How to turn your talent into money
Growing up in the early 1960s, now celebrated television (TV) icon and stand-up comedian, Kwaku Sintim Missa, better known as KSM, detected a natural flair for acting, the type that was enjoyed in theatres across the country in those days.
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Unconscious of what he was doing, little Kwaku put those talents into display by intermittently turning raw Ghanaian folklore, collectively called 'Ananse Stories,' into drama plots while playing with his colleagues in the village.
After hearing a few Ananse Stories from playmates and elders, Kwaku usually assembled his friends, assigned them roles and directed them to act those stories in his bid to bring life into age-old Ghanaian tales and legends.
"All that was just for the fun of it," KSM revealed on the weekly motivational show, the Springboard, Your Virtual University.
Little did KSM know that amid the fun, he was unconsciously honing his talent, which has now blossomed into a big business on which he and dozens across the country survive.
Many across the country have stories akin to the celebrated and award winning actor, director, satirist, talk show host and author.
Sadly, however, not all of them are able to properly develop those talents into tangible businesses that could meet the needs of society just as KSM has done.
To help sensitise people, the Springboard, which is aired on Joy FM every Sunday evening, used its September 13 edition to discuss how people could develop their talents into ventures.
The show, hosted by Reverend Albert Ocran, had KSM and Mr George Quaye, Head of Communications at the Multiple Concepts Group, as panelists.
The two discussants agreed that a talent was a natural gift that could be harnessed into a source of living.
"You can turn it into money or use it to entertain people just for the fun of it. Talents come in many forms but unfortunately, for many people, they think talent is just the ability to play football or laugh.”
"They think it is only physical things that they see; but no, talent isn't just the physical things that they see," Mr Quaye said on the show.
Discovering your talent
Although every person is gifted with talents, not everybody is able to discover their talents let alone hone them into something beneficial for themselves and society.
KSM, who said he was willing to help young people their talents into, explained that the reasons for some people not being able to turn their talents into something beneficiary for society were varied.
"A talent is something you are born with, you did not bargain with God for it; it was just given to you. Unfortunately, people have a very limited dimension of what talent is. Most times, I hear people say I do not have any talent, I can't sing or entertain and things like that but that is not true.
"So in their minds, talent is just restricted to creative arts and entertainments, but talent is just that natural intake ability that you have that can propel you in many spheres," he said.
He mentioned mathematics, geography and singing as some of the areas that an individual could be talented in beyond that of the arts.
"For me, talent should be seen in a much broader thing than limiting it to just creative arts," he said.
On how to spot and discover one's talent, KSM said doing that required that the person reminisced what he/she enjoyed doing at childhood days.
Such hobbies, he said, often formed the bases of the person's talent, which can then be capitalised on and developed into a business venture.
"When I was growing up, there were certain hobbies that I had that included may be when I heard an 'Ananse' story, I would quickly get my friends and say, okay, let's act this. So, you play Ananse, you plan Ntikumah and just have fun with it and try and direct it. But little did I know that I was directing," he said of his childhood days.
Those hobbies, he said later became the foundation of his current profession.
"Talent is raw. If you nurture it, it blossoms. If you leave it, it withers away and sometimes if you are not lucky, you totally lose it or it diminishes," he stressed.
Mastering your talent
The actions and inactions of parents and guardians can either nurture or suppress the development of talents in children.
Mr Quaye, a celebrated master of ceremonies, noted that some parents and guardians across the country were killing the dreams and talents of their children unconsciously; something he said should be looked at again.
KSM, who agreed with Mr Quaye on that issue, added that many parents and teachers, in their attempt to make people conform to norms, often caused many children to kill their talents.
The two, therefore, called on society to give children some room to apply their talents, learn and nurture them into something useful.
Using himself as an example, KSM said although he is not a natural comedian , he had, over the years, learnt and mastered the rudiments of comedy, which has seen him rise to become one of the best in the industry.
"I have a sense of humour, yes, but I'm not a comedian who can go on stage and just rattle, no! But when I was in drama school, there was a course called 'understanding the comedy structure,' which I studied and really went into. So, I have an understanding of what the structure of comedy should be like and that is what I use," he said, explaining that comedy in itself was a science.
"I tell people that everything I do is scripted. I work so hard to make it look spontaneous but it is not," he added.
He, therefore, called on people to endeavour to nurture their talents by investing in themselves to be able to perfect their actions.
Both men called on the youth to associate with people who had excelled in areas of their interest for mentoring.
"In all these, you need to keep a good name by knowing what you do. For me, the most beautiful word as far as talent is concerned is humility. It’s definitely that thing which will get you there. Once you are able to keep these two things, then you are good to go," Mr Quaye said.