Talent Verses Ability

In the world there seems to be a magic dividing line between the Artist and the average person. The average person believes that talent is a thing that you are born with and you either have it or you don’t.

The problem with Talent is this; it is one part ability, one part practice and two parts focused drive. The average person on the street may not understand this process and often put the Artist on a pedestal because of what is perceived as “God Given” talent. It has been my experience however that most humans have some measure of ability and with a little practice and a few pointers their ability evolves. The main difference between the average person and the “Artist” is the focused drive. An Artist is driven sometimes to the exclusion of all else and it is this, as the old saying goes, that “Divides the Men from the Boys” but isn’t this true of so many things? The driven Artist often has to be reminded to join the rest of the world once in a while. Without a doubt these individuals will always rise to the top in direct proportion to their ability to be driven and focused.

When I teach people painting and drawing it doesn’t take long before I see which ones are the ones with ability and the ones with talent. The talented artists will be focused, and involved in their projects while the ones with abilities will just coast along making due with the minimum effort. The final results will, on the surface look similar but when inspected a little deeper talent will win out. The talented person’s work always has that little bit of something extra that shines through

So now the question arises, can I move from just having ability to having talent? The answer happily is yes, but only if you can find inside yourself the focused drive required in order to push yourself to the next level. Sometimes that may just look like discipline to practice more in order to perfect difficult techniques or maybe it will be to get out there and look for representation. It may even be to invent a way of doing things that no one else has done before. Remember “Focused Drive” will give you the edge over ability alone every time, even if your competition has a greater level of ability than you do.

If you can’t find the drive inside you that’s alright too; just accept this about yourself and learn to enjoy the level you are at and take the pressure off yourself to be the best. Sadly I see individuals with ability abandon what they do completely because they are not as good as they think they could be. Creativity is the great balm for the soul, it helps to calm and restore our stressed out minds and that in itself makes it a pass time worth perusing, as long as you take it one day at a time.

Paucity Principal

The Paucity Principal

pau·ci·ty

noun /pôsitē  paucities, plural

Paucity means "the presence of something in small or insufficient quantities or amounts; scarcity." In our game, it's one of the main principles. Robert Genn

Artist, Robert Genn, is a big supporter of the power of paucity in an Artist’s work and I happen to agree with him and have been using it in my work for over 20 years, long before I knew there was a name for it. To put it into layman’s terms it would be the difference between a Robert Bateman painting and a Rembrandt drawing or a full orchestra playing and a simple flute. My mentor and friend Elaine Bigelow always referred to it as “Less is More, You don’t have to tell them everything”. For the main stream Art critiques and buyers this looks like unfinished work but I ask you when is a painting or anything creative finished? I say when the Artist say’s it is.

This concept is not popular with galleries and those that do not appreciate art but it is the way I chose to paint and I encourage you to try out the idea no matter what your artistic discipline. As an artist I can tell my story in the way I chose, just as an author tells their story in the fashion they do. Even an Author knows that too much description within a story can be worse than not enough as the viewer becomes bored; there is no room for them to use their imagination.

When we leave out some of the information that we see in reality we now add a 4^th dimension to the world, the dimension of “Perception of Content”. This powerful dimension allows the viewer or the listener to now become an active part in the art being created. When a line on a painting is left unfinished and is placed in a certain way the human eye will finish it, by doing this they are part of the process of painting, with out them it is incomplete. This is often used in stage production, when only key pieces of furniture or props are given to the actors to work with and the audience must imagine what the rest of the room would look like. The beauty of this process is the imaginary window the actor looks out can now become the viewer’s window at home and through this they are part of the performance.

We, the artist, are no longer required to fill in all the information. Rembrandt showed us in his simple line drawings that as long as you are true to your self and sensitive to your subject the viewer will know what you have drawn. Singing without the benefit of an orchestra can be as hauntingly beautiful as with. An actor holding his hand in a certain way and lifting it to their lips will allow you to believe the glass is there, half full or half empty. Which it is, is up to you.

Sandra Taylor Hedges

The Wall

Recently I was asked to do a commission painting of a seascape of a southern beach from a vacation snap that my client provided.  The first problem was the photo was not the best view I am sure of this section of beach, but what can you do.  So with some encouraging on my part and a few drawings I convinced them of the wisdom in adding a horizon line and some sky in the distance.  That along with a couple of other minor adjustments and we had a composition that I felt would work and they were excited about. 

