Diligent Mediocrity

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want. – Margaret Young

How many gifted people do you know, true creative geniuses? Einstein, Michelangelo, Jimi Henrix? There are more, to be sure, but out of all the people who have lived the number is amazingly small. Which leads to the observation that most successful artists, not being geniuses, are able to do what they do because of one thing, and it is not talent - simple hard work. An enormous amount of hard work over many years; work that is demanding and painful. It is a fact most of us do not want to hear.

Researchers have shown that it takes about 10 years of hard work before some people arrive at a certain level of competence or even greatness. And not just any type of hard work. Experts call it deliberate practice. This deliberate practice model is found in all endeavors including music, art, athletic performance, medicine, even business. Paul Cezanne is a perfect example of an artist with a great deal of perseverance. He went every day to the foot of Mont Sainte-Victoire in France to paint it. Every day! In addition, it is not just any hard work. Hitting a bucket of golf balls at the driving range is not deliberate practice. Hitting 500 balls to within 20 feet of the pin most of the time and doing it every day is what the experts want. In a study of young violinists by Ericsson, the best group averaged 10,000 hours of deliberate practice over their lives, the next best averaged 7,500. Consistency is crucial as Ericsson points out. "Elite performers in many diverse domains have been found to practice, on the average, roughly the same amount every day, including weekends."

It seems there really is no such thing as a free lunch or free ride.

So is there such a thing as talent? Possibly, but for most of us the answer is, practice, practice, practice! And remember what Gustav Flaubert said, "Talent is long patience."

Next week I will discuss how the brain processes artistic creativity.

Just paint it!