Interesting for this to pop up. I just attended a session on growth vs. fixed mindset. Fixed mindset would believe in talent as a magical device that we cannot overcome. If you don't have the talent, why try? Growth mindset would say that anyone can achieve anything if they only work at it. The classic example of growth mindset is Michael Jordan getting cut from his high school basketball team and then working harder than everyone else and becoming the greatest of all time.
I think what we perceive as talent is merely the proclivity to work at something obsessively. Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, claims that it takes 10,000 hours to become a genius at something. I also think that some of us are brought up in ways that foster a certain way of thinking. My family was very intellectual and read a lot. My dad is a visual artist and my mother was an english major. This has made me gravitate towards the arts in a big way. As a music teacher, I see kids raised in musical families succeed faster because they have more background. I, however, grew up around no musicians and had to develop those skills on my own. It took me longer to become proficient, but I got there on several instruments.
I do, however, think that some are born with more cognitive capacity than others due to genetics. The brain is an organ after all, and everyone is slightly different. I would argue, however, that for the most part, you earn your talent. Some art is objectively good and some creativity transcends time. Those folks are the outliers. They have exceptional intelligence mixed with a growth mindset and a nurturing and conducive environment. I would think that the rest of us are doomed to struggle in obscurity and a few lucky folks will write the next Twilight and make a million dollars.
Yes, I am judging you if you liked Twilight.
