Talent is bullshit
apologeticwriting.blogspot.com
Talent is bullshit
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Re: Talent is bullshit
#2Talent is not bullshit. It's just not enough to either make you succeed or make you fail.
You can't argue with the fact that some people are naturally talented at certain things. Whether that comes through practice or genetics depends on which things you're talking about (I'd say that being a talented sportsman takes genetics as well as huge amounts of practice, and being tone-deaf precludes you from becoming a talented composer no matter how much you practice), but both are factors.
Talent without practice is nothing. Practice without talent is more than nothing. But that doesn't negate the existence of talent.
Re: Talent is bullshit
#3Talent is not bullshit. It's just not enough to either make you succeed or make you fail. You can't argue with the fact that some people are naturally talented at certain things. Whether that comes through practice or genetics depends on which things you're talking about (I'd say that being a talented sportsman takes genetics as well as huge amounts of practice, and being tone-deaf precludes you from becoming a talen…
Exactly right. There is an undeniable genetic predisposition towards some skills. I'm sure everyone has any number of personal anecdotes they can tell. Anecdotes by themselves don't make something true, sure, but in large enough quantities they sure suggest it.
Play my friend any song twice and he'll give you a passable piano rendition straight away. His sister couldn't even whistle the tune. But she knows 6 languages and learns new ones for fun. He says learning a language is like trying to force a lego brick into his brain through his forehead. Everyone knows some situation like this. Talent is often obvious from birth and extremely potent.
As you say, talent without practise - and there's too much of that - is nothing. Many talented people become lazy and compacent and never realise their full potential. Many untalented people attain mastery of an art through sheer determination and effort. But geeze, talent exists all right.
Re: Talent is bullshit
#4Talent is not bullshit. It's just not enough to either make you succeed or make you fail. You can't argue with the fact that some people are naturally talented at certain things. Whether that comes through practice or genetics depends on which things you're talking about (I'd say that being a talented sportsman takes genetics as well as huge amounts of practice, and being tone-deaf precludes you from becoming a talen…
Exactly right. There is an undeniable genetic predisposition towards some skills. I'm sure everyone has any number of personal anecdotes they can tell. Anecdotes by themselves don't make something true, sure, but in large enough quantities they sure suggest it. Play my friend any song twice and he'll give you a passable piano rendition straight away. His sister couldn't even whistle the tune. But she knows 6 language…
Do you have any advice on how to learn to play by ear? I can play piano well, but figuring out a song from a recording is very difficult for me.
Re: Talent is bullshit
#5I guess the author knows exactly that talent exists but wants to point out that the word is used often in situations where diligence was more appropriate.
Re: Talent is bullshit
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
Exactly right. There is an undeniable genetic predisposition towards some skills. I'm sure everyone has any number of personal anecdotes they can tell. Anecdotes by themselves don't make something true, sure, but in large enough quantities they sure suggest it. Play my friend any song twice and he'll give you a passable piano rendition straight away. His sister couldn't even whistle the tune. But she knows 6 language…
Do you have any advice on how to learn to play by ear? I can play piano well, but figuring out a song from a recording is very difficult for me.
"My friend" says that he has no idea. It just comes naturally and he's been able to do it since age 3.
Sorry ; )
Re: Talent is bullshit
#7I guess the author knows exactly that talent exists but wants to point out that the word is used often in situations where diligence was more appropriate.
That might sum it all up in a shorter way.
Re: Talent is bullshit
#8I'm sorry he thinks that way, because it's completely wrong. People aren't born equal...
Re: Talent is bullshit
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
Exactly right. There is an undeniable genetic predisposition towards some skills. I'm sure everyone has any number of personal anecdotes they can tell. Anecdotes by themselves don't make something true, sure, but in large enough quantities they sure suggest it. Play my friend any song twice and he'll give you a passable piano rendition straight away. His sister couldn't even whistle the tune. But she knows 6 language…
Do you have any advice on how to learn to play by ear? I can play piano well, but figuring out a song from a recording is very difficult for me.
Without talent, you must practice. Take a song you don't know how to play, and start to figure it out from a recording. Once you've mastered that song, pick another one. There's no secret to any of this.
I've have no natural talent for music, but I put in the hours. When I was 16, I was cut from my high school musical for my inability to sing back a note played on the piano. I took voice lessons, got a few chorus roles, and kept working at it. Over the course of college, I got a few friends together and practiced a few hours a week. By the time I got to senior year of college, I got the lead in the play and was performing solos with my a capella group. These days, I sing with a barbershop quartet - understanding the harmonies there, let alone reproducing them, was unthinkable 5 years ago.
If you don't have the talent, you've got to work at it. It will pay off, I promise.
Re: Talent is bullshit
#10Talent is not bullshit. It's just not enough to either make you succeed or make you fail. You can't argue with the fact that some people are naturally talented at certain things. Whether that comes through practice or genetics depends on which things you're talking about (I'd say that being a talented sportsman takes genetics as well as huge amounts of practice, and being tone-deaf precludes you from becoming a talen…
Exactly right. There is an undeniable genetic predisposition towards some skills. I'm sure everyone has any number of personal anecdotes they can tell. Anecdotes by themselves don't make something true, sure, but in large enough quantities they sure suggest it. Play my friend any song twice and he'll give you a passable piano rendition straight away. His sister couldn't even whistle the tune. But she knows 6 language…
There is an explicit reason for why I called my blog 'Apologetic Writing' (it's also explicitly not within the context itself...).
Of course, I can see there is such a thing as talent, but I rather define it as a group of human perks, that you are either born with, or have early developed due to some events, that are boosted mostly by realizing their existence and overall meaning, and then sharpening every each and one of them with a lot of practice.
I have a few "talents", or as I love to call them, groups of perks uniformly supporting an adjacent field of mastery.
Mathematics, algorithmic thinking, art and linguistics.
None of those develop seriously over time by themselves if I don't put any time onto the subject.
I have proof of course. In the past year, after living my life with the knowledge that I can sketch OK, and even better than most people I know. I have lifted the skill by practicing more often than usually (on a daily basis I'd draw between 3-6 quick pencil sketches).
Now, withdrawing a sketch from a couple of years ago and comparing it to one I would quickly sketch in less than 10 minutes, I can tell that I got better by much.
"Many untalented people attain mastery of an art through sheer determination and effort. But geeze, talent exists all right."
- I'd rather see more of those, than of the opposite (talented, but extremely lazy).
One more thing, I thank you all for taking your precious time and reading my blog.
p.s - my gallery, if anyone wondered whether I can really draw or not, or is interested in monitoring my progress ;) http://case0thrives.deviantart.com/