Friday, July 24, 2020
Does Hard Work beat Talent?
On an Art Debate that discussed if Drawing is a Talent or a Skill, one of the Artists had mentioned the quote by Kevin Durant, "Hard work beats talent, when talent fails to work hard". Both artists agreed that practice and consistency are the keystones to success. When it came in terms to the existence of prodigies and people with innate skill, they believed that if the talent isn't exercised, then people who are gifted have no leg up in mastering a skill than to those who put forth the effort to practice constantly. Another interesting concept that was debated on were people who seemed to be the best at almost everything. There are exceptional outliers such as da Vinci and Van Gogh on the topic of Talent VS Skill. These iconic artists being a prime example of having talent that is utterly unattainable no matter how many years of practice. I was most inclined to the topic of many Artists having their art valued less than the time dedicated to their work, because they are seen as just being talented. Compared to becoming a doctor, or an engineer, the practice of artists often goes unnoticed and they are viewed to have put in less effort towards their career. What are your outlooks on this subject? Do you believe hard work outweighs talent? How can people feel less juxtaposed to prodigies and people with innate skill?
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Hardworking artists take the time to unravel every subject piece by piece. let's say a subject like studying the human form, it takes a great amount of time to exercise your eye to see the simplest of shapes that make up the body. I think that's where hard work beats talent, the artist has the dedication to devote their time to master the subject as opposed to the talented. Hard work will get the artist to understand these subjects in greater detail than talented ones. Art, to me, is about the journey, you can't jump to like an anime style right away, you have to put in the hard work in all the fundamentals, which I'm still struggling with.
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DeleteI think we can both agree that practicing the fundamentals no matter what skill level, is the only way to excel. I like your point about how people with talent tend to not focus on honing the basic skills as they feel comfortable in that aspect. They actually talked about this in the debate and how it can create a psychological effect of not being aware of how good your work really is. You become induced by your own sight that whatever you create is up to par and you can never admit to having bad art. People can be born with a genetic make up that lets them distinguish colors easily or have the eye to identify values well on a black and white scale. Having such a gift can put you in a difficult position of mastering the skill but failing to experiment. In other words, fall victim to being a one trick pony.
DeleteFrom my own experience with art I believe that hard work outweighs natural talent. I was never good at art, but recently I started drawing. I draw for fun and I do not really try to practice fundamentals but I have improved a lot just by practicing. I wouldn't say I am working hard to improve, but I am improving slowly. I think most art is a skill that needs to be practiced to improve. You mentioned some art prodigies that seem to be beyond talent. This was achieved through their hard work. Da Vinci would dissect bodies and study their anatomy to improve his drawing skill. Van Gogh did not start painting until he was about 27. They are such icons of art that people refuse to believe they, at one point, had no talent for art. Their skill had to be practiced to become the icons they are today.People need to realize this to feel less juxtaposed to prodigies. You don't need talent to be a great artist. You need practice
ReplyDeleteOne of the most annoying things that anybody ever tells me is, "you were born to play the piano... You are a so talented." Yes it's flattering but it kind of bothers me because I am not a prodigy. I wasn't born to play Mozart's pieces, but I worked to play them. When someone says I was born the perform, it feels like they undermine the hard work I have dedicated to my art. I spent hours to craft my own style and way, not born to it. So when someone asks me, "Does hard work beat talent?" I would proceed to ask,"Would a sharp sword swing itself?" No it wouldn't, and nor would talent itself push its own weight.
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe hard work beats talent. You can have a skill, but you can't always depend on it. You can depend on muscle memory through repetition, so long as you work hard at it. Someone can have an off day or they can feel shook, consequently affecting their talent. That is where hard work pulls through and keeps the person going. Hard workers are taught perseverance, especially when faced with adversity. Also, I believe if people work hard and trust the process, they won't feel as juxtaposed to said prodigies. Life is a marathon, not a race, so go at your own pace.
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