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Whether you are talented or not is a judgment you can take in to yourself and make you quit trying. And there are plenty of moments in these endeavors when you can feel very insecure of your ability to accomplish what is in your heart to do.

It's a weird kind of upside down conceit. I myself have been praised for ideas that seem to pour from me constantly. And the sudden flash that goes along with a good idea is a kind of exhilarating, some would say spiritual experience. But what good are ideas you have no skills to render? I feel a responsibility to myself to do something decent with these gifts that come to me.

I set myself to learn to animate because I don't feel satisfied with them written--rather I am burning to convey them through the movement of animation. So that I set myself to actually learn to draw, something I never thought I could do. And also there is learning about film making...many skills involved there.

I used to think you had to be born already able to draw, but I am finding that you really can learn it although not quickly. But my freedom to try comes from not caring if anyone else decides I have talent or not. I do it because I just love it and not to succeed by others' standards. I do not have to earn my own living these days, after a lifetime of working many jobs to support 2 children by myself. So there is a great freedom to spend the kind of time and attention it takes.

I am deeply content with this effort. While I endeavor to make films to tickle children, I mostly enjoy the process myself.

Paul Fierlinger wrote: This is why I stopped going to the movies and quit mingling with other artists, moved to the suburbs, closed the doors and went to whichever places in my head my urges took me. My survival instincts taught me to isolate and deny that there could possibly be anything of any interest happening out there I could benefit from.

I think this is a very good practice. For me, at least, I got so caught up in thinking I had to match what they do or fit into this or that style, or nothing I made would have any value. Yet, look at Bill Plympton. He does his thing and doesn't seem to care what everyone else is doing. He's still going strong after how many years?

I agree that no amount of practice can make up for that special "something" where magic happens without explanation. Some of the best stories and images I have came to me in dreams. Some come when I just relaxing. I can't say many have come when watching all that Hollywood stuff.

I wrote: "The "talent" is the willingness and opportunity and drive to work hard, sacrifice, and dedicate your life to being a better artist or animator or musician or whatever."

Now that I've read Slowtiger's posts, I would define talent as "the ability to see."

I have known many talented people over my lifetime. But...

...the ones who worked the hardest did very well, and the ones who worked the hardest *and* were brazen about promoting themselves and their work did best of all.

Talent without the drive to practice and promote won't get you far.

Talent without the drive to practice and promote won't get you far.

I have seen talent go far enough without self promotion. Hubris is seldom pleasant to watch, particularly on talk shows and something tells me that many talented people could go the same distance without that.