Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “I was born to be an artist.” Or maybe you’ve heard that creativity is innate and not teachable. But both of these statements are gross oversimplifications of a much more complex issue.
What Constitutes Artistic Ability
As it turns out, there’s no quick answer because many factors come into play when you ask the question: Are artists born or made?
To understand how artistic ability develops in people, you must consider the role of nature and nurture in development; whether talent arises from natural ability or can be learned through dedication and guided instruction:
- Which parts of artistic ability come from genetics (nature) and;
- Which from the environment (nurture); whether innate talent is necessary for mastery of the arts; and whether scientific research supports a particular answer.
The debate over whether artists are born or made has been going on for hundreds – if not thousands – of years.
Personally, I believe that each of us is a born artist. From birth, creatives learn through life experience, and this continues into adulthood. Art flows out of us naturally – it’s a way to express ourselves and understand the world around us.
At the same time, our artistic abilities need to be honed through practice and instruction. The debate about whether artists are born or made is an argument about nature and nurture, heredity and environment (or both), and talent and deliberate practice.
Everyone Is Born With Creativity and Talent
I’ve always been a creative person. I was born with a gift and passion for music, drawing, painting and designing. I’ve always loved art since I was little.
I Believe That Everyone Is Born With Creativity and Talent
Creativity is innate and I believe that it cannot be learned, but can be improved. We’re all born with unique skills, interests, and experiences.
Some of us learn to develop our talents throughout our lives, others lose touch with them. You were born an artist. It’s up to you to decide what that means for you as an adult in today’s world.
If you’ve always wanted to be a professional artist like Van Gogh but never had the opportunity or didn’t think it was possible, now is your chance to consider it! The best part about being creative isn’t the end product, but the path that gets you there.
You probably have more creativity than you realize if you take some time and look at your life from different angles.
If We’re All Born Artists, Why Do We Talk About Made Artists?
An artist can be both talented and skilled. Talent is a person’s natural ability, what they can do without practice or training.
Skill is what you learn and develop with experience. You can think of it as the difference between a natural athlete and a trained athlete.
For example, most adults can’t dunk a basketball – it takes a lot of skill. But if an adult is 6 feet tall, he or she’s the talent to dunk just by virtue of height, without ever having picked up a basketball before.
It’s similar to the ability to draw. The harder you draw, the easier it becomes to get better results (this is called intentional practice).
As your skills increase, so does your confidence as an artist – but that doesn’t mean your creativity increases too!
Creativity Can Be Improved, Practiced, and Developed Throughout Your Life
As a creative, the most important thing is to understand the creative process. The more you learn about it, the better you can improve your own skills and develop ideas.
The more you practice, the better you get.
Like any other skill, creative abilities aren’t completely innate. Certainly, some people are more naturally gifted than others, but these skills can be acquired and improved throughout life.
Creativity is a process involving many factors.
It’s not just about having ideas – it’s also about putting those ideas into action within a certain time frame and budget. And as with anything, this process gets better with practice and careful learning.
How Does Training Affect the Creative Process?
The general structure of the creative process is very simple:
Understanding
How does my instrument work? How does the music work? What’re the rules that guide me in composing music? These are all questions that need to be answered before you can worry about how well you play your scales or chords. Understanding helps us find inspiration and create something new from what already exists.
Mastery
This aspect is more difficult than understanding because it requires years of practice. This aspect is about understanding how your instrument works, with all the details and nuances that go with it. It’s about skill and flexibility in playing your instrument, and being able to tell when something sounds good (or bad).
For example, if you want to be a writer, the first rule is to read and learn, and the second rule is to write. And the third and most important rule is to keep writing until you’ve written something that you yourself can’t believe you’ve written. Then do it again.
There are many different models of how to approach the creative process, but they’ve some common elements:
Gathering Information
Whether you’re designing a new poster or a new product, you need to know something about the target audience and their needs before you start designing. You can do this through research, user testing, or simply through your own experiences.
Generate Ideas
This is when you start sketching out concepts for your design. You don’t have to have everything in your head at this stage, nor should you! The goal is to gather as many ideas as possible and then select the best ones to explore further.
Refine Ideas
Once you have a few solid concepts in mind, you can start refining them into more detailed designs. At this point, you can build prototypes to test with users and get initial feedback on your artistic creation.
How Does Our Skill Level Affect Our Creativity?
It’s often said that you need to have a certain level of skill and knowledge to be creative. Some say you need certain skills, but others say you can’t be creative if you’re too skilled.
So does skill affect creativity? Yes, but they don’t necessarily make you more creative or less creative. Just as creativity can overcome a lack of skill, skill doesn’t always lead to creativity.
You may have heard the phrase, “practice makes perfect.” While it’s true that practice makes us better, there’s a flip side to that saying. The more you do something, the more your skills become automatic. You no longer have to spend a lot of cognitive energy thinking about how to do certain things, and you’ve more brain capacity for creative thinking. In other words, practice makes creativity possible.
Practice also improves your ability to handle failure by increasing your frustration tolerance and boosting your confidence. When people fail at something they want to be good at, their hard work and perseverance is often affected; but the more you practice, the less failure affects you, and the more likely you’re to keep trying new things until one of them works out!
Why Do We Assume That a Trained Artist Is Less Creative Than a Self-Taught Artist?
