Do you believe in ‘talent’?
The word ‘talent’ has several dictionary definitions. For instance the top 3 at dictionary.com are
- A special natural ability or aptitude: “A talent for drawing.”
- A capacity for achievement or success; ability: “Young men of talent.”
- A talented person: “The cast includes many of the theater’s major talents.”
That first one is where I disagree most. That is, if ‘talent’ means some lucky few are blessed at birth with abilities which the rest will never have.
I believe that anyone, who is not in some way handicapped, can create good visual art – no ‘talent’ required.
Are some people especially good at it? Sure, but is that from nature or nurture? Or both?
I doubt they’ll ever find a gene that’s coded for art skills. But I don’t doubt that the best visual artists have for years nurtured their personal vision, their ability to observe keenly, their design sense and their understanding of visual communication principles.
When I write of “handicaps”, that includes all the self-doubt, shame and guilt that drag so many down. And authorities (including parents) have usually done their best to handicap or closely channel creativity, with its close ties to individuality and “unsupervised thinking”.
Highly creative people with critical thinking skills and a strong streak of individuality are hard to control. Control is a big concern for authorities of all kinds. No wonder so many people feel they are untalented and uncreative.
I’d love to read what you believe about talent in art…
_jim coe
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