ll start by telling a little bit about myself. 

Many photographers see my live videos or podcasts and tell me, “you’re so good at going live, interviewing, you’re a great communicator, you have such an incredible talent.”. 

But, this wasn’t always the case. 

A little of my story. 

I was homeschooled. All those stereotypical thoughts you have on homeschooled kids, they’re all true. That was me. 

I entered public school during high school at the lowest of the social pyramid. I was a socially awkward nerd. I played dungeons and dragons on weekends and sometimes even at school. My communication confidence was nowhere to be found.  

Later on in college, I was part of a ministry group that put me through training, essentially teaching me how to talk to people. 

This training taught me to move through that anxiety, to keep showing up, no matter how many times I wanted to quit. And after continuing to show up through the testing and errors it built was all part of building the confidence I have now. 

When I built the Six Figure Photography Facebook group, I went live EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. For over a year. Sure I wanted to provide value, but my intention of putting in that much work was PRACTICE. 

Every time I went live, it was another step to the confidence I have now. And still, to this day, every video, testing what works, what does not, and receiving feedback, is all valuable. 

It is a continual practice. 

We don’t wait for confidence in an area before we take action. We take action first, and confidence is created.

If you are trying new things in your business, keep showing up. Keep asking for feedback. Keep practicing. 

Whether or not any particular skill is practiced or inherited talent – Show up.

If Lebron never picked up a basketball, he wouldn’t be where he is now. 10,000 hours baby.

You have so much skill inside of you waiting to be found. You have talents inside of you that have not been discovered. You just haven’t put in the work yet to find it. 

Unlock the parts of you that are waiting to be found.