Brooke Wu details the intersection of talent and hard work.
By Brooke Wu ’23
Maybe my title seems depressing, but in truth, I believe that most people have probably compared themselves to a mere infant who is incredibly talented at something. I have seen my friends who are passionate about their hobbies such as drawing or playing the violin put themselves down because some 5-year-old on YouTube can do those things considerably better than they themselves ever could. I admit that I, too, have thrown myself down a pit of despair because of a child prodigy named Akiane Kramarik who was so much better at painting than I could ever imagine myself being. While this in itself is not particularly difficult to accomplish, because I am quite the amateur at traditional painting, Kramarik was still a remarkable artist of humongous talent at such a young age, acknowledged even by celebrities such as Oprah.
Above: Prince of Peace was completed by young artist Akiane Kramarik at the age of 8.
As someone who considered herself to be a relatively good artist back in elementary school, I was extraordinarily humbled by the talent of many artists I encountered on the internet, such as Kramarik. But by now I have decided to use the superior skill of other people, many of whom are far younger than me, as an inspiration to keep on improving myself, rather than a reason for despair. I used to be very jealous of these prodigies, and I assume that many others feel a sense of envy towards them as well; however, is there really anything to be envious of in the first place?Firstly, in most cases, age does not really matter that much; society greatly underestimates children. Just because a person is young does not mean that they absolutely cannot be good at something such as art or music. Many hobbies or passions depend on the amount of time and effort you put into learning it, not how old you are. A 12-year-old who has been playing the piano for 7 years is probably going to be better than a 30-year-old who has been playing the piano for less than 1 year. There is essentially no handicap to learn or practice something at a very young age, and yet people often act as though there is. In fact, since it is actually easier to learn something as a child, I find it way more impressive for an adult to become proficiently skilled at a hobby in a short amount of time compared to a child who has spent a majority of their life just practicing.
Above: Science and Charity was painted by the famous Pablo Picasso at the age of 15.
Second, a vast majority of the greatest child prodigies are often exploited by their parents and are unable to live a normal life, heavily impacting their ability to socialize and connect with their peers and the outside world. Many parents of such extraordinary children tend to want to live through their kids vicariously and pressure them to be shining stars while overworking themselves and forcing their children to cut themselves off from the rest of society. Some parents like to be able to brag about how talented their child is, while others may benefit financially from their child’s feats. Whatever the case, these prodigies are more often than not capitalized and conditioned to the maximum by their parents without any thought as to whether or not this child will be able to have a good childhood and develop properly. I would say that forcing your child to practice math problems for 17 hours a day and not having any friends is not great parenting. Yet in the eyes of many toxic parents, it has somehow become the leading tactic for their child to become the absolute best in their respective fields and be renowned for their abilities. Furthermore, child prodigies are also often ostracized by their peers and lack social skills.
Above: Beverly Klass was a child prodigy at golf, however, she was beaten by her father using a belt whenever she did not practice.
Conclusively, being a child prodigy is not that desirable of a situation. I have nothing against child prodigies themselves (to any who may be reading this), but I genuinely believe that they are, to an extent, horribly glorified. In most cases, true “talent” is not the cause of a child’s aptitude, but it rather comes from hard work, which can be pursued by any person of any age. So there is not much of a reason to be jealous of kids who are insanely talented; with time and effort, no matter how old you are, it is plausible for you to become just as skilled as them – you just need to dedicate yourself! This is the season to be thankful for what you have.
Above: Kareem Waris Olamilekan is a 11 year old hyperrealism artist from Nigeria who won Taiwan’s 22nd Fervent Global Love of Lives Award in 2019.
Works Cited:
Life and Times of Terence Tao. qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-83f7722a245a2cef737ac6e9ff700ab5-c.
Kramarik, Akiane. “Prince of Peace.” Akiane, WordPress, akiane.com/product/prince-of-peace/.
“Science and Charity.” Pablo Ruiz , www.pablo-ruiz-picasso.net/images/works/11.jpg.
Rogers, Art. “Seven Year Old Beverly Klass Adjusting Her Shoe during Competition in Los Angeles City Junior Golf Tournament, 1964.” Calisphere, University of California , calisphere.org/clip/500×500/ebba543600a52a0b9ffa253050592236.
Kiunguyu, Kylie. “Young Nigerian Hyper-Realistic Artist, Kareem Waris Olamilekan Wins International Art Award.” This Is Africa, 3 Oct. 2019, thisisafrica.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Screenshot-2019-10-03-at-11.17.53-768×636.png.
