Genius

My best friend shared this with me a while back.

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple of years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never got past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal, and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work." --Unknown

I read this and I was like, so it isn't just me, I'm not alone! Whew! 

But then how long does this phase last? Because I'm still in it! :P

The thing with art and all creative work is that they're largely based on talent; talent, and a good deal of genius. It's either you have it or you don't.

Hard work and practice can get you far. But hard work, practice AND talent can get you there. But you can't rely on talent alone. You also need that spark, that idea, that inspiration, that aha! moment. You need genius. Add genius into the mix and you get straight to the top. 

Unfortunately, genius isn't easy to come by. 

Bravo to those who found it, who have reached it, who own it. :-)