Last night, Zack and I went to the
We had front row seats; I could see the soloists spit and follow along the violinists’ sheet music. When the Brazilian dancers came out in sequined brassieres, scarf-covered g-strings and huge feathered hats they stood right in front of us. We both got thwacked in the face with feathers, a small price to pay for the pleasure of watching them shake their thangs from three feet.
Yes, it was an unusual night at the symphony.
Since then, I’ve been thinking a lot about talent. What does it mean to be talented? Has someone like Renée Fleming always had an amazing voice? Or did she “just” work really hard?
There’s someone in my marine biology graduate program who isn’t all that bright, but who will end up with a master’s degree just like the rest of us. S/he isn’t talented in an academic sense, but is talented when it comes to stubborn persistence. Or should stubborn persistence not be categorized as talent?
When it comes to drawing, I believe myself to be lacking in the talent department. But perhaps I could learn to draw and, if I worked hard enough at it, develop a lot of skill and go on to be a contemporary Monet, color blindness and all. Would this be called talent? Or without a basic level of skillfulness, could I never achieve artistic renown?
Is it just a matter of working hard? Can everyone achieve anything if they put their minds to it and are given enough encouragement? Or do the really talented folks start out with a level of competency that far exceeds the regular folks?
Feel free to chime in with your talented opinion at any time, folks.
3 comments:
Yeah, that'th cool, I like talent. Theriothly, I mean, seriously, yeah, I think that each of us is born with the genetics for certain strengths. After singing for many years in some pretty amazing choirs with a wide range of singers, I feel that, while anyone can sing, there are those that are truly gifted. And of those gifted, there are fewer that have their shit together enough to make it, and there are lots that don't have the touch that try, and perhaps can make it so far. That's why I set my sights low in life. That's how I feel gifted. No really, it's one of those happy medium things...
oh good, kevin. i'm glad to hear that you're aiming for mediocrity in your life. well done, sir, well done.
consensus appears to be that "skill" and "talent" are two entirely different things. you can develop a skill, but if you don't have talent, there's nothing you can do about it. that's inspiringly optimistic.
while things like drawing and artistic ability are certainly enhanced by talent, it's really surprising at how much of that is actually a skill that can be learned. if properly taught, it's amazing what almost anyone can do. i've been in classes following the book drawing on the left side of the brain and it's incredible what happens.
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