Fact: Some people do have more of an inherent talent, or an aptitude for art than others. But worrying about how much talent you have or don’t have is just a waste of energy. Having talent does not guarantee you will be a good artist.  And Being a Good Artist, does not guarantee Success.

I have heard people saying to me that they do not have talent and can't even draw a stick man!  My inner reaction to that is *why would you draw a stick man? *  Everyone can learn to draw.   But if you choose to draw a stick man, well then there is the creative, because you are doing your own interpretation of a man and don’t care about what other people say!

Talent and Skill can be interrelated, but there is a difference.  Talent is an innate ability and inner quality that comes naturally while Skill is something you develop with training and learning.  As an artist, drawing and painting was a natural outlet, a way to escape the day-to-day, an innate need to create.  But when I decided to focus on this - I needed to practice, to learn, to seek training, to experience trials and errors, to make mistakes and learn from them.  Determination and practice were the next steps and then more.   

And if you believe you haven’t any artistic talent at all? Let’s skip the platitudes about everyone having some creative aspect to them. If you truly didn’t believe you didn’t have any artistic ability, you wouldn’t have any desire to paint. It’s that desire, combined with persistence and the systematic learning of painting techniques, not talent, which make an artist.

Let's draw that stick man!

Marissa