Having the right skill set for the job is extremely important. The best way to identify talents and make the confident steps forward is to get out there! Read this article to help you discover your hidden talent.

Everyone has a diffrent skill set leanring how to utilize talent is amorphous and changes constantly. One person may do the same job as another, but have a completely different way of utilizing their talent. What talents you have at your disposal will always be there whether they are in construction, engineering or writing and locating these talents can take a while but is always worth the effort. Going about that search for your own talent can and will lead to you locating what you specialize and should you wish to take it further, a potential career path. 

Photo by Jakob Owens 

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Never wait for inspiration. If you want to become a freelance writer, you need to write. Write as much as you can and read alongside it. Whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies or romance novels. Learn as much as you can about your chosen avenue and make your own attempt, if you never try then you will never know. If you feel comfortable with it going forward, go forward. Seek out challenges to test your writing skills as much as possible.

 

1. Set yourself a goal or target each week. You may find an avenue that you don’t enjoy or are particular good at, but maybe you write a passage one day that you feel quite proud of and decide to continue it. It could be on anything from a journal entry from one of your travels to a short story.

What do you find is easiest to write? Something that comes naturally and without thinking. Never shy away from focusing on what you know you already enjoy.

 

1. Pay attention to what other people have noticed about your skill set on paper. More often than not the people around you will have a good eye for what you can create better than you do. These people will be able to help you find something you can fit into easily.

If you’re looking to go freelance, never be afraid of branching out in terms of experience. Afraid of finishing that book? Do your best to finish it? Never written about skiing holidays before? Find out what it feels like to ski. In order to become a full freelancer you will need to face down these challenges to find out where you talents lie in order to market them.

 

1. Start learning what writing skills you can market and supply. Creative? Informative? Educational? All of these will be in demand in some form.

What is your chief love? Something that you have to stop yourself talking about endlessly for fear of being called boring? Books? Films? Comics? Look at what’s on your shelves and you just might find the field you’ve been looking for.

1. You may find that your love for the Harry potter books can be channeled into your own fantasy series or the last meal you had could be turned into a restaurant review. Anything that you enjoy can be turned into a piece of writing.

If you’re unsure of how to proceed into Freelancing, it could be because you’ve mislead your previous victories. Pay close attention to both large and small victories, as it will give you perspective into how far you’ve come.

 

1. If you’ve previously written a film review that your friends enjoyed. You’ve probably got a good grasp of plot structure, mise-en-scene and shot composition. You should celebrate those as a small victories in your journey to finding out what you may be able to supply as a freelancer.

Properties like “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The Voice” sell fame and talent as “Be pretty and make people cry”. This is not true in the slightest, Talent and fame are born of dedication to ones craft, creative/critical thinking and attention to detail. All these come together to say that you as a person have the drive and patience to develop you talents into skills and if you so choose, skills that you can turn into a career.

A well known personality quiz may be used when someone is searching for a potential employee and can be helpful in highlighting what you are naturally talented for. Whilst these quizzes don’t tell you your specific talents or areas of creative expertise, they can be useful in lending insights to these particular aspects of yourself.

 

1. The most well known personality quiz is the Myers-Briggs. Most likely your first port of call.
2. Second to this is the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, which relies more on scenario as opposed to questions. Also available online.

People have an odd tendency to cover up or ignore what makes us uniquely us. However the people who know us best will usually remind us of these. Do not be afraid to talk to your friends and family about what makes you unique, if they care about you they should be happy to help you in this regard.

What are you able to do that could potentially do for hours on end? Something that you find comes as naturally as breathing? Whatever this thing is, it can always be used to market yourself as a supplier of that thing. J.K Rowling was able to get her first book published whilst being a single mum and unemployed, because Rowling knew she could write until the cows came home.

 

1. Never shy away from the challenges of a new career path or let small things you are unsure about get in the way. Are you particular reserved or outgoing? Maybe try writing a short story as a love letter to your favourite entertainment genre or an Austen style romance piece.

Your particular penchant for writing is not defined by others. It is defined by you. The same can go for things such as film and television. Just because you enjoy Mission Impossible or the writing of Patrick Rothfuss whilst others may scoff doesn’t make their contributions to you any less relevant. Never let other people define anyones talents, especially your own. Writing a good short story or travel piece doesn’t make you any less talented than someone with a publishing deal.

Nobody becomes great overnight at something. Especially writing. Once you’ve found your particular niche, you need to work at it. Like a carpenter perfecting his craft. Write each day for a certain amount of time even if its a single paragraph. Commit to this and you’ll be able to perfect your own craft given enough time and patience.

 

1. This will be worth it in the long run. Like tending an allotment or garden. You need to decide what you’re going to plant, nurture those seeds and watch them grow.

Speaking to a person who shares your passion is extremely beneficial. Make sure to find a group or groups of similar minded people to converse with. Take note of how they behave, study and learn their chosen craft as well as their attitudes about their own talents. You can always learn something from someone talented.

 

1. Consider finding a mentor. Anyone studying or nurturing a talent can always benefit from learning from a seasoned master.

The more you write, the more you do and the more you study the craft. The more there is to learn. Rome wasn’t built in a day and your freelance skills won’t be perfect after writing one review. Keep learning about the craft itself even when you’ve achieved your goals. There is always something new to learn.

Anyone who practices anything or chooses to make a career out of something practical or creative, needs to practice. Sports players train every day, musicians rehearse every day and actors read and re-read their scripts as much as possible. You may have an ability but it needs to be bolstered with hard work.

Looking to join a freelance market place and showcase your skill set? Skillbox has you covered!