The Myth of Talent
When I decided that I wanted to learn how to draw, I was studying in one of the most prestigious universities in the country – and I say that with a bit of mockery. I don’t believe in prestige, in fact I find it laughable. Especially since the university’s policy of accepting only the best worked against me.
My school, like most schools with a superiority complex, wanted to teach only those who already showed promise. There was a talent test that was so rigorous that even my friends who were already good failed it. More than once. I was initially a Film major, and because of the talent test involved, I knew that shifting to Fine Arts wasn’t an option.
Since I could only draw stick figures at that time (no exaggeration), I decided to leave the university and find another school which had a different approach to the arts. I wanted to find an environment where art could be taught, where teachers didn’t expect you to be preternaturally good at drawing on the first day.
So I applied to a small college that no one had even heard of. During my application interview, the head of the Fine Arts department told me that 21 was “the perfect age to start learning how to draw” since I would be mature and responsible enough to take it on. She spent over an hour discussing with me how it was her philosophy that art skills can be taught, rather than just inherited. She also gave me a rundown of her success stories – college students who didn’t know how to draw, but through diligence have become successful artists. This inspired me.
After that interview, I knew that it was the perfect place for me to learn. I signed up.
It wasn’t a difficult decision for me. It was, however, difficult for others to understand. Why would I voluntarily leave a prestigious university for an unknown school located behind a mall? Many students would kill to be in my position and here I was throwing it away. Friends and family were so perplexed that they thought I was facing some kind of crisis. As far as I was concerned, there was none. I wanted to draw. I wanted to find an environment where I would be encouraged to learn it. And I did.
I know I still have years of hard work ahead of me, but the most important step I took was to believe that creating art can be learned, that I did not have to solely rely on what is popularly known as “inborn talent”.
“…but talent is a dreadfully cheap commodity, cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work and study; a constant process of honing. Talent is a dull knife that will cut nothing unless it is wielded with great force…”
Stephen King, Danse Macabre
We spend most of our lives avoiding opportunities to discover new skills just because we don’t think we have the talent for it. By doing this, we automatically block out options for careers, hobbies, and even passions. For most, artistic pursuits are only for the talented, those people who by genetic lottery or favor of the gods were given the gifts to create works of beauty.
And who can blame us for giving talent a mythical status? The finished work of artists and writers looks so effortless and contained that we don’t see all the hard work, notes, drafts, and sleepless nights that went into it. We forget that the art object or the literary piece itself is only a small fraction of the creative process. It’s much like a magic show – you see the trick, but not how it’s done. To the audience, the illusion takes seconds, but the magician took years of practice developing his skill, carefully watching the masters, and building his kit of smoke and mirrors.
Talent might make a difference, but it is not the deciding factor for one’s success. Many talented individuals go to waste because they expect creative work to come easy for them and are frustrated when it doesn’t. They don’t realize that apart from the talent they bring to the table, they also have to work long hours, learn from their mistakes, and constantly make the effort to be better. Without these, talent is just a collection of fluff dreams that don’t make it to reality.
Motivation and perseverance outweigh talent every time. Remember that the next time you hesitate to embark on creative work.
8 October 2008