I’ve always admired people with “feel” and pretended I didn’t notice how many hours they’d put in to earn it. Coming back to songwriting after some time away, I can literally feel where the reps are missing… timing, choices and confidence. So that’s my commitment: more unfinished songs, more trial-and-error, more letting my hands learn before my head gets involved. Really appreciate the honesty here Idris Elijah!
Love this for you Brooke as a musician. I feel it as well. More unfinished songs, more experimentation, and more having fun with the process. You’re right on track! And you’re welcome! ☺️🤩
It's amazing, the 10,000 Hour Rule that most people attribute to Gladwell is baloney. There's no shortcut for the work. No one is an expert by merely logging hours--it has to be done deliberately.
This felt deeply familiar. I’ve caught myself looking at other artists and assuming they’re just wired differently, when really they’ve logged thousands more hours seeing, failing, adjusting. The idea that “talent” is just early familiarity reframed a lot for me. I’m committing to more studio time this year. Not to make masterpieces, but to build instinct. That reminder alone was worth reading. Thank you Idris Elijah and have a great weekend!
Love these commitments everyone is putting into doing more reps. I think what you’ve shared here is right on the money. You want to build instinct not necessarily a masterpiece. That will come in time. Meanwhile, you got this!! Have a great weekend as well Jody 😊🤩
I know I’ve said that maybe I just don’t have talent as a quiet escape hatch instead of looking at my actual habits. The part about your voice being trained through saturation really landed. I can feel how much sharper my instincts get when I’m reading every day, not just writing when inspiration shows up. This year I’m committing to reps: daily pages and deliberate reading, even when it feels boring or unglamorous. Thank you Idris Elijah for stripping the myth away without killing the magic!
Your commitment to do more reps this year is a great one! Reading and writing surely go hand in hand for us writers. Pleased you see that. You are most welcome, Chloe!! 🤩🤩
I’ve definitely blamed “talent” at times when what I was actually missing was sustained reps in one direction. Working on an ebook feels like the right next vehicle for that. Not because I suddenly feel more confident but because I’m ready to build familiarity through showing up consistently. Less waiting to feel ready, more letting the work train my instincts. Thanks for the nudge Idris. This landed exactly when it needed to! Happy Friday to you!
Right?!? And knowing we’re not alone in this is great. Everyone is blinded by talent initially. But I’m glad this landed for you when you needed it. Happy Friday!
I can't tell you how many times I've had students approach me with the "I can't" or "I'm not" mentality. Like you've written, natural talent was a convenient lie--a myth that was unfortunately hampering their development. Way to spread the good word!
I’ve always admired people with “feel” and pretended I didn’t notice how many hours they’d put in to earn it. Coming back to songwriting after some time away, I can literally feel where the reps are missing… timing, choices and confidence. So that’s my commitment: more unfinished songs, more trial-and-error, more letting my hands learn before my head gets involved. Really appreciate the honesty here Idris Elijah!
Love this for you Brooke as a musician. I feel it as well. More unfinished songs, more experimentation, and more having fun with the process. You’re right on track! And you’re welcome! ☺️🤩
It's amazing, the 10,000 Hour Rule that most people attribute to Gladwell is baloney. There's no shortcut for the work. No one is an expert by merely logging hours--it has to be done deliberately.
Exactly! Deliberate and purposeful! 🙌🏾
This felt deeply familiar. I’ve caught myself looking at other artists and assuming they’re just wired differently, when really they’ve logged thousands more hours seeing, failing, adjusting. The idea that “talent” is just early familiarity reframed a lot for me. I’m committing to more studio time this year. Not to make masterpieces, but to build instinct. That reminder alone was worth reading. Thank you Idris Elijah and have a great weekend!
Love these commitments everyone is putting into doing more reps. I think what you’ve shared here is right on the money. You want to build instinct not necessarily a masterpiece. That will come in time. Meanwhile, you got this!! Have a great weekend as well Jody 😊🤩
I know I’ve said that maybe I just don’t have talent as a quiet escape hatch instead of looking at my actual habits. The part about your voice being trained through saturation really landed. I can feel how much sharper my instincts get when I’m reading every day, not just writing when inspiration shows up. This year I’m committing to reps: daily pages and deliberate reading, even when it feels boring or unglamorous. Thank you Idris Elijah for stripping the myth away without killing the magic!
Your commitment to do more reps this year is a great one! Reading and writing surely go hand in hand for us writers. Pleased you see that. You are most welcome, Chloe!! 🤩🤩
I’ve definitely blamed “talent” at times when what I was actually missing was sustained reps in one direction. Working on an ebook feels like the right next vehicle for that. Not because I suddenly feel more confident but because I’m ready to build familiarity through showing up consistently. Less waiting to feel ready, more letting the work train my instincts. Thanks for the nudge Idris. This landed exactly when it needed to! Happy Friday to you