Talent vs. Practice

I would argue that "talent" is a skill that can be learned like any other, and honed through practice. This applies to everything we do - sports, art, science, what have you. It all boils down to practice and interest.

People who are good at drawing or painting or sculpting, etc., are good at it because they have spent hours and hours doing it. They have spent hours and hours doing it because it is something they are interested in doing well. When non-artists look at the stuff we do, their response is usually something along the lines of "wow, that's awesome, I wish I could do that." The only thing that is stopping them is the fact that they aren't actually really interested in what we do. They enjoy the results, but not the process, and when/if they try to make art and fail to achieve whatever ideals they had in their mind when they start, they simply assume they are no good at it and give up.

That mentality is a load of hot bullshit. The thing that is lacking is not "talent," it's experience. The more you do a thing, the more practiced you are with a craft, the better you get at it. Nobody is born with an innate gift of composition or uncanny ability to draw a certain kind of line. It's something you work at and build.

If you feel like you are struggling now and that you will never be any good at making art, don't let it stop you from forging ahead. If you are actually interested in getting good, and you have the discipline to a) examine your mistakes to learn how to correct them, b) take criticism objectively, and c) stay focused on your task, eventually you will probably get better. Be patient with the craft and with yourself. You build success on a ladder of failures.

Actual "prodigies" are extremely rare, and the reason that they are prodigies is because they had a period of intense focus on the craft in early, developmental years. For those of us who missed that youthful burst of neural pathway growth, it takes longer to learn and develop these skills.