The Difference Between Talent and Skill

It has taken awhile, but I have eventually come to the realization that we often confuse talent with skill. The awe-inspiring, completely jaw-dropping works of art that catch our eye are the products of a highly talented artist, right? Almost, but not quite. They are the products of a highly skilled artist. Skill, not talent is what many people find themselves admiring. It isn't talent at all and here's why:


Talent implies that an individual is born with some immpressive artistic ability. While true to some degree, it is not the single thing responsible for fantastic drawing or painting skills. Wait a minute!.......drawing and painting skills. Skill implies that something has to be learned. I believe that much of anything in art has to be learned if you really want to be any good.


Learning to use your pencil to draw shapes and shadows and shade with realistic effect is more of a skill than a talent. You can learn to do these things. Anyone can do it....I did, the biggest skeptic of my own artistic ability that you would've ever met. Once I understood certain skills, I found myself drawing realistically in a way I never would have dreamed of before, simply because I was thinking about things the wrong way. I thought that you either had talent or you didn't, and the people who did became artists. How wrong I was, just like millions of other people are right now.


If you go into the mindset that something is in fact a skill, then you will have hope....hope of learning how to attain it. If something is a talent, then you have no hope of attaining it if you are not naturally talented. See the difference?


Talent vs. Skill..........think carefully about which one you are really referring to......and go out and obtain those skills....you just might become the artist you never thought, but always wished you could be!

My Last Post as a College Student

Once again, it's time to end another one of those chapters in life. Like many things, it can be bittersweet, but life is something where you are never meant to be left standing in the same spot for too long. With that being said, this is my last post as a college student! Graduation is right around the corner and I'm definetly looking forward to it. I'm exctied to start a new chapter in life, but just want to take a minute and reflect, to just be in the moment. One day when I look back, I know that I will wish that I was in this moment again. That's just how life works. If you think about it, you will always look back and tell yourself that you didn't appreciate the time that passed by. This feeling will be even more magnified after a whole lifetime has passed because your life will seem like a blur that went by so fast, and you'll wish you could go back and simply appreciate it more. It's just how life is. That is why I feel it important to take moments where you just step back and simply take everything in. Take notice of your surroundings:  the colors, sounds, sights and take a mental snapshot of that moment. If you stop and really take the time to do this, then that snapshot will always be with you. You will have appreciated the moment you were in.


I take these mental pictures from time to time and find that I'm glad I did because they don't get as fuzzy as just regular memories tend to. One such one that I remember was just before high school graduation, while I was on my senior trip. It was during a dinner cruise, in which I was on top of the boat, on the balcony shortly after sunset. It was very windy up there, but warm as I stood against the railing and imprinted that moment, knowing that a "big"change was about to occur. I still remember, even today, the feelings that I felt and the simple appreciation I felt for that moment.


I guess that is what I am trying to do now:  taking in what is feels like to be a college student and remembering it. I will always remember the confidence that college was able to teach me. Just going from being a freshmen to a senior is only 4 years, a seemingly insignificant amount of time, but I feel so different when comparing the start to the end. As lame as it may sound, I also am leaving with the realization of the beauty of knowledge. Just to dive in and learn about a specific slice of knowledge that makes up the world is truly a beautiful thing. I am glad that my slice is biology. I have always felt like I didn't choose my major, it chose me, and I think that this a pretty good indicator that you chose the right one.


And of course I will not forget about the people I have met, from professors to friends both inside and outside of college. Without friends, you really don't have happiness in your life. A simple comparison of my high school life to my college one has made me realize this. So, with all of that being said, I really do appreciate my friends a whole lot! I have learned things from all of them.


"The journey is half the fun" is a saying that I have always liked because I believe it's true. So as my college journey rapidly comes to an end, it simply means that I get to start another journey. A new adventure to be had. That's the sweet of the bittersweet.




 "Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will" 
~Vernon Howard
    

Top Ten Quotes For Life

I love absolutely love quotes! I like to think of myself as philosophical and easily inspired, and I find meaning in these ten. It was hard to pick them out, but they definitely describe life to the T.   ;-)

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#1  "Life is a flowing river full of opportunities. It's up to you whether you stand with a bucket or a spoon."

                                             

#2  "Your current safe boundaries were once unknown frontiers."

                                             

#3  "What you dislike in another take care to correct in yourself."

                                             

#4  "There is more lost by indecision than wrong decision." 

                                           

#5  "Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it could be."

                                            

#6  "Though you may be under a dark tree, always look for the light shining through the branches."

