If you’re like me, a twenty-something who is mediocre in all things, you may have been thinking recently that time is ticking away. We only live once. And somewhere out there, there’s a genius thirteen year old getting their fifth book published, and then there’s you. Well, darn. It’s time to throw those dreams of being an all rounded renaissance man/gal away, and just choose one skill to hone in on and become a genius already, damn it.
My mediums of expression include: drawing, video, writing, and/or actual talking. By the end of this article, I should have chosen one which I will take to the next level...
Drawing is a pretty expensive form of expression. To be really good at this skill, you have to buy top quality paints and stuff. And I mean, can you imagine painting a Nighthawks every time you wanted to say, “Pass the salt please, Uncle Mac. No, I won’t try some of that broccoli off of your plate, since you aren’t even my real uncle, and we’ve just met, but they told me to call you uncle.” Think about it... It took Da Vinci four years to paint the Mona Lisa, and the average person sprinkles salt on his food at least two times per meal¹. What a long meal that would be. Plus taking out paper and pencils to draw is time consuming too. I’d be dead before the first sprinkling.
Actual talking has been the preferred medium of expression for most people since a gajizileion years ago, but isn’t so common anymore. Today, the longest meaningful conversation the average person has is with their television, watching Seinfeld reruns. It is rare to find an eloquent speaker nowadays, so perfecting this skill will surely give you a bump up in society. Also most speech now is most likely scripted. That kind lady who you always bump into on the train? Scripted. Your university professor? Scripted. Obama making a speech on live television? Scri-- oh, wait, that’s real. Duh. If I were to forget what to say at any situation, well, that’s what WikiHow is for. The “How To Be Winona Ryder” one is always helpful. Out of all forms of expressions, this has got to the most convenient if I were ever to fail in life and become homeless, since no tools or batteries are ever required.
Writing is perhaps the most difficult of all the skills on this list. And probably the most rewarding. Taken your books aren’t thrown into a fire at some point, your work will live on for many hundreds of years. That means, you’ll be able to make a mark, hopefully a dent, in history. In order to master it, you’ve got to think deeply and make sense. People will only listen if something is offered to them, be it new knowledge, entertainment, etc., since almost everyone can write. It helps if you’re already good at talking. If not, at least have an internal parasite in your brain that speaks to you, so you can write it all down. Expression through writing would be great even if I were to ever lose my hearing, but not so great if my hands were chopped off.
Finally, my final option is video. With the popularity of YouTube and the accessibility of digital cameras, there’s a ton of people trying this medium out, and uploading it on the internet for all to see. For this reason, a lot are rubbish, but there are a few good ones out there. Video is quite young. There’s opportunity to be adventurous, and many plains to pioneer still. Like drawing, this is equipment-heavy and time consuming. Drawing would actually help in animation. And actual talking is always handy, unless one is planning to make a documentary on animals... or chairs. And, you can’t make good video content without good writing. Therefore...
Darn it. Writing this has brought us nowhere. I’ve come to a conclusion that I can’t afford to give anything up, simply because one cannot be without the other. Nothing has changed. Perhaps I am destined to a life of mediocrity after all, or perhaps one day I shall stumble upon some rock, fall, hit my head, and find a genius I never knew I had! I hope you figured out what you’ll focus your genius on, dear reader. And if not, well this was a waste of time!
¹Hmm... I’m not so sure about this.
