Hello friends,
If you know me at all, you know that I will debate anyone - at anytime - about the existence of talent. I don’t believe in talent. There. I said it. And I will keep saying it to anyone who listens because:
I’ve been a teacher nearly forty years and I know talent is an illusion.
Early in my career, I learned that I was terrible at predicting how much talent and capacity of my students. I underestimated them and I was shocked over and over when they surpassed my expectations - often by miles.
Look for tenacity, not innate talent
Think about it: How do we quantify talent when it’s hidden under the ground like early spring crocuses? How do we predict or anticipate what will come up? We can’t. We can only judge talent retrospectively - once we have some evidence of success - and by that time opportunity and instruction and encouragement have all taken hold.
In the beginning, we can just see the willingness to keep trying. My students taught me the importance of tenacity and opportunity and encouragement. I learned creative, patient instruction is essential and high expectations are the magic fairy dust we all need. But talent? Not so much.
Believing in talent also stunts our growth.
I see it all the time. People come into our studio scared and wondering if they have enough talent to take a class. And that is the wrong question to ask because the answer always primes us for comparison and scarcity thinking - the ugly twins of artistic defeat.
If we conceive of talent as a quantifiable, finite thing that some people have and others do not, then our first question is usually, “How much talent do I have?” To find out, we start comparing ourself to other artists and inevitably we fall short. We do not have as much talent and feel defeated before we begin.
And when improvement doesn’t come fast and easy, talent becomes our excuse for giving up. I hear people say things like, “Painting would be easier if I had more talent” or “This isn’t any good, I must not have enough talent.” These people give up and stop making art like I did at nineteen. It’s heartbreaking.
The problem is we give too much credit to innate ability and put too little emphasis on tenacity and education. We think talent makes art easy and we don’t give ourselves enough time to learn. We need to change the conversation!
Adam Grant’s new book, Hidden Potential supports this idea!
Grant is an organizational psychologist and the top rated professor at Wharton School of Business. He is a leading expert on how we can find motivation and meaning, rethink assumptions, and live more generous and creative lives.
According to Grant, success is not determined by talent or a magical cocktail of innate abilities. It is determined by our journey along a winding educational path and our willingness to stick to the path even when it’s uncomfortable.
We have posters around the studio that say, “Choose Courage Over Comfort” and that is what Adam Grant is proposing. We all need to become creatures of discomfort because learning stretches us out of our comfort zone and makes us braver, but that is not easy. As Grant explains, some of humanity’s greatest achievements have happened in the second half of people’s lives. The problem is most people give up before they get there. So do not give up!
Next time your art isn’t coming easily or turning out as you hoped, don’t use that as proof positive that you have no talent. Instead, use that as fuel to keep learning and practicing. Be tenacious!
Keep Learning and Practicing and Growing With These Resources:
Adam Grant’s Wonderful Podcasts: ReThinking and Work Life
Are you still wondering if you have hidden potential? Grant would say “YES!” He would tell you to uncover your hidden potential you need great instruction and the support of a teacher who believes in you. That is what we offer at Slow River Studio and with over forty classes a week, we can help you grow into the artist you dream of being!