Anonymous asked: I have a friend who I think has a great deal of talent and an even greater gift of gab to sell said talent. Recently, I feel like the latter has risen over the former. How do I step in constructively and let my friend know people want to see the work not just hear about it.
Dear Gab Receptacle,
People love to talk about themselves, and we’ve all been guilty at least one time, of enjoying the conversation we’re having with ourselves about ourselves more than actually talking with someone else. It’s hard not too, especially when you’re nervous, to fill the dead air with the only thing you’re sure of: yourself.
But unfortunately for others, if you’re friends with a big talker, you’ll find yourself rolling your eyes a lot, and just praying that they’ll be quiet for a second. Most of the time though, we’ll be too uncomfortable to confront the person, that those prayers remain all too silent, and you remain paralyzed in a conversation you can’t escape, can’t contribute to, and can’t enjoy at all.
So what can you do? The measure of a person’s talent only exists in what they’ve done, not what they talk about doing, but a person more concerned about the talk of doing, usually is not so concerned with the lack of actual work to show off said talent. If you enjoy talking to this person, the only way to get them to shutup is to point out their bullshit as it happens. The only purpose of bragging is to receive some kind of positive response, but if it only evokes negativity, they’ll quickly stop bragging. So they’ll either end up putting their money where their mouth is, or you’ll gain a much quieter friend.
