Talent vs Hard Work in Art - Does Talent Really Matter?

[@Kulodemandril]

I think talent is the innate aptitude to learn something at a faster pace than the rest, that apply to any activity, talent peaks at certain point, that is when hardwork do the rest and talent doesnt matter anymore.

[@stephentraversart]

I would think an aptitude to learn is a thing itself, and therefore not the same as talent. It would apply to any area the person wanted to turn it to. It seems every time we try to pin talent down in meaning, what we end up with can be explained as something else. But we can at least all keep happily drawing !😀

[@SteSeed]

Art is definitely a talent, without a shadow of a doubt. I have fought for years to get better at art without any success whatsoever. My brother on the other hand has been a fantastic artist for years and with minimal effort or practice. Talent in art or any other creative discipline exists, simple as. I don't believe art can be taught if you don't have the talent to start with, I've seen it quite literally with my own eyes. I've recently decided to quit art, it quite obviously isn't for me.

[@stephentraversart]

Well, I can hardly disagree with how you feel or your experience of art. But I hope you find another area you can enjoy and explore your creativity within. 😀

[@tonydambe]

I wonder what would happen if you kept on fighting to be better. In my experience, learning art can be painful at times, especially when you have to practice consistently from day to day. What's more, the progress is really slow and you hardly notice that you are improving. I like to compare it to trying to watch the movement of the sun. It's hard. Or trying to watch yourself grow in height. It's also hard. The improvement happens but it's subtle. You only notice the change after alot of practice and a long long long time. Other than that you simply have to endure the excruciating pain of practice.

[@juliansw239]

Hi Stephen! Your video echoes a discussion I had an hour ago with a fellow learner. I do believe you learn faster things you are interested in (like portraits) or playful things (like colours) whereas others, that you find drier (like perspective) demand more efforts... they are just exemples of course, but you see my point 😎 Then of course you have the difference between being intersted, understanding them and put them into practice. There s a wide range of variations and each of us has his/her own pace... talent and hard work are a pair

[@stephentraversart]

So does interest equate to talent? Or is it just interest. Clearly it’s important, but I found the more I tried to isolate exactly what talent could be, it kept becoming other things explained in other ways. In the end, I don’t think we really have to think about it. 😀

[@anapaulagoncalves9110]

Thank you very much for this much needed message!

[@stephentraversart]

I’m glad it was timely for you Ana. 😀

[@skyhavender]

To me its more of a question of how much should i draw? What should i focus on? What are my goals? I know i want to create characters and environments but i have no idea what works and what doesnt. I. Have been drawing for 10 months now and i have reached burnout to the point that i really have to force myself to even do simple line practice. 😢

[@stephentraversart]

I suggest you pull back and draw simpler subjects (that you like and you can draw with less stress) and learn to enjoy the process again. And of course, you can always have a break. There is a rhythm in these things. 😀