                                          

#7  "Discipline is remembering what you want." 

                                           

#8  "I'm not telling you it is going to be easy- I'm telling you it's going to be worth it." 
           
                                          

#9  "Remember that every good friend was once a stranger."

                                          

#10  "You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel."

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Life is Like Running

One of my all-time favorite things in the world is running. When I run, I literally feel free, like nothing in the world can hold me back. I've always thought that this feeling is what a bird feels when it flys, especially an eagle that soars with effortless tranquility. When I run, I feel like everything is okay, even when it may not always be. In this way, I guess it is theraputic, just like how writing is.  :-) 

When you run, life is simple because all you have is a single focus:  just keep moving forward. In this aspect, life is like running. In life, you have to just keep moving forward, no matter how bad you want to stop and quit. Like with running, you have to push yourself and have discipline to keep up the with the pace. There will always be times when you feel like you want to stop and walk, but what good does that do you? In the end, it does nothing for the runner but to make things easy for that single moment. You will become as good as you let yourself be. If you let yourself take the easy way out once things becomes challenging, then you will always fall short of your potential. You will never allow yourself to go beyond the point of where you quit, and therefore will not allow yourself to grow.

As a runner, I know all about this. I hated running when I first started because all I wanted to do was stop to catch my breath. I could not even run a quarter of a mile. I felt defeated and not at where I wanted to be. Then, hardwork paid off, and I find now that I actually enjoy feeling that challenge.....that wanting-to-quit-but-choosing-to-ignore-it-and-just-keep-going kind of feeling.

I think about all these things often, but today while I was running, somehow it felt like this rings especially true for me at this point in my life. I have to remember to keep moving forward, no matter how much I may not want to sometimes.

In the end, a lot can be learned from this simple quote:  "The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win."  ~Sir Roger Bannister


                                                          Peace. Love. Running

The Best Time of the Year

Without question, right now is the best time of year......it's getting warm, trees are blossoming, and school is almost over. The following pictures captures this. The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC is so beautiful and everyone should see it sometime because it's better than you can imagine. 

  ;-)



                                      Yoshino cherry trees

 

 

                                   Jefferson Memorial

 

                                                  This view is way better in person

 

                                      Looking over to the other side of the Tidal Basin

 

                Beautiful!

 

                                The sun trying to come out.......love the glittering water!

 

                                     Moments before the downpour of rain and hail

 

                                                  A lovely framed shot

                                            This might be my second favorite pic    ;)

                                                     Another good pic of Washington Monument

                                               Looking through the Jefferson Memorial

 

 

                                                                               There are over 3,000 of these trees!

                                                                                                    :-)

                                    The best for last......my favorite picture!

New Camera Pics

Okay so I took some pictures of campus to test out my new camera. For some of the pics, I figured it would be interesting to take before and after shots.....winter vs. spring. It'll be cool to see them side by side later. 

       I love the different shades of blue in this pic

 

                                                                       Millersville's swans

                                                         A good spot to be in the spring and summer

                                                               A beautiful spot in the spring time

                                   I asked Cara to do a pose and this is what she did. Haha very funny.

                                                                      Some twins.....lol

                                                    Some of the Millersville ducks....follow the leader!

    The same ducks.....they stick together.

Finally, I Can Call Myself a Photographer!

I finally did it. I bought a SLR camera, a real camera. Photography is apart of who I am and I just couldn't put off  not having one any longer. I can't say this was an impulse buy because I've been wanting this for awhile. It really does feel good to cross something off your list that you always wanted to do. Soon I will be taking amazing photos....well, more amazing than what I already take now I guess I should say.  ;) 

So what made me decide to get a camera now? It's actually quite simple. I remember someone who asked me one day why I just didn't go ahead and buy one if that's what I reallly wanted.....that I should just do it. Those words struck a new perspective in me because I truly didn't know what I was waiting for. I had the money, that was no issue. If I loved photography so much, then it was as simple as just going and getting a camera. I realized then that there is no ideal time to do most things, you just have to go do what it is that you want to do. Time is of the essence, so why wait? Needless to say, this person has a positive influence on me.

Since my regular point and shoot camera was a Canon, I decided to stick with them for my big girl camera. Here are some pictures of it:

                                                          Canon EOS Rebel T1i

                                                                I love my new camera!

 I'm so looking forward to spring now, even more than before. There's always tons of good pictures that can be taken when the trees and flowers blossom. But then again, there is something almost equally beautiful about winter and how things looks after a  good snowstorm. Great pictures can be found anywhere.