SP's Got Talent

Remove all ads!

(Not really sure if this should be posted here or in Creativity Surge or in Whatnots ...)

Over the years (and due largely to the onset of sophistcated technology that is available to great numbers of people now), I've come to believe that most people in general have some degree of latent talent at something. Some more, some less, but it's still spread around after a fashion. This as opposed to the impression formed in eras gone by that only a select handful of persons on earth were talented, since only a few were published writers, painters, sculptors, composers, film-makers, etc. - the 'greats,' as it were.

I still suspect that there are a limited number of greats, but the greats aren't the only ones who get published these days, and this widespread ability to have your art consumed on various modern platforms has provided exposure for the work of the possibly lesser but nonetheless still talented. I don't think that ever really used to be possible.

To be sure this leads to a lot of dreck being shoveled out there for public consumption, but there are bits and pieces of good amongst it all if you know where to look, or if you just happen upon it. And those bits and pieces are often provided by everyday people like us.

So, what is the area of the arts where you have some appreciable talent? I think, incidentally, that talent is different than skill in that it is innate, while skill is developed. Therefore you may have some innate talent at something (an ability to draw, for example) that is then refined as you become skilled at it. Or maybe you never do refine it and it remains a 'raw material,' so to speak. Conversely you can also become skilled at something for which you possess no talent. (Think of a child who is forced to practice piano for years on end but has no special love for music. They may become a good pianist without having any real talent.)

Anyway, what is your thing (if anything), what compels you to do it, and how do you go about doing it? I know we've got a few writers here, and at least one actor and one film-maker.

Don't be shy!

 

I love to write. I've played music, tried drawing, and hated acting, but nothing is more enjoyable to me than making up stories and putting meaning behind the plot and characters. I see a lot of Dungeons and Dragons novels at Barnes and Noble pretty often, and i've had a good story in my head for a while now that I would like to see if I can get published at some point in the future when I have refined my skills. People always tell me they really love the stuff that I come up with, but I can't tell if they actually do or if they are just being nice

 

lol ... true. IMO just use your common sense. People who are genuinely into some form of art don't deal in platitudes; they'll ask intelligent questions (how did you do that, where did you get that idea, etc.) that show they're actually thinking about it. Or they'll just express genuine emotion, not "Oh my god that is so cool anyway what's for lunch. "

 

Literature and singing I used to have talents in. Slowly getting the time to practice the former and the latter received some permanent damage

I have generally very little talent, the things I enjoy I've never been particularly good at.

I guess I have some small talent for Fencing as I once defeated an olympic team fencer in a five point match, it's what spurred my trainer to prepare me for tournaments and possible paralympic training.

 

Playingmusical instruments. I can play the 'cello, violin, piano, sopranino, descant, treble, tenor and bass recorder (as well as teach them). My secondary school music teacher said that I could pick up any instrument and learn to play it to a decent standard within a few days. However, this doesn't extend to the guitar for some reason

 

You don't suppose that the engineers, scientists and philosophers who made the world move forward have a talent. As much as I like art, I'd rather label those people as "the Greats"