i've never been able to decide whether i would prefer to be a good jack of all trades (jill??), or have one amazing skill that i excel at. i definitely fall in the first category - i'm just not sure that i prefer that. i've always been somewhat good or average at everything i try, perhaps because the obsessive side of me encourages patience and perfection. so while i've been trying new crafts in the past year - bookbinding, knitting, embroidery, sewing etc, i've created things that are good but not like WOW.
here's the skill i don't have, that i wish i did: drawing. to me drawing is not something you can learn (not really, fully learn anyways). it's something that comes innately to people that have an eye for perspective and detail, and a certain style that helps them to just know how something should look on paper. if someone said to me, "draw a harp" or "sketch me an elephant"...well i wouldn't be able to. i could see the harp or the elephant in my mind but couldn't translate it to paper. it's hard to explain, but those things that make a harp a harp, or an elephant an elephant are the things i would forget to include. wouldn't even think to include! i would draw you an animal that would have a big body and four legs - but could just as easily be a dog or an anteater.*
how i wish i could draw!! i would do so many things, i have so many ideas! but alas, i'm not going to bother because even if i took classes in perspective and figure drawing, i would never innately know how and that wouldn't be good enough for me.
are there any skills or talents that you don't have but desperately wish you did?
* haha...you should google anteater, it's bound to brighten your day!
This is the age old conversation of nature vs. nurture. Yes, I agree, some people are just more APT to do certain things, while others need to really work at it to be good at it. I honestly am a believer in both, and if you PRACTICE hard at anything, you will indeed gain the skill. Kaitlyn, you are so talented, creative and have a GREAT eye for design. Remember these traits, an just start to doodle in a sketchbook that no one ever has to see. Don't have expectations for your drawings. The more you connect pencil to paper, the more you will connect your mind to your hand. Sometimes things don't come out as planned, but that's often what makes them unique and beautiful works of art. Much like the way a person looks (none of us are exact, or symmetrical), your drawings are allowed to be wonky, eccentric and imperfect, but only if you let go and allow them to be. With time they will line up closer to what's in your mind, and in turn your mind will line up closer to what your hand is capable of. XO
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