I have the greatest talent at conning the world.

 

It depends on many factors, but the primary reason that I might would be if they asked me, and the answer would depend on their reason for asking which would necessitate a quick reading of their need for asking in the first place. Kindness is a virtue.

I wouldn't walk into a Hell's Angel's hangout bar and start blathering about how much that I hate the sound of a screaming Harley Davidson. You gotta read the room.

 

Talent is a defined, objective concept. Of course to be fully realized talent requires cultivation via tuition and practice. But those are still two different things. The cultivation will still benefit people with talent more.

 

In my mind there is innate talent which is something you're born with and which although might come easily, is something which can be cultivated in order that the gift might blossom. Then there are people such as yourself (as well as myself) which have a desire for betterment in something that they love and must work harder to enhance that which they love and cannot do without. Of those who might not be born with a special gift and who keep at it because they have no real choice, some of course will put in the time to better themselves and achieve a high level of artistry in whatever they do while others for whatever reason can only reach a middling level.

 

Last edited: May 18, 2025 at 1:53 PM

Without God-given talent or natural talent, our human progress would certainly not be as pronounced and diverse.
After all, all of us, as inhabitants of the planet, have always benefited from the ideas and talents of others.

 

@aymat i see where youre coming from though from my reading your point of view, seems like youre confusing talent and skill. i havent lived your life though, i can only speak on my experience. i also dont think it makes someone less of a person because they developed a skill they werent talented at, i actually admire it. though working to build a skill, doesnt mean others dont naturally have that skill despite your work though. thats what myself and others are trying to bring into your awareness

like when i found out i was a talented singer and decided to take it seriously. what i came to understand when i tried to advance in the skill was i already naturally was doing advanced things. i was naturally breathing from my diaphragm already and projecting my voice, i understand breathe control without actually studying it, i naturally had good pitch. all this stuff i was learning about vocal control and head voice and vocal cavities and all this theory, i already could do (which i admit did make me feel special at the time); i just didnt know it had names. people who had been practicing and taking vocal lessons or in music school at a university level, i could already perform at their level, from virtually the beginning. i didnt have to put in a bunch of work to develop it. no matter how much work someone puts in, they wont be able to sing in three octaves, i could from the jump

same with piano, while it was expressed differently because it didnt come from me like singing, it was still the same; i remember it clear as day. when i decided i was going to learn the piano (my mom had one always in the house), it was like i was remembering how to play, even though i never played before. from watching stuff about singing, i knew what the major scale sounded like, except when i played it on piano, it unlocked it for me, looking at it, its layed out perfectly for music theory. so i understood music theory and how to build chords really fast from the piano layout. in a few months time i was better at piano then people who spent years learning it and the room for growth as well as with singing, soon proved to be small by year, i could play songs hearing them once. i didnt (and still dont) know how to read sheet music but i have long fingers and very good hand eye coordination. so advanced techniques paired with my understanding, i had down within a year. i could i jam with others who played for years and years, when the average person with the amount of time and effort i put in, would still be considered a beginner

now this part is the difference i was already a professional music artist, signed with a major label when i bought a drum kit and decided to learn the drums. i am not talented at the drums but i am skilled. the amount of work i had to put in to get to this intermediate level im at currently. i never had to do with singing or piano. the amount of independence between limbs i had to learn and gaining info from better drummers, i didnt have to do be able to perform and understand the other two at an advanced level. when i started the drums, what became clear to me was how much room i had to grow, its worth it to me so i wasnt bothered by that. where with singing and piano very early on it became difficult to find room to grow or learn things i didnt already understand. the progression of putting a little effort into those, took me way further then putting a lot of effort into the drums

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i just thought about this episode from a show here in the U.S. - while it is a comedy its based around realism, there is a lot of truth in whats being expressed in this episode regarding talent. its a good representation of it to anyone who is talented around something or has been around someone talented thats easy to understand. its 3 minutes to get the idea of the episode, which while is a cartoon, holds a lot of truth in its story

there is a major problem with people getting caught up on talent i agree, for the talented and the people who had to put more time and effort to developed their skill. its that one doesnt mean the other is less than or that if because youre not talented, you are not deserving of your position or dont have anything to offer if you werent naturally gifted at learning something. its stops people from developing a skill and pursing it. a lot of talented people rest on their skill, even at the professional level without trying to learn ways to improve it. being talented also stops people from learning different skills because theyve experience being talented in another

what it doesnt mean though, which myself and others are trying to bring to your awareness, is that other people arent naturally skilled. it doesnt matter if they have an interest in it beforehand or if they dont figure out they have a talent for something till they try it. there are a lot of naturally talented people in this world, which is why there are words like gifted, talented, aptitude to describe their ability at whatever level. a savant includes people who are highly learned as well as talented by definition - talent doesnt include highly learned people for a reason and its because of what i mentioned from my actual experience, which im sharing to broaden youre awareness, not you invalidate your experience

 

Last edited: May 18, 2025 at 7:11 PM

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