Stop and Hear the Music – Talent Is All Around Us

There is a popular story about a famous violinist, Joshua Bell,  who would go to random heavily foot tracked places and play music. For example, the violinist played outside a Metro stop in Washington DC, another time he played at a subway station in Boston.

The experiment was to see if anyone would stop and appreciate a world renown musician play for free.  

Rarely, did anyone stop and by the end of it he would have around $30 of tips earned.

The common takeaway is that if you are in the wrong environment, you will be overlooked and undervalued. However, I think there is another lesson to be learned from this simple experiment.

We are surrounded by talent constantly, it’s our ability to recognize it that provides us the opportunity to appreciate it.

The environment surely provides a disposition of preferences and taste, and some environments will value and appreciate talent differently. However,  from my perspective, working on developing proficiency and awareness that talent comes in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, but most of all falls upon us in serendipitous moments. Be ready for that moment, for it could be a life changing opportunity.

Talent is all around us. Hire creatively.