Friday, March 9, 2012

Trusting Your Talent

Just what is talent, anyway?  The dictionary defines it as a “natural aptitude or skill.”  The idea of talent permeates the study of the arts at all levels.  It’s one of those ideas that some people use to pigeon-hole others, or, even worse, it’s an idea that some people use to limit themselves. All manner of achievement is attributed to having talent and any number of short comings are blamed on the lack of talent.

I have been working with young talented people since 1973.  Some of them were more talented than others, of course. A few who thought they were talented, were surprisingly limited. Others were amazingly talented, yet completely unconvinced that they could achieve as an artist.  Others have been incredibly talented but it meant nothing to them.  Something inside of them kept them from fully understanding what talent really is and the importance of making the most out of it.

How much talent do you have and how much do you need?  I love the quotation attritbuted to Samuel Goldwyn, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”  With a very small  change, that idea sums up my feeling about talent.  “The harder I work, the more talented I become.”

Two years ago I worked with a young string player named Robert (not his real name).  Robert was a hard worker, very musical (lyrical player), he also worked beautifully with other players. Being a good collaborator is quite a gift.  One day I asked him if he was considering making music a career.  He told me, with some sadness, he wished he had that ability. I was stunned. If any student had that ability it was he, yet his own vision of himself was not big enough to include his talent.

The biggest mistake I have seen young artists make is to censor their own talent.  An artist's life is about hard work and also about expectations.  When a player asks me if they are sharp or flat on a given note, I always turn the question back to them.  90% of the time, when I make them answer, they are correct.  They have the ability but they are not fully aware they have it.

If you have a powerful motivation to be a musician, trust that. Something about it resonates within you. Listen to that.  Believe in your ability to master your craft and then work really hard at it.  No time will be wasted. Every bit of work you put into it you will get back ten-fold.

That's it.  That's my pitch.  I hope you will forgive my presumption in offering it to you.  I hope your journey of self-discovery offers abundant personal rewards and satisfaction.