Unstructured Talent

I'm always in awe of people who are able to express their naturally gifted talent(s), not necessarily because they've become great at it but because they've bridge the gap between potential and expression.

Now, the debate is still going on whether everyone of us is naturally gifted or not. I personally think so but from the view that it's similar to being in a dark room with a lightbulb switch.

One may not be aware that this switch can light up the room, simply because the set of factors(experiences) to make one aware of the switch is not present. But the switch is there nonetheless.

Maybe this could be loosely tied to being lucky in life, as in having the necessary experiences that will make one aware or discover the switch(natural gift(s)).

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Some of us may go through a whole lifetime without being able to discover our natural gifts because the experience(s) to facilitate that isn't present.

In such cases, those type of people could be termed "unlucky", because they're missing a dimension that could enrich their lives in ways they can only imagine.

Another form of being "unlucky" is discovering your natural gifts but not being able to make use of them because there are more important and urgent priorities to focus on.

For example, someone may discover they have a natural talent for music, but have to forgo pursuing it due to financial pressures or family obligations.

Conflicts Of An Indifferent World

Arguably, discovering your natural talent(s) is important, but an equally important and perhaps, much harder to accomplish is developing that talent against the backdrop of living a normal life in an indifferent world.

Usually, what you may want to do and what you need to do are almost polar opposites, both can't co-exist at the same space/time, without causing conflicts.

I remember when I first discovered sketch drawing and I'll never forget the sense of wonder and excitement I felt when I was finally able to loosely capture(no colors to bring it alive) a scene that I had on my mind on a piece of paper.

It was like magic until life's demands broke the spell, and I had to put this artistic inclination of mine on the back burner.

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The point is unstructured talent can be a double-edged sword. Since it represents an amazing glimpse of what we're capable of, but actualizing that potential can feel elusive and always out of reach.

This is a main source of my frustration with modern life recently and in my view, bridging the gap between natural ability and tangible achievement with an unstructured talent may require immense self-discipline and a touch of stubborn-ness amidst the competing demands of everyday life.

Sometimes, my hand will be itching to create art but it's stuck with this device they call a smartphone.


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