so no, not everybody has "talent" at art (or math, or cooking, or whatever). some people just don't enjoy it that much, so they don't do it that much, so they will never become particularly skilled at it. talent is not a magic god-bestowed ability thrust upon you at birth. it's just liking the work
note that you can still become a good artist without this definition of talent! it's harder, because you won't be driven to do it the way someone with it is. it might feel like a drag. if your head isn't in the game you might never reach a certain skill threshold. but you COULD if you felt like it
i honestly don't think that people who see "talented" folks realize how damn much time and energy those folks put into their craft. it would shock them, because they can't imagine possibly DOING that. again, whether it's art, cooking, math, running, DMing games, designing rockets, or what
btw these are posts i fired off absent-mindedly before i had any coffee and i'm sure there are all kinds of caveats! the point isn't that talent isn't REAL, i just think it isn't quite what people assume it is, and the misconception can be used to harm both new learners and learned pros
Am one of those fast learners who learns things incredibly fast. Sometimes I hide myself a few days and come back with a new skill, ready for complex application and people rarely believe I didn't actually knew it before already.
But this too is a s skill that has to be trained to stay with you.
You know, far be it from me to depreciate hard work talented people put in but... I think talented people have it easier because a comparable amount of work is going to pay much greater dividends for them than for people who don't have the "it" factor.
Hence why I think the old adage "hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard" is a load of crock. Hard work is not hard when you can actually see the progress being made.
i think you should re-read my thread, and please keep in mind that most of us who supposedly have "talent" do it DESPITE not seeing progress, because we love it even when it feels like we're not getting anywhere
Fun is a BIG part of why I draw. I love it. I become the best version of myself when I draw and recently, I stumbled on a technique I’m in love with and my experimentation is through the roof and? I’m having MORE fun! Whether I’m talented or not is anyone’s guess but I ❤️ what I do so there’s that!
I think one set back for a lot of people is they're just not mentally built to sit by themselves for hours at a time to draw (possibly in complete silence!). It was easy for an introverted kid like me, but for people that are more social, it's probably torturous!
Generally I'm okay with "talented" as a descriptor for artist types. I feel talent is earned through various means, like a skill. "Gifted" is the one that irks me to the bone.
yeah it only bothers me when people use it as a gotcha to say stuff like "well you're talented, you wouldn't understand why i need to use AI" OR "i'll never be talented like you, i might as well give up now 😔"
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But this too is a s skill that has to be trained to stay with you.
You're spot-on