Artistic talents to me are one of the most sure signs that there is a God. When I start to dabble in the idea that maybe it is all really just science and coincidence, I think about the ability to create music and paintings and poetry and novels and movies.

And I wonder – if we are here merely because evolution has deemed us a worthy species to continue inhabiting this planet, what is the purpose of these abilities? Other species will sing or dance to attract a mate. And no doubt the human species does this too (there has to be some explanation for my attraction to rock stars).

But then why do we sing when we’re alone in our car. And children begin to dance within the first three seconds of a familiar Doodle-Bops song. We create pottery. And beautiful architecture. We take pleasure in decorating our homes in ways that are pleasing and comfortable to us. We craft meals designed not to nourish us but to excite our taste buds.

What use are these skills in the grand goal of species survival?

The only satisfactory answer I have found is that we really are the reflection of a Creator, the ultimate Artist. And one of the greatest gifts we have been given is the ability, on a much smaller scale, to create as He creates.  Just as He painted the sky, we paint canvas. As He builds the mountains, we build skyscrapers. As winds whistle and waves crash, so do our flutes and cymbals.

So find what it is you can do that doesn’t make any sense. A talent that isn’t simply a trade necessary to survive. It could be as complicated as composing a sonata or as simple as painting your nails. Hunt for and polish beautiful stones, bake a cake, pound on drums, build a birdhouse, sing in the shower — whether beautifully or horribly.

Just create something that makes you satisfied in a way that God must be satisfied when He looks at the rainforest or the dessert or the stars … or us.