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SITTING MID-WAY THROUGH a film over the weekend and I couldn’t help but write down three words that were uttered by the lead character: “Trapped by talent”. I left the piece of paper folded in my journal only to find it fall out early this morning when I opened it to read my weekly to-do list.
What significance have these three little words? They have been on my mind since I heard them and during a long walk around the back strand in Tramore yesterday I found myself deep in thought as I pondered them.
We all believe that we are talented, even the most pessimistic person out there. But where does talent come from? Are we genetically predisposed to inherit talent, or can we acquire same with practise?
What makes talent
In 1985, Benjamin Bloom, a professor of education at the University of Chicago, published a landmark book, Developing Talent in Young People, which examined the critical factors that contribute to talent.
He took a deep retrospective look at the childhoods of 120 elite performers who had won international competitions or awards in fields ranging from music and the arts to mathematics and neurology. Surprisingly, Bloom’s work found no early indicators that could have predicted the virtuosos’ success.
So what does correlate with success? One thing emerges very clearly from Bloom’s work: all the superb performers he investigated had practised intensively, had studied with devoted teachers, and had been supported enthusiastically by their families throughout their developing years. Later research building on Bloom’s pioneering study revealed that the amount and quality of practise were key factors in the level of expertise people achieved. Consistently and overwhelmingly, the evidence showed that experts are always made, not born.
Take a long, hard look at what we you think your talent is
So if we find ourselves ‘trapped by talent’ in our career; unable to get the lucky break, or unable to find a way out or to the top, how did we arrive at this point and how do we move things along in the direction we want? Should we just be happy with our lot and stop complaining and bemoaning the various career injustices that we presume to have befallen us?
We need to step back and take a long, hard look at what we think our talent is, for starters. The dictionary definition of talent is a natural aptitude or skill. Can you say, honestly, that you are practising your skill every day in your job?
Hmmm perhaps not too many will raise their hand for that one. But isn’t it interesting if we look at our jobs in this way? Truly talented people who love what they do, tend to do the same thing over and over again on a daily basis. If you are working as a teacher, nurse, accountant, office worker can you identify something you do multiple times a day with something that you are talented at?
If you can, then you have hit the career jackpot. You are not trapped by your talent, you are enjoying your job and see it as a career.
If not, then this may explain the faltering levels of unhappiness, indifference or general lacklustre approach to your career. You haven’t found a career or job that matches what you are truly good at, nor have you found something that you want to do over and over and over again day in and day out.
Do what you love
I’ll leave you with this one. Last year I decided to start a blog. I found that I liked writing. A lot. So I started to write every day. The I stopped for about a month. I was miserable. I felt lost, I began questioning my career, my motives, my motivations. I sat back and tried to see what was wrong. It was simple. I wasn’t writing. So, I opened back up the laptop and started again…
I write every day, some pieces I publish, others I don’t. But I can tell you this with conviction, I was trapped by talent… one I didn’t know I had. Who says I am talented? I don’t have an award for writing and I don’t particularly care for opinions on the matter. But for the few who tell me they enjoy the updates, I am beyond grateful. For I no longer feel trapped. And that, to me, is what this career lark is all about.
Karen Frampton is a Career Coach and writer of a bi-weekly career blog www.karenframpton.com/blog. Follow her on Twitter @framptonkaren
or visit www.karenframpton.com
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Any individual who studies/practices to the nth degree can master a craft, however this does not mean you are talented creatively. It merely means you are a proficient musician, painter or whatever. Hence creative talent, in a sense, can not be learned or taught, it is inherited or a gift from birth. Of course, as Dylan said recently, if one focuses on something long enough you can produce something as good as what inspired you in the first place. Some folks don’t need inspiration from outside it’s already within, I reckon.
I hear what you are saying, many people become proficient musicians through practice. Expert at mimicking others compositions They are perceived to have a talent as they have can do this very well. I agree.
You say that ‘talented creatively’ is an inherited gift from birth. How can you be so sure ? You have not even defined the term yet you are very sure it is inherited.
Nobody is a bubble, creativity nowadays, especially in terms of music is less about ‘talent’ and more about having a different way of thinking about things and approaching problems to other people. It’s about not being happy to do things the same as everyone else. It’s an attitude, not a talent. Some people are happy to go along and produce something that is somewhat similar to what is already popular, it’s the safer route to being ‘successful’. Others gauge of success is defined by producing something unique, the lucky ones in the right place at the right time find something unique that others copy and becomes something bigger.
To say that everyone who writes music is inherently creative is also incorrect. The music theory behind pop songs has changed little since the 60s. This can be learned just like playing an instrument. Creativity is pushing the boundaries of what has been done before. It’s an attitude, not a talent.
I think what I’m implying is that possibly, originality = creativity. ‘Commercial’ anything doesn’t come into play, it’s far beyond that and generally unheard or unseen because new ideas are not easily processed and/or easily exploited.
Don’t know about you but I’ve seen toddlers read/ do maths/ sing perfectly in tune/ paint really well etc. I guess for me it seems people can be born with talents beyond the norm. I’m not denying studious ppl aren’t the best experts, I’m just pointing out there are certain individuals who, for some reason, are naturals, exceptional and noticeably ahead of the curve from birth.
I know what I’m good at doing … sitting in front of telly watching Jeremy Kyle, in me dressing gown, beer in one hand, ciggie in t’other … and I don’t need any professor to tell me that
Can’t believe you got red thumbed for that! Here they come…..
Great piece. Just started a blog myself last week.
Well your hardly going to be objective so – are you ?
Give us the link to it. In the process of starting one myself.
Human mindsets and perspectives can only ever be subjective and arbitrary – there is no such thing as a human being objective. When people say they thought objectively, they means they just took a little longer to process a thought and probably suppressed their emotions a bit – at what level of doing this does a person gain access to observer-independent reality, if such a thing exists?
Is a level of expertise and talent entirely one and the same thing?
No.
Absolutely not
Expertise is more about knowledge of a certain subject or topic and talent is around skills.
Any ideas for those of us who have no discernible talent to begin with?
This post (wouldn’t even give it the privilege of an article status) is complete and utter nonsense…
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results! So they’re all insane!
People do get different results when they practice – it’s called improvement.
An oiread sin tuairimí diúltacha! “Lean do chuid aoibhnis” mar a dúirt Joseph Campbell. Ansin is pléisiúr é do chuid oibre i gcónaí.
Another no worth article from the journal, this is getting more and more tabloid by the day, where have all the real journalists gone?
Seems like only a loser would keep reading articles & posting on a site that sucks, no?
Good lord, where to begin?
A persons *maximum* capacity to work out what their talents are and to work hard in utilising them *is itself* something over which the person has no control. And a persons capacity to develop talents is itself something over which they can’t control. Free will in the way most conceive of it, is an illusion. Thoughts just emerge from your brain without “you” being the originator. So we should each just hope we are endowed with a good brain.
Thought-provoking & admittedly true for the most part. However, physical talent aside, a natural aptitude, luck and connections are the key ingredients to a place at the top table. Know this – there was more than one Einstein, for example. There were/are hundreds, in fact, or possibly thousands. But just like sperm, he was the one who cracked the egg! As above, so below.
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