Sometimes we discover our talents and our passions when we least expect them, and that is often when we are using them to meet a need. It often takes someone else to recognize the talent and passion within us. Ginny Pylant, discovered her talents for the visual arts, when she needed a large piece of art for the living room of her home and a friend saw what she had done.
“Having just moved in and done a lot of updating to a new home our budget was not conducive to the hefty price tag that went along with the piece of art I wanted for the room,” says Ginny.
“After some deliberating I decided to give it a whirl and paint my own. It turned out ok so I hung it in the room. A few weeks later a good friend of mine, who also works at an art gallery, came over and asked if she could take it and try to sell it. I figured it couldn’t hurt anything so I gave it to her…..guess what…..it sold.”
Little did she know, she wasn’t only meeting a need to fill the space on her wall, she was also seizing an opportunity to meet a deeper need within herself.
“Of course, simultaneously the Lord was working on me as well. I was so blind to it at first but in retrospect it was probably the fastest prayer He had ever answered. Being a stay-at-home mom was something I had always dreamed of but didn’t come without a price. I no longer had an income or a sense of productivity. Don’t get me wrong, my babies are my absolute greatest accomplishment in life but there are days when my resume would read; wiped hineys, folded clothes and kept children from starving. God knew I needed more and all this time I had no idea it was within me, I just needed the outlet,” says Ginny.
Art became Ginny’s productive outlet. Today, Ginny is commissioned to create pieces for individuals. But Ginny’s mindset of productivity goes beyond just getting things done. “Productivity means making someone else happy. That is my favorite part of being an artist, seeing the finished product in someone’s home and knowing they look at it and it brings back memories or just makes them happy.”
Her “Horizon Point” painting, a rendering of a photograph of the sun coming up over the Tennessee River at our family’s cabin, captures this sentiment. Ginny was able to capture for us the purpose behind the name of our company, which is the peace that comes from knowing you are in the right place on your horizon.
With this, it is obvious that Ginny’s art is also filled with passion. She says, “Passion can be in something as mundane as everyday chores or painting a cotton field for the daughter of a cotton farmer whose father just passed away. It sounds crazy but if I am excited and passionate about the piece I am working on I always love the end result more than I do the ones that I do begrudgingly because of time constraint.”
Ginny has also found reward being able to donate her art. “It is a way that I can give to different organizations in our community. Turns out art can support schools, hospitals, non-profits etc. and by giving to our community I have found support and business,” she says. Her art is typically one of the first pieces to go in any auction for the community.
What talents and passions have you yet to recognize in yourself? What talents and passions do you see in others that they have yet to see in themselves? Challenge yourself and others to “just give it a whirl.” When you do, it will more often than not lead to a sense of productivity, passion and a chance to give back.
You can find Ginny and her art at:
https://www.facebook.com/ginnypylantart/info?tab=page_info
instagram: ginny_pylant_art
