26 Sep
2011

Posted in: Creativity, Featured
By Ian Plant    11 Comments

The Myth of the Myth of Talent

There are some people who talk about what they call the “myth of talent.” Basically, they say there is no such thing, that hard work is all that is required to become good (or great) at something. Although I agree that hard work is important, I think it goes too far to call talent a myth.

Although it is debatable whether talent is a product of nature or nurture (or both), like it or not, talent is a real thing. It doesn’t matter how much I practice playing basketball, I’ll never be as good as Michael Jordan. Heck, I’ll never be good at all—my freakishly small hands make it difficult for me to even dribble the ball. And even though I possess sufficient intellectual proficiency to turn a clever phrase or two, my brain collapses into a quivering mass of jelly at the mere thought of basic calculus. We all possess certain talents and limitations, and they don’t always line up with our dreams and aspirations. As a teenager, I really wanted to be a heavy metal rock star, but as I was completely tone deaf and not even remotely cool, it just wasn’t going to happen, no matter how long I grew my hair or how much I jammed with my band. I feel sorry for the neighbors.

We all have physical differences (such as my small hands), and we all have intellectual differences (such as my poor math skills). Clearly, physical and intellectual limitations dictate to a large degree what we are good at and what we are not. The “talent is a myth” crowd argues that artistic ability falls outside this, that somehow the ability to see and create art is not tethered to anything inherent to our brain chemistry or body structure. I respectfully disagree. By way of example, although I am reasonably good at photography, I have absolutely no talent for drawing, painting, bonsai, or music (I’ve tried them all). Something about the way my brain is wired makes it relatively easy for me to see creatively through a camera but nearly impossible for me to draw something more sophisticated than a stick figure.

That said, talent isn’t an either/or proposition—it’s not a “you have it or you don’t” kind of thing. Rather, it is a matter of degree. Some people are exceptionally talented at certain things; others are exceptionally untalented (audition episodes of American Idol reveal this with spectacular clarity). Most of us fall somewhere between these two extremes.

Furthermore, lack of talent isn’t always a bad thing, as our limitations can actually define us as artists. Often, artistic “style” emerges as much from being good at one thing as it does from not being good at something else. As a stark example, many attribute the impressionistic painting styles of Monet and Van Gogh to impaired vision. As a more subtle example, I find that I see certain types of compositions more naturally than others. We all have unique skill sets, and these have an impact on our artistic expression.

Nonetheless, it is a fair question to ask: how much talent do you have? There’s only one way to find out: work hard and see how far your talent goes. Even if you have an abundance of natural talent, you won’t get anywhere unless you work hard to develop what you have been lucky enough to be born with. And if you don’t have a huge amount of talent, with hard work you can still improve and grow. No matter how much talent you possess, only through hard work and a willingness to honestly explore your limitations will you be able to discover how deep the rabbit hole goes. So take what you have out for a spin; if you put your mind to it, you may be surprised at how much talent you really have.

And what ever happened to simply enjoying yourself, and doing something because you love it, regardless of whether you are good at it or not? There are plenty of things I am not good at that I nonetheless enjoy doing (some of you will argue that photography is one of those things, and you may be right). Too many people are obsessed with trying to be the best, or the vain quest to achieve immortality through their work. Your love of nature and photography should be what inspires your efforts. Not vanity, pride, or fear of mediocrity—if you let these rule your artistic expression, you may find that all of your talent and hard work won’t bring you any happiness.

At some point, all of us will come face to face with the truth of our limitations. If pride motivates your work, it may end up being a violent confrontation similar to that of Dorian Gray gazing upon his ruined, aged portrait. If you seek to honestly explore your talents and limitations, the experience will not be a confrontation at all, but rather an ongoing creative engagement that helps you find your artistic voice.

So, talent isn’t a myth, and at some point we’ll all have to face our artistic limitations, blah blah blah. Who cares? The real myth is that any of this matters. Whether you have talent or not, or whether you work really hard or not, in the end you should only do what you do because you enjoy it. Because that actually does matter!

"Tranquility" - Mt. Saint Helens, Washington

Technical details: Canon 5D Mark II camera, 14-24mm lens (@24mm), ISO 500, f/14, 1.6 seconds.

More From Ian Plant Dreamscapes

• A Week in the Life: Glacier Bay Day 3 | Ian Plant Dreamscapes
• The Death of Photography
• The End of the World

Ask Ian Plant Dreamscapes To Recommend Your Posts

About Ian Plant  (275 Posts)

Ian Plant's photographs and instructional articles have appeared in a number of books, calendars, and magazines, including Outdoor Photographer and Popular Photography. Ian writes a regular blog column for Outdoor Photographer online, and he is the author of numerous instructional eBooks and digital processing tutorials. Ian leads several photo tours each year.