The Gap Between Your Taste and Your Talent (or lack thereof)

When we create anything new, we are faced with the difference between what we know is possible (what we've seen others do, what we think is beautiful and cool) and what we are capable of at that moment.

Sometimes that gap is achievable. But many times, especially when we’re just starting out…. that gap can be so vast that we feel completely inept and unable to bridge the chasm. And then we give up.

One gap lies between your good taste and your talent. Ira Glass, author and radio personality, talks about the idea that your good taste is an asset. It inspired you and got you into the game in the first place. It enables you to tell the difference between bad, good, and fabulous. The difficulty is that your good taste also causes frustration. You see the thing you created and, because it doesn't match your taste (not even close), you decide that it's terrible, ugly—not worth pursuing.

But it is not just the gap between your good taste and your ability that may trip you up. It's the gap between what you think you know about your topic... and what you *actually* know about your topic.

When you're writing a nonfiction book, for example, there's nowhere to hide. If you don't have enough to say, if you haven't developed your ideas and if you don't have the experiences to back it up, it will become apparent very quickly because the page lays everything bare. 

We can all bluff our way through any conversation, but when you have to write at length about a single sustained idea, knowledge gaps show.

These gaps lead to a lot of stalled projects. The creator sees the gap and feels all kinds of feelings: doubt, inadequacy, fear, insecurity, embarrassment, or even shame. We start to believe we must be a fraud, totally full of it. Whatever it is we feel in the moment, it’s very uncomfortable. 

Few of us want to be reminded of our fear of inadequacy or our imposter syndrome, so we consciously or unconsciously keep our distance from the creative work that causes us to feel that way. Whether we realize it or not, it’s those feelings—not the actual gaps—that cause us to turn away from the project. 

But this is the important part to remember: EVERYONE experiences these gaps.

This is all completely normal.

The difference between a creator who keeps going and one who stalls out shows up in the number of gaps they face and in their ability to move through the emotion the gaps cause them to feel. The people who get good at what they do just keep creating, even in discomfort.  

The next time you create something—whether the stakes are little or big—notice what arises when you feel inadequate to the task. Is it a talent gap or a knowledge gap? Then ask yourself what small thing you can do to close that gap. Then do it.

You are not inadequate. You have the tools. Just don't let the gap make you think otherwise.