Ronald T.
Troubadour
I read a thread from March, 2013, in which quite a number of our members were unwilling to acknowledge the concept of “inborn talent”.
I have to disagree wholeheartedly with those who deny that "innate talent" exists.
Almost my entire life I have been both a graphic and sculptural artist. From the age of seven or eight, that was my never-ending dream. I have worked in many graphic mediums, including pencil drawings, watercolors, oils, as well as in 3-D art, such as stone and woodcarving, and in oil-clay for sculpting maquettes for use in producing bronze sculpture. I have sold my graphic and sculptural art for forty years -- some of it to long-time art collectors -- and have twice won the highest award for woodcarving at the California Woodcarver's "Best-of-the-best" show in Cambria, CA.
Now, I mention these things for a reason. Art has always come easily for me. That doesn't mean I haven't worked hard at it. I have. I am self-taught and I've spent months on end without a day off trying to improve my skill level. For me, that effort paid off.
But here's the point.
I've known many woodcarvers who have spent even more time than I have at trying to become proficient carvers, yet they still carve at what I consider a beginner's level. I can tell they would give their left arm to reach a level that might be thought of as advanced, and yet they fail. This is after thirty or more years of taking every carving class that comes along. For some reason, they are simply unable to improve. The same can be said of the students I shared classes with in high-school and college. Those students longed to be good artists, yet they never produced anything that a professional might call adequate. It wasn't because they didn't want to improve, because they did. Yet they simply lacked a particular element that would make that goal possible: an innate talent.
Does anyone truly believe that being an opera star is possible merely through study and practice? I'm sorry my friends, it isn't. Nor is it possible to become an exceptional artist simply because one is willing to do the hard work and put in the time. If you don't have an intrinsic gift in these areas to begin with, it's not going to happen. The same is true with the art and craft of writing. One can study and practice, and they are likely to improve. But they are very unlikely to become a great, or even what is considered a very good writer. The gift of talent in any field is a quintessential part of rising above what one might consider merely 'adequate". It's heartbreaking, but true.
I am what many would call a novice writer. I have been a devout reader and a rabid student of writing for nearly forty years. However, I have been writing seriously for only eleven years. So, whether I have even the slightest gift for writing has yet to be seen. I will continue to work my ass off in an attempt to become a "great" or even a "talented" writer. But I'm not foolish enough to believe I will ever reach such lofty levels. I will likely have to settle for "adequate". However, that won't stop me from chasing the dream.
Most of us will have to settle for that non-lofty description. Yet, in the field of writing, even "adequate" is far above the norm.
So, all I can say is -- keep writing. If we’re fortunate, someday people might speak of us as talented writers. I believe that for most of us…this distinction is the dream.
Of course, I could be wrong. I think I can remember I was, "once".
As always, my best to all of you.
--The hermit in the woods--
I have to disagree wholeheartedly with those who deny that "innate talent" exists.
Almost my entire life I have been both a graphic and sculptural artist. From the age of seven or eight, that was my never-ending dream. I have worked in many graphic mediums, including pencil drawings, watercolors, oils, as well as in 3-D art, such as stone and woodcarving, and in oil-clay for sculpting maquettes for use in producing bronze sculpture. I have sold my graphic and sculptural art for forty years -- some of it to long-time art collectors -- and have twice won the highest award for woodcarving at the California Woodcarver's "Best-of-the-best" show in Cambria, CA.
Now, I mention these things for a reason. Art has always come easily for me. That doesn't mean I haven't worked hard at it. I have. I am self-taught and I've spent months on end without a day off trying to improve my skill level. For me, that effort paid off.
But here's the point.
I've known many woodcarvers who have spent even more time than I have at trying to become proficient carvers, yet they still carve at what I consider a beginner's level. I can tell they would give their left arm to reach a level that might be thought of as advanced, and yet they fail. This is after thirty or more years of taking every carving class that comes along. For some reason, they are simply unable to improve. The same can be said of the students I shared classes with in high-school and college. Those students longed to be good artists, yet they never produced anything that a professional might call adequate. It wasn't because they didn't want to improve, because they did. Yet they simply lacked a particular element that would make that goal possible: an innate talent.
Does anyone truly believe that being an opera star is possible merely through study and practice? I'm sorry my friends, it isn't. Nor is it possible to become an exceptional artist simply because one is willing to do the hard work and put in the time. If you don't have an intrinsic gift in these areas to begin with, it's not going to happen. The same is true with the art and craft of writing. One can study and practice, and they are likely to improve. But they are very unlikely to become a great, or even what is considered a very good writer. The gift of talent in any field is a quintessential part of rising above what one might consider merely 'adequate". It's heartbreaking, but true.
I am what many would call a novice writer. I have been a devout reader and a rabid student of writing for nearly forty years. However, I have been writing seriously for only eleven years. So, whether I have even the slightest gift for writing has yet to be seen. I will continue to work my ass off in an attempt to become a "great" or even a "talented" writer. But I'm not foolish enough to believe I will ever reach such lofty levels. I will likely have to settle for "adequate". However, that won't stop me from chasing the dream.
Most of us will have to settle for that non-lofty description. Yet, in the field of writing, even "adequate" is far above the norm.
So, all I can say is -- keep writing. If we’re fortunate, someday people might speak of us as talented writers. I believe that for most of us…this distinction is the dream.
Of course, I could be wrong. I think I can remember I was, "once".
As always, my best to all of you.
--The hermit in the woods--
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