Hard work vs talent

The better you get at a creative skill the more you hear the word, 'talent.'

People look at your work and go, 'oh, you're so talented.' They admire what you've done, wish they could do the same, and put all their chips on the TALENT feature betting it was because you were born with it. Which, honestly, is quite frustrating. Why? You ask. Because it completely discounts what really got a person to where they are.

Yes, there is usually a seed of talent in people who choose the creative life. But, I think the more talented that someone is at something the less likely they'll ever actually pursue it. I don't understand why, but that's just my experience. I've known quite a few talented people in my time, and none of them were really ever using their gifts.

But it's the hard work.

The thousands of hours it takes to get proficient at something, that really makes a creative shine. Not even good, just proficient. It's taking that small seed that drew them in and watering it, fertilizing it, caring for it, day-in and day-out. A constant process of doing, that makes their work as good as it is. Failing over, and over, and over, and over again. Battling through the frustration, anger, and hopelessness that inevitably arises as they progress. Talent isn't even necessary if you ask me. You just need to want to do something so badly that it hurts your heart.

It's easier for people to call it talent, though.

Because that makes it something out of their own reach. They weren't born with it so they can never get it. Instead of taking responsibility and saying that they don't want to do all the work, they foist it off onto a winning ticket in the lottery. A frustration to pretty much all the creatives out there who have shed all that blood, sweat, and tears to get as good as they are.

I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, but I've heard people say that I have talent more times than I can count. And, you know what, I really don't. Seriously. Truly. The first picture I remember taking was a crappy one of a shoe. It was an accident. Hundreds of thousands of images, tens of thousands of hours, countless videos/books/people studied later, and I'm still only ok. (not fishing for compliments, I just know the industry standards) When it comes to writing...same thing. Before I even jumped on Steemit I had written hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of words elsewhere. Blogs, articles, poems, stories, so much random stuff. The first article I wrote for a publication I managed, the Alcoholmanac, got torn to shreds by my closest friends and business partners. I mean, shreds. And that was after I had already written a couple hundred thousand words elsewhere. So when I started showing some of my sketches to people and that word came up again, TALENT, I decided to do a quick article to show a little of the behind-the-scenes.

I decided a couple months back that I wanted to get better at drawing.

Kind of as a way to release steam from the difficulties I was going through in life. Since I couldn't find subjects for my photography, I went to an even more basic level of lone creation. I sat night after night, sketching off of some self portraits. Never judging myself, always trying to get a little better with each drawing.

One, after the other, after the other. An endless parade. What you see in the video is 318 of my sketches. And, I just finished another notebook of 40 last night. Some of those sketches, well, probably most, an 8 year old would be proud of. But, I know it takes a lot of hard work to get good at something, so I haven't given up. I continue to put in the time. Because I know that while I may have a small seed of talent, it's the hours of endless grinding that are going to make me good at it.

The same can be said for any skill.

You think the people who are good at it were born with it, but, ask them how they really got there. I'd say you get the universal answer, hard work. And lots of it. There may be a couple in there that actually harnessed their natural born talent, but, that's a subset of a minority.

I'm going to stop beating this topic to death now. What I'm trying to say I think I've made pretty clear. If you want to get good at something, don't foist it off on a lack of talent. Realize that it's the hard work and dedication that is the real formula. And, that if you want to do something, you really can, but it will take time and A LOT of effort.

Never give up! Seek others on the same path. Get advice from those ahead of you. Help those who are behind you. And always keep your eyes on the prize :)