Having attended 4 years of art school and graduated feeling very disillusioned by the entire thing, I used to ask that question a lot. Also, working in a art gallery has helped me to see the other side of the world of art in general. Therefore, in my humble opinion, it's a very delicate mix of:
1) talent -which usually influences how long it takes you to become comfortable in your chosen medium and how much practice time you need to put in.
2) passion - the crazy gut feeling that tells you that your art is what makes you happy even when you feel like you are getting nowhere near your desired level of prowess.
3) timing and marketing-depending on whether your have aspirations of fame as a result of your creations because there are times when certain things are 'in fashion' or people's minds are more open to certain things and if your work fills the niche market then you'll probably catapult to fame, how long-lived that will be is entirely another matter.
Furthermore, if you do aspire to be 'famous' or at least appreciated enough to earn a decent salary from your work, a great piece of advice I received was that you have to put yourself and your work out there, get to meet other artists who do similar things, ask for their advice be respectful and open to it but never let anyone change your style unless you want to and don't expect to exist in a bubble where some amazing 'talent scout' will discover you and somehow sense how amazing you are without any proof of it.
I apologize for rambling but this is a topic I could go into a lot of detail about. For now, I'll leave it at that, hopefully that sort of helps.
Forum:
Is there such a thing as talent, or is it all just practice?
Since this is the "Arts" forum, I'd thought that this would be the appropriate place for this thread.
As a person who aspires to become an artist and slowly move away from 9-5 jobs, I'd like to pose the question - "Is there such a thing as talent or is it all just practice?" Not everyone has the time to become another "Eddie Van Halen" on guitar, nor can the average Joe paint a "Mona Lisa."
All things may be possible, however what would one say about for example, the 5'1 101 pound male who wants to become the heavy-weight champion in boxing? I chose this example because it engages with my earlier question. I have no designs on becoming a professional fighter, however I think to evolve properly as well as effectively into what I desire, I have to also take in to account certain limits. Much like the 5'1 101 pound male who wishes to become the heavy-weight champion in boxing, I have to learn to work within specific parameters. Perhaps at best, painting and writing (the two areas I wish to make a mark in) should be more of a hobby and not my primary occupation. "Not quitting my day job" may just be a useful piece of advice for myself.
So, what does everyone think? Is it really talent, or just a lot of practice predominantly that makes an artist great at their chosen craft?
Lots of practice! Motivation is also key.
I'm currently a computer animator/modeller and it's not as simple as picking up a paintbrush & paint a Mona Lisa. Personally, I found it easy in the way of self-taught. You do miss the occasional shortcut or tricks-of-the-trade by self-teaching in general. Looking back to my older work I did 10 years ago and I can see the faults I made & what I could've done better. And I can say, I'm getting better.
Like the old saying, practicing makes perfect.