This as I discovered was the least of my problems.  Getting excited about painting it was my real challenge.  When we as Creative people engage ourselves in the process we usually have a catalyst or idea that we are challenged by and when we are asked to do something that is old hat to us, we can hit “The Wall”. 

You know what “The Wall” is, it is that invisible barrier that comes up and keeps us from taking another step forward.  Runners experience “The Wall” often on long runs when suddenly even though up to this point everything was great it’s as if the air became thicker and their feet have sunk into mud and every muscle screams for them to stop.  Experienced runners know that this is the time to keep pushing because very shortly the energy will return to them and they get a renewed burst of strength.

It is the very same process for Artists we just need to recognize it and push forward.  When we are in our creative place time does not exist, we are focused and full of energy but when we are asked to do something (especially with a time limiting factor added in) that is not stimulating to our creative self we need to find ways to not hit “The Wall”.    How I got myself into the right space to work on the seascape was listen to sounds of the ocean from my computer, and look at lots of photos of beaches that were similar to the one I was going to paint.  When that didn’t do it for me anymore I took myself outside into the elements near the water to at least feel the energy of the water near by and feel like I was on location. 

For you depending on your discipline and the commission you are working on this may look very different, perhaps playing some music, taking a walk, going to a concert or play may be what you need to get yourself motivated.  The important thing is to not allow your Left Brain to start pulling up the list of things to do that takes you away from working on your commission. That tricky Left Brain is always trying to make us do practical things that it is good at and keeps it in control.  If this happens the next thing you know days and weeks have passed and now your customer is calling you asking when it will be ready and you are still stalling. 

So take it from the long distance runner, do what ever you can to push through “The Wall” because when you come out on the other side of it, you will be brilliant!!

Sandra Taylor Hedges

Preface

Truth

The truth is colour blind;
it does not see man or woman; race or creed;
it is not found exclusively in a particular religion or philosophy yet when spoken the truth resonates deep within your soul.

Ego

The ego is the great liar! It wants you to believe that you are not perfect and that you need to have more but the truth about you is this:
You are not what you have;
You are not what you do;
You are not what people think of you;
You are not separate from everyone else;
You are not separate from what you need to be happy.
You are whole and perfect exactly as you are.
The day you believe this truth
is the day you will the master of your destiny.

The Rules sound so simple and yet they are truly difficult to master.
Why? The answer is as simple as the rules are. We all like to live in a comfort zone. The comfort zone may not even be working for us and in fact cause us a great deal of grief in our life and relationships, but it’s what we are familiar with so we hesitate to change. We resist changing what we are doing simply because we are used to doing it that way and we justify what we are doing by saying that it’s our habit.

It is the nature of Humans to develop habits. Habits are Natures way of keeping us safe, it starts from the time we are tiny babies and realise that if we cry out we will get a reaction. It doesn’t matter if we are hungry, lonely or in pain. We make our need known and we have it met, nothing changes over the lifetime of a Human just the need and the solution to getting that need met.

Along the way we develop an expectation that if we do “X” then “Y’ will occur. Unfortunately the variables of a situation will change or sometimes an individual that we are expecting a reaction in our favour from doesn’t quite respond the way we would like them to.

This is when problems start.

When expectations are not met then the people who are interacting become confused. This confusion can result in one or more of several things.
1. Hostility or anger (This is not fair, what is your problem)
2. Defensive posturing ( It’s not me it’s them)
3. Low self esteem ( It must be me, I’m not worthy )
4. Separation from the situation (leaving, walking away either temporarily or permanently)

Think of a time when you entered into a situation that didn’t go the way you expected it to go. What was your reaction after the first feelings of confusion? When this happened a second or third time, did you say to yourself -
“Maybe this approach isn’t working and I need to change it” or did you say
“I don’t know why I even bother it always turns out this way. I’m just not good at it”? “They don’t understand”

Most of us will fall in to the second option and for a very valid reason.
For a lot of other people this solution to a problem works perfectly fine, so it must be us. If only I was, smarter, taller, shorter, more talented, less controlling, a man, a woman, I would be able to do this and do it well. You become used to failing and come to expect it. You now have developed a “Failure Habit”.

