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Gifted vs. Passion

Posted by Doug Tue, 20 Dec 2005 14:00:15 GMT

Discussions of talent vs. learned skill draw me in like a moth to the flame. I regularly get beat up over this, but I sincerely believe that natural talent or “giftedness” is over rated. That’s why when Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist David J. Leeson talks about the subject in a piece called The Voice Inside, I’m inclined to listen. When he supports my own thoughts, I’m inclined to post about it!

In fact, I have often said of my own life and career that I have always learned more from defeat than I ever did from victory. To win is an odd form of loss. I’ve seen it wreck young photojournalists who win big awards. Perhaps it is the mistaken sense of entitlement that ultimately ruins them – a belief that such things are supposed to happen to them. And when they don’t, they are left with no foundation from a lifetime of defeats. They know only the hollow sound of winning. A sword is forged in fire.

That’s where passion enters. I do not believe I was endowed with a special gift for something. Rather it was through hard work, determination, divine guidance and raw passion that allowed me the experience of a lifetime, to live as a photojournalist and travel the world with a singular purpose. All I ever wanted was to make a difference. I had my chance and I believe there is more to come.

This essay strikes me as similar to Craig Tanner’s The Myth of Talent. Both are highly skilled and acclaimed artists, but from different genres. Both have attributed their success to learning from failures and hard work. I recommend reading both articles.

See also my previous articles on this topic: Art, Talent, and Fear, and Red

Posted in Photography | Tags talent | 2 comments

True Fashion Ignorance

Posted by Doug Sun, 18 Dec 2005 21:01:44 GMT

So my wife, Carla, is dissing my sense of fashion. The sad part is that my poor boys are inheriting the same thing. I’m going to give three examples here, but there are countless I could include…

A few weeks ago Carla has laid out clothes for the boys to wear. We’re heading to a Christmas Cruise as a holiday work event. Turns out my youngest boy, Justin, puts his sweater on and then puts his turtle-neck on over the sweater. Neither Carla nor I caught it until it was almost time to go. You think, “OK, he’s just five. How cute.” Well, my eight year old boy did the exact same thing just this week.

Tonight we’re heading out to some friends house for dinner. Carla sends Justin up to change clothes. He comes to check with me, “Do I look good?” You always want to answer that with “yes”, but I noticed he was wearing sweat pants with his nice shirt. So I tell him, “That’s a nice shirt, but you need to put on jeans.” About two minutes later he comes back with his shirt on and his sweat pants around his ankles. “Do I leave these on?” I reply, “Leave you shirt on and put on some jeans.” He persists, “Do I leave these pants on?” I’m thinking, “What’s he going to do? Put jeans on over his sweats?”

I’m not sure why my boys have a fundamental lack of understanding about getting dressed or what’s appropriate attire to what events. My daughter, Tiffany, who’s just shy of four has pretty good tastes in clothes. All the time she corrects me, “Daddy, that doesn’t match!” Just now she asked me, “Do these shoes go with this outfit?” Truly fashion aware.

Posted in Humor, Family | no comments