My 10,000 Hours - Art

For Christmas I received an easel/art set from an amazing woman who obviously knows me well and loves me.

I've been experimenting, practicing, learning, and having fun. While my little girl is taking her daily nap I pull up website tutorials or watch some video tutorials on YouTube.

Most of the stuff I draw isn't worth sharing yet but it's getting better and I'm seeing improvement. I'd like to start sharing my drawings at the end of the week, maybe Thursdays.

I was talking to somebody about "inborn talent" the other day, about how I feel I don't have any. This friend laughed and said neither did he, which I called out as a big fat lie because I've seen what he can do with a pencil and something to draw on: he is an artist verging on genius.

When I called him out on this, he explained something to me and really opened my eyes:

When I was a kid I played video games, read books, played sports. He drew.
When I was in school writing stories, reading books, and talking (awkwardly) to girls, he was drawing.
When I was an adult, working, reading books, playing video games, or talking (awkwardly) to women, he was drawing. And talking to women.
Even when he was hanging out with friends or doing something he loved, he had a drawing he was working on.

His "inborn talent" came from his love of drawing that started when he was young. Was he a better artist than most other 3 year olds? Maybe, sure. He had a grasp of shapes that other kids didn't have. Beyond that, though, it was practice that made him better. Constant practice. His "inborn talent" accounted for the most very basics and beyond that? Beyond that he had to work hard, learn, and constantly keep drawing.

If it takes 10,000 hours to master something, then inborn talent accounts for maybe the first 50 to 100 hours of practice. Beyond that it's all about slugging away at it, chipping away a block one piece at a time and learning new things. Something people don't tell you is that if you work and put in that first 50/100/200 hours of diligent practice, other folks will think that you have inborn talent too.

I have maybe 5 solid hours of work in on this art thing, half an hour or so each day, and I'm already seeing improvement. When I'm at 100 or so, I'll be a "natural."