Still confused? Don’t worry you are not alone. Let’s look at the rules one by one and see if it can start to make sense.

Rule #6

Rule #6 – Creativity needs the company of creativity

Creative Sympathetic Resonance

Have you ever wondered why it is that when you go to an artist’s workshop and spend a day or several days with a group of artists that you find that your abilities seem to skyrocket? Suddenly you find that you are full of ideas and inspiration virtually everything you try comes out golden and even when you make mistakes you instantly seem to know what went wrong and how to fix it. When the workshop is done and you are back in your own space the same brilliance that you had at the workshop seems to leak away with each passing day until you are back to starring around the room looking for something to jump out at you and move you to create.
Conversely have you ever wondered why even though you have the perfect space set up in your home or a studio away from home you find yourself tidying up and organizing the room instead of creating your art? The phone rings and the slightest thing will send you in the opposite direction. You suddenly remember the laundry needs done or you need something at the store for dinner.

The reason for this is simple: Creative Sympathetic Resonance.

What is Creative Sympathetic Resonance? It is simply the science of similar vibrations, or sympathetic vibrations. It is not new age mumbo jumbo but science pure and simple. When objects of a similar or sympathetic vibration are near each other they start to vibrate in strength and harmony together. Piano tuners have taken advantage of this science for centuries. A tuning fork is struck and the cord which is attached the key vibrates all the others stay still. The piano tuner will then adjust the cords until the correct string vibrates at the correct key. It is the same thing with everything in the universe, everything vibrates.
Quantum physics now with the help of the electron microscope can see down to the level of the very molecules that we are made up of and what they found was that at that level everything is vibrating. Each object that they examined vibrated at a different frequency.
So before I put you to sleep with all that science stuff what does that have to do with an artist anyway? Simply put artists vibrate at a similar frequency when they are in a place where they are exercising their right brain or in other words being creative and when we are together that vibration becomes stronger. The stronger the vibration the more freely the creative energy flows through you and around you. The more freely the energy flows the better your art.
It is for this reason that when you are painting with other artists whether outdoors or in your studio you feel more in tune with that part of you that is driven to create. The longer you are in the vibration the stronger the energy comes to and through you the stronger the energy the better your art.
So don’t create your art alone! Don’t believe the crap your ego is telling you that you need solitude to do your best work or working with other artists is distracting because it is just that, crap! Your ego is not always your friend remember Rules #2, 3 and 4!
If you want your skills to soar then call up your painting buddies, put a pot of tea on, get as many creative souls as you can squeeze in your space and start making art!

Excerpt from: The Rules for Painting & Life
By
Sandra Taylor/Hedges

Dear Readers,

For years I have been teaching art classes to both novice and seasoned artists. During that time I have seen a pattern form in the evolution of each artist and although it started as a list more tongue in cheek than serious I soon found that the "Rules" for my painting classes became a standard of teaching that each of my students clung to. So by popular demand I am now putting the rules to paper and explaining the reasoning behind each of them.
Over the next couple of months I will be looking at each of the rules in further detail but not always in any particular order so stay tuned to this blog for more details. I invite your questions and comments as we discover the art of what works and what doesn't.

Rules for Painting…
and life


1. There are No Rules (Just really good advice)
To quote Monet, “I neglect the rules of painting in order to paint what I feel”

2. If it works, Keep Doing it

3. If it’s not working, Stop Doing it !!!!

4. Get a Second opinion
But only from someone you trust to tell the truth

5. Knowledge doesn’t guarantee results
The secret is make your art, good, bad or indifferent make it!

6. Creativity needs the company of creativity
Feed your need to talk about and make art with other people who need to talk about
and make art. Experience the phenomenon of symbiotic creative resonance.

7. Challenge yourself, and you will grow
Take a step outside your comfort zone!

8. Creativity needs exercise daily

9. If you think you know it all, sorry you don’t!
Every day of your life there is something new to learn.
There is no age limit on acquiring new skills or knowledge.

10. Believe in your dreams!!

Sandra Taylor/Hedges
Copyright 2006 by Artist S. Taylor