Occasionally, someone compliments me by remarking that I am a talented photographer. I accept comments like this graciously and enthusiastically - it's always nice when someone appreciates my work. But I realize that talent isn't what made me a photographer.
For most of my life, I was a casual snap-shooter. I took bad photographs for decades. When I look back over my albums from those years, I don't see much evidence of talent shining through.
After seeing some awe-inspiring photo exhibits, I came to realize that cameras could do a lot more than I thought. There was more to photography than the faded, poorly composed rubbish that I was picking up regularly at my neighborhood drugstore.
Eventually, I dedicated myself to becoming a serious photographer. I felt a burning desire to make photos like the ones that had impressed me in those shows. I dedicated time to learning everything that I could about cameras and the photographic process. But even as I was learning and developing skills, I still made lots of bad photos.
Talent didn't make me a photographer. Work and honest self-evaluation were the most critical factors in my development. I took lots of photos, rated my progress, devised new approaches, and went out and shot some more. Over and over and over again. Over time, I learned a lot and improved my skills in the process.
The Diamond Under The Mountain
I have met people with a real talent for photography, people who have impressed me with a natural gift for composition or a sense for finding fascinating subjects. Some of these folks have impressive portfolios. Some have modest portfolios that show untapped promise. And some are casual snap-shooters who upload mostly unimpressive photos to social media on occasion.
All of these people have talent, but only some of them have achieved impressive results. The difference is in the effort and determination that they have committed toward achieving those results.
Talent is potential. Exceptional talent will let someone achieve more in the same amount of time or with the same amount of effort. But without effort, that talent will remain unfulfilled. Talent is a diamond buried under a mountain. You'll have to dig deep before you can access its full value.
Limitations
A lack of talent does enforce some limitations. Most people will never compete in a professional sporting event or sing on stage at a famous opera house. The people who make it to that level all have extraordinary talent. But talent didn't put them on the stage or the playing field. Top performers typically dedicate countless hours toward developing and maximizing their talent.
A person with average talent can achieve impressive results by committing themselves to hard work and a plan for making the best of the abilities that they have. Maybe they won't discover a diamond under their personal mountain, but they'll find other beautiful and valuable assets. In many cases, their lives will be more fulfilling for having put in the effort.
A Weakness Exposed
I have been blessed with some degree of talent, and I am thankful for all that those talents have enabled me to achieve. But there are plenty of areas in my life where I lack talent to an embarrassingly painful degreed.
A lack of scholastic talent emerged as a critical weakness when I went to college (university, for international readers). It wasn't just that I struggled to get good grades. I plunged into a downward spiral that led to some of the most difficult and disappointing years of my life.
I read very slowly. It takes me three to six weeks to read an average-sized novel. I know people who can finish the same book in an evening or two.
That might not sound like a big problem, but it became a serious disadvantage when I started studying at the university level. I struggled to complete assignments, I fell desperately behind semester after semester, and my grades were horrible. Not just bad - horrible! I was frustrated, exhausted, depressed, ashamed, and I felt utterly hopeless. I feared that I would never earn a degree, and I had no idea what I could do to reverse the damage.
With each new semester, I resolved to do better, to study harder, but I still struggled. In fact, things got worse. Much worse.
Finally, after it seemed that all hope of ever getting through college was lost, I had a breakthrough. I resolved to do whatever it took to earn good grades and complete my degree.
I scheduled as many hours of study time as I could find available each week, and I wouldn't let these periods be skipped or interrupted. I found the quietest places on campus and spent hours there every day (effectively hiding) in order to avoid distraction. In my notebooks, I paraphrased every paragraph that I read as I was reading it. I imagined myself standing before a classroom full of students, explaining the material. I needed to understand every concept and every detail in order to avoid looking like a fool.
I didn't gain any scholastic talent overnight. The Learning Fairy didn't cast a magic spell on me. My reading pace was still ponderously slow.
But by refining my approach to studying in a way that compensated for my weaknesses, I went from being an academic embarrassment to getting A's in three-fourths of my classes. I completed my degree, and I went on to have a long, successful career in a field where continuous learning is demanded.
Those speedy readers obviously have more talent than I do in this area. I doubt that I could ever survive in law school or medical school - which is just fine, because they would never accept me anyway. But I was able to find a way to overcome my academic weaknesses. The dedication and effort required were significant, but it did prove to be possible.
Desire and commitment and hard work can move anyone forward toward any dream. If you have talent, you'll be able to go a little farther, but you're still going to have to work hard to get there. If you don't have a lot of talent, you can still do many of the things that you dream of doing.
Never let a perceived lack of talent discourage you. Maybe you don't lack talent at all; you might need to try something different in order to develop your unique potential. Keep working at it. Keep trying new approaches. Good things are waiting for you. There are diamonds hiding under the mountain, but it will take work to find them.
¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!
Daniel
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