I weirdly agree and disagree with the two above member's comments. I do actually agree with you that, an initial predisposition to be good at something helps. I imagine we get that through genes.
But- for example, there are certain things others seem to do with ease- even for one of the first times- say in school, that we struggle enormously with. So- it's far more likely they will enjoy the activity to begin with so- have the incentive to do more of it.
Both because they can recognise themselves that they can do it well and, that they are likely receiving praise. If all we end up with is consecutive failures then- we may well not even enjoy the activity. And, what's the point in doing something voluntarily you end up despising?
That tends to mean that, not only did these other people get the genes that made them good at something, they may well also have been practising at it since childhood. So- if it's any kind of competitive activity- and many are. Even with creative endeavours, we'll be comparing ourselves to others- they will have had the jump start.
On the flip side though- I'd point out that even highly talented people aren't always happy. I had just about enough talent to scrape by in a creative job but- it's constantly under threat. Creative people are often obsessed about their work too. So, if we aren't able to do it as a job- so- the majority of the time, we can become horribly miserable. And, 'doing it as a hobby' doesn't tend to cut it always.
Plus, we're always comparing ourselves to others. So, no matter what level we might reach, we may still feel inferior in some way. It's hard to describe really- it can be a curse as much as a blessing. I actually know very few creative people who are happy with their work. We all tend to agonise over all the faults we see in it.
Do you feel like you've tried everything you can think of? Or, fancy doing? Are there activities you enjoy, even though you're not the best at them? Doing creative or other activities could probably still be enjoyable, if only we could remove the pressure to create something good at the end.
I'm always disappointed by the amount of people who say they aren't creative- because they can't draw. (I was actually taught how to draw but, I'm still technically crap at it!) But then, you find out they can cook or, you admire how they arranged their living space or some flowers or some other thing. I think people can be creative in ways they don't even realise or acknowledge. They may have an eye for colour or composition. They may be able to accurately immitate a tune.
The really annoying thing is when we don't have enough talent in the thing we really want to do. I do actually tend to agree that some people at least have the potential to go further than others. Maybe because their brain/ body seems more able to grasp that particular skill. I do tend to believe we aren't all born equal in that regard. I noticed that when we were set a particular project at uni. Some people seemed to sail through. Others of us- including me, just couldn't get our heads around it. And, it wasn't through lack of effort. We all turned up and did our best. I'm not sure it was through practice either. I don't think many there had prior experience in that particular thing.
What's worse is when that then leads to a block. I have multiple things I know I'm not so good at. I have to try really hard to push beyond: 'I can't do that' to- 'I'm not so great at this'- I'm going to need to just do my best, give myself more time, find ways to aid myself or maybe find another way of doing something.
