Skill vs Talent: Why Both Matter in Art

Born With It

I definitely feel like I was naturally talented from the start. I remember the first person to point it out was one of my mom’s neighbors. I was about seven, outside on the floor coloring in Jamaica, and he noticed how I stayed perfectly in between the lines and did it so strategically. He told my mom, “This little girl is going to be an artist one day.” Funny enough, he was an artist himself, a musician. Talent really does recognize talent.

I did a lot of small drawings as a kid, but I didn’t start painting until my junior year of high school. Where I’m from in the Caribbean, art is often seen as just a hobby, not a career. But I knew from early on this was more than that. It was something I had to pursue.

It was my calling.

And the wild thing is, I stopped so many times. I had big gaps, even years of not creating. But every time I came back, I was somehow better than before. No practice, no daily grind. Just came back, picked up a brush, and boom, it flowed. If I had stayed consistent, who knows where I would be right now.

When Talent Carries

One moment that stands out is when I made the painting Perception. I had just taken two years off, and somehow when I came back, my work was more in-depth, more evolved, like a whole new style was waiting for me. I didn’t force it, it just came out like magic before my eyes.

That is the power of talent. It carries you even when you have been gone.

But let us be real, talent is not always enough. I felt that heavy in art school. I had to force ideas out of my a$$, pull stuff out of thin air, and it sucked. That was when I realized skill matters too.

The grind, the repetition, the uncomfortable part of learning.

The Misunderstanding

A lot of people misunderstand how this works. There is way more that goes into it than just pencil to paper or brush to canvas.

Talent is a gift, but skill is what helps you refine and sustain it.

What Keeps Me Steady

When I take long breaks, it is the talent that keeps me steady. That is the magic of it. The flow is always there when I return. But for longevity, I think both need to work hand in hand. You cannot just ride on talent forever, and you cannot just grind skill without a spark. For me, instinct comes first. When I am working on personal projects, I rely almost fully on instinct. For client work, it is about 75% instinct and 25% structure. I need both to make it work.

Being Called Talented

It comes to me naturally. And I will say it straight, Im lowkey cocky as f**k about my sh*t. I know Im good. I know I’m great. I’m amazing at what I do. Not on no master s**t , I’m humble about it, but trust me, I know my capabilities. I’m for certain about my craft.

It’s my gift, and I knew early on that this was going to be my lifestyle, the path I walk every day, fully committed to my craft and my flow.