There are some businesses/professions where the distribution of outcomes (e.g., salaries) falls on a bell curve--for instance, medicine, law, teachers, mechanics, etc. The best mechanic will not make that much more money than the worst one.
But, there are other industries/professions where it's "winner takes all", or virtually all. This is usually true in the creative professions, for example. The top one percent of artists, or musicians, earn a very large percentage of total sales.
The is, in part, due to technology. For instance, before radio, TV and records, every town of any size had opera singers and actors. Such singers/actors earned a decent living and were considered local celebrities despite that their talent was often average at best. But in today's age, nobody need pay to hear average singers or see average actors. We can turn on the radio, listen to a recording, or watch TV and see the very best of the best. And, consequently, the best of the best earn the vast majority of the money.
You are 100% correct. Your abilities to think outside the box as well as ability to apply techniques will push you towards the higher tier of those making the big bucks. I too believe technology plays a huge role in this. Great answer!