“Talent is different from skill. Talent is something you’re born with. A skill is something you learn.”
These are words that my boss said to me today. As she was explaining the difference between talent and skills I began to wonder if I truly have the talent it takes to excel at my job.
She said that in our field, talent means an insatiable curiosity and hunger to know how everything works, a need to stay abreast of new information and new trends, an enthusiasm for engaging others.
As these words were coming out of her mouth I was creating a checklist in my head. This list was made up of two columns. One column was labeled Talent and it contained all the items she was listing. The other column was labeled Things I’d Rather Be Doing. For every item of talent in one column was an activity in the other column. For every thing that I should be doing to demonstrate talent, there was a thing I know I would do instead that required no talent at all.
In my mind I took a step back and sighed. This spot– this exact spot where I see things I should be doing juxtaposed with the things I know I’ll do instead– is where I’ve been what feels like all my life. As an adult, I’ve accomplished a good deal of things: I have a bachelor’s degree, an MBA, a good amount of varied work experience, a great job. I have a creative life outside of work that includes performing in sketch comedy shows, improv, and acting in comedy videos. But when it comes to this discussion about talent versus skills, none of that puts more in my talent column than it does in my skills column. I have learned that I have to do certain things to evolve in life, but I am born with an innate desire to sit still and do nothing at all. All of my energy is used up in fighting my desire to sit still while talent erodes on the sidelines.
Well, that’s what it feels like at least. I know it would be a great disservice to myself to say that I have absolutely no talent. I have tons of talent, actually. However, I spend such an exhausting amount of time investing in the skills I need to unleash that talent that I forget it’s there at all. For example, I have invested such a huge amount of time (and money, so much money) in my education to learn the skills I need to get the job I want in order to make a good career for myself. The skills I acquired in college and grad school enabled me to get jobs that exposed me to truly talented people who have helped me get ahead in life. Under the guidance of these people, I have been able to find and expose certain talents. I am very grateful for this. However, having met these truly talented people has given me insight as to how truly talented minds work. And, truth be told, my mind simply does not work in that way.
The things my boss was saying about having talent in our field (marketing and social media) goes for all fields. You must be hungry, you must be curious, you must stay abreast of new information, you must feel the need to learn new tools, you must feel the need to engage and evolve. Have I ever been truly hungry? Truly curious? Have I ever really cared to stay in-the-know? Have I ever really cared to learn new tools? To engage and evolve? The answer is…I don’t think so. Not all by myself, out of the goodness of my own heart, without motive and just because I couldn’t help myself.
I am missing that chip, that switch that opens the floodgates to a deluge of talent that forces you to move in a certain direction. There it is– I am missing the switch, not the talent. But the result is just the same. It is the reason why I never really truly learned how to play the guitar after years of lessons. The reason why I never got farther than using MS Paint to draw anything. The reason why I never write anymore. I stand at the dam that separates me from my talent and I stare helplessly at a spot where it trickles in. While I stand there, I have two options: acquire the skills to make up for the inaccesible talent, or complain about my situation. Well, it turns out I have the time and inclination to do both.
Talons and Skills 