In our society, we tend to idolize self-taught artists. We assume that their work is purer and more creative than that of an artist who’s gone through formal training because they haven’t been influenced by other artists. I’ve found that this assumption is false and sometimes even harmful.
When you assume that an artist is more creative because he or she taught themselves, you’re basically saying that being in an art program sucks the creativity out of you. You’re also saying that someone who can’t afford to attend art school (or chooses not to) is automatically more creative than someone who’s attended art school.
There are many assumptions behind such a mentality, all of which are false. It’s important to recognize that there are other factors involved in creating great art than whether or not an artist has had formal training.
The Myth of the Creative Muse
Let’s dispel the idea of the muse once and for all, shall we? It’s a myth. A metaphor. A story. It’s a limiting belief, a convenient excuse for creative block.
The truth is, you’re the creator of your own reality – and that includes how you think about creativity.
If you’re waiting for some magical force to drop the perfect idea in your lap, I can tell you that’s not going to happen – it doesn’t work that way (except in the Matrix).
The good news is that if there’s no muse out there dropping ideas at any time and any place, then that means YOU is in control of when and where (or if) you get inspiration: It also means that YOU doesn’t have to wait for an elusive muse to show up whenever she feels like it. YOU can go out and find inspiration on your own!
Become a Professional Artist
As an artist, you’ll always be learning new things, and while you may be born with a natural talent for art, you certainly won’t be born a professional artist.
The more knowledge you have at your disposal, the better your art will be. I can guarantee you that in four years of higher education you’ll not learn everything there’s to know about art. You need to continue your education throughout your life.
A degree can give you a good foundation of knowledge and skills, but it alone won’t make you a professional artist. It takes years of experience and a lot of practice and dedication before you become a professional artist.
You don’t necessarily need a degree in art or a related subject to become an artist. There are many different paths that lead to becoming an artist; some take longer than others. However, if you want to get started quickly and with purpose, studying art or taking a variety of classes is a good place to start.
Becoming a Professional Artist Isn’t an Easy Task
However, there are a few things you can do to get your art out into the world and help you become a professional artist. Here are some tips that I hope will help you:
- Educate yourself about the art business so you know what’s involved. Start by reading articles here and on other websites, including online forums. You should also read books about being an artist, business, and marketing. There’s a lot to learn and you may feel overwhelmed at first, but the more you read and learn, the better prepared you’ll be.
- Get feedback from artists who’ve already made it. Talk to established artists, visit their studios and ask them how they did it. They may not tell you everything they know, but getting insight into how they became successful will help you understand what it takes to become a professional artist. Also, ask them about the mistakes they made along the way so you don’t have to make those mistakes yourself.
- Take classes when necessary. If there are areas in your artistic career where you need to further your education or develop your skills, take a class to further your education or practice those skills until they get better. (For example: If you’re not good at painting, take a painting class; if you’re not good at writing
What Makes a Professional Artist Unique and Creative?
A professional has his/her own vision. An amateur uses the work of others as a model for his/her own work. A professional knows that good art takes time, and there are many other factors to consider. For example:
Creativity
Creativity is a natural talent that you don’t learn in an art class, it’s something that comes naturally to you. However, art class can help a self-taught artist improve his or her technique, and learn more about art history, which can be inspiring and enhance natural creativity.
Whether it’s fine arts, drawing, painting, craft, or music, a great artist will have a creative spark, the ability to see things differently than others, and the ability to think outside the box and come up with new ideas. Without this innate talent, the artist won’t stand out in any way.
Personality and Presence
Getting along well with others is an important part of the business. I’ve seen many talented artists who never became successful because they struggled in dealing with others or communicating what they want or need.
Professional artists must be able to work well with others and market themselves and their work. This isn’t a job for someone who’s shy or reclusive. If you’re an artist who needs solitude to create, you may need to hire someone to do your marketing for you.
Hard Work
Whether you’re into visual art or a musician, whether self-taught or with the right artistic skill, beyond a certain level, the natural talent and basic skills of creatives are no longer enough: To make a living as an artist, you need drive, determination and dedication to master any artistic skill.
You’ll have to make many sacrifices along the way and you must be willing to put your art above other things.
Educational Background
An artist must be knowledgeable about his or her field: A professional artist must be knowledgeable about his or her subject, which he or she conveys through technical skill, perspective, and crucial details that make each piece unique.
Quality
what separates the professional from the amateur is experience, training, and talent. The more experience you’ve in a particular field, the better you’ll be at it. It’s not just about having a good eye for what looks good, it’s also about recognizing what’s wrong with something and fixing it.
If you want to create art that lasts, you need to make sure it’s made of quality materials and done right.
Life Experience
Because our emotions stimulate our imagination, the more life experience we have, the more emotions we’ve developed.
Keep in mind that Van Gogh didn’t become famous until the last two years of his life, so you may be in for a very long journey unless you get lucky along the way. In the visual arts, as you know if you know anything about art history, there are many factors that make a professional artist famous.
Being a trained artist with natural creativity a lot of imagination and a great technique may not be enough. Life experience also has a big role if you want to become successful in your craft.
That’s why in art history we very often see a great artist showing his greatest artistic talent towards the end of his or her life. For example, Frida Kahlo’s last painting Viva la Vida is one amazing artistic creation and it’s obvious that she created amazing visual imagery with her color technique.
The same goes for Bob Marley as a musician with the Redemption Song, which many talented artists still play today.