Somewhere within the politics of innate versus acquired abilities, between capacity and performance lies the idea of talent ... What is it? Do you have it? And what does it take to develop it?
Definitions of talent often involve a person’s (a) greater than average (but not necessarily exceptional) ability, (b) creativity, and (c) motivation or task-commitment. A person with talent constructs their intellectual, creative, or social domains, in original, novel, or unique ways.
There are positives and negatives to the idea of talent in the creative industries. On the one hand, nurturing talent is one of the hallmarks of a validating, culture-wise community. On the other hand, in attributing talent to others, we ascribe value to a person with the effect of ranking them to be of ‘higher’ or ‘lesser’ value. There is something elitist about this approach. For example, think of talent-search shows on television and the manner in which they treat their participants; fame (with often the assumption of ‘success’ following) is not a reliable yardstick for exceptional ability.
The idea of ‘talent’ has an odd foothold in psychology. The term is used in everyday language, but to say that someone is ‘gifted’ often sets them apart and is sometimes describe a child as being ‘gifted’ suggests the child has been ‘given’ the gift – perhaps afforded by parents who have certain expectations about maximising the value of their child. Being ‘gifted’ describes a competency and assumes that competency has been bestowed by nature.
Research indicates that individuals who demonstrate excellent performance in their area of interest in any skill domain are those who have engaged in a great deal of deliberate practice. Genetic traits do not manifest themselves all at once at birth. Talent ‘kicks in’ dynamically over the lifespan. From this point of view, the child’s domain of talent cannot be predicted accurately. A child may start out playing the piano, transfer to composition, and end up being a conductor (of a train).
Many creative and talented people are late-bloomers who learn from experience and over time accrue mastery. For talent to be of any use, however, it needs to be nurtured. Mastery of a talent is a developmental process that gains specificity over the lifespan. Talent is not stable, and can be lost. The promising child can show little interest in using their 'innate' abilities and settle for mediocrity.
Every creative experience can be transformed into something of value. It all depends on the way you look at it. Are you excited by what you do? Do you easily give up when frustration sets in? The meaning you attribute to your interests engages your intelligence and commitment, as well as talent.
Road blocks can be stepping stones but you need to be motivated to overcome them. Problems can be viewed as opportunities. Many people give up before the creative process has been enriched by practice and informed by failure, or benefitting from an increasing depth of emotional intelligence as the person ages.
Everyone has talent, but sometimes their particular interests need to be coached out of them. Usually, the biggest problem is that people are devoted to distracting themselves – they socialise excessively, they watch too much TV. They forget to be creatively autonomous, and they minimise the importance of carving out a space to explore their interests. Many people ruin their creative exploration with expectations of fame. Nothing kills creativity quicker than confusing personal expression and a need for validation with fame (a superficial validation from others). The real test of the creative soul is how the person feeds their projects in a variety of everyday ways, to contemplate and let go sometimes, and trusting in the process.
Can you test someone’s creative potential/creativity?
Yes. The gold-standard psychometric tests for the assessment of creative thinking abilities are the Torrence Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). These tests are widely used around the world and are the most numerously researched creativity tests, with over 2000 studies reporting their use. The TTCT tests for ‘creativity’ in the following domains:
- Fluency: the ability to produce quantities of ideas which are relevant to the task of instruction.
- Originality: the ability to produce uncommon ideas or ideas that are totally new or unique.
- Elaboration: the ability to embellish ideas with details.
- Flexibility: the ability to process information or objects in different ways, given the same stimulus.
Where do you think you stand on these variables?
Creativity is a natural inclination of humankind. “The most beautiful think we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.” Albert Einstein.
