What Real Talent Is

A sketchbook as an Art Gym

“This idea that we are meant to run from, pain, or run from, difficult things, and find the most leisurely and completely frictionless existence possible, is such a lie.

It’s not just a lie because it’s not possible, but if it were possible, that would kill you the most”

-Jon Batiste

Jon Batiste on the Tim Ferriss Show

Meditation. Repetition. Mantras.

Ritual. Routine, Workouts.

There is something to be said about getting into a rhythm.

It’s not easy to hit the gym or your sketchbook everyday. But there is a kind of progress that only happens when you do things daily. Especially hard things.

Serena William’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou says that Real talent is NOT what is obvious to us.

It is NOT the ability to achieve without effort.

Real talent is the exact opposite. It is the vision, the ambition and the ability to wake up every morning with the same focus and the same drive.

I was one week into a Children’s Book Illustration course when I learned that my wife was pregnant. After all the happy tears, I realised that I now had one shot. 8 months in lockdown was the best chance I was ever going to get to turn my dream of becoming an illustrator into a reality.

I approached it with patience and urgency.

When people told me I was motivated, I corrected them, I was desperate.

For those 8 months, I spent every day pursuing this goal, persistently with urgency. Now it has become a kind of habit for me, a default state.

There is a realisation that needs to happen that links small daily action to your lofty goals. May you have that realisation today.

PS: “There is a path, and you are accounted for in that path” Jon Batiste, Musician on the divine logic of the universe

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Have you connected your daily actions to your lofty goals?

Do you have a castle in the air, some dream you are pursuing? Did you take a step today in that direction?

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TenMinuteArtist Prompt:

Repetition

In your sketchbook create repetitions, pick a line, circle or star, fill a sketchbook page with just that. Get comfortable in the repetition.

Share this with the person in your life who is always sketching

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Award winning illustrator Adam Ming draws lessons from creative legends, industry experts, and his own experience of rapidly breaking into international publishing from a third world country.

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If you would like to draw together with me and my illustrator friend Katie Stack every month live on Zoom, sign up for Art Gym. Art gym is a fun and social way to practice drawing at any skill level.