Talent or Hard work?
PROMENADE! A Night of Colorful Gowns and Tuxedos, Tears, Laughter and Friendship
May 31, 2023What is phonics, and how does it function?
June 5, 2023Talent
“A natural aptitude or skill.”
“You are so talented.”
“Natural born talent”
We have all heard these words before; perhaps we have told them to others or heard them ourselves. Though these words are often uttered with no ill will, many people may view it as undermining their months, maybe years of hard work, to achieve that level of mastery.
Take an artist as an example; how many times have we associated the ability to draw with just talent? We see a finished piece, turn away, and equate it all to raw talent that the artist was “born with,” with nary an appreciation of the years spent to be that good. Many artists hear others compliment them with the word “talented.” However, it is meant with good intentions; it can feel as though they are ignoring the work it took and the hours they have dedicated to studying the field.
A dialogue from a book that perfectly illustrates the perspectives of a “talented” individual goes as such
“I am jealous of your talent.”
“And you know, thanks for the compliment, but. I put in the work to study art and art-making methods. Haphazardly calling this my “talent” is like saying I didn’t do anything to achieve this..”
“Calling this my “talent” is like saying I didn’t do anything to achieve this” though some may argue that the character was being too harsh or sensitive, it perfectly illustrates how it feels to have your hard work be simplified to “talent”.
People argue that talent doesn’t exist, the only thing that separates the “talented” and the average is the hours of work put into a skill. Nobody is born able to draw like Picasso, coming straight out of the womb with the skill to draw the next Mona Lisa. Even the most talented individual had to spend time and effort to study the fundamentals.
I would argue the same. I advocate strongly for people to stop using “talented” as this go-to compliment for artists or anyone in general. Instead use the words “hard-working” “dedicated” “passionate” or anything that appreciates the work the person has already put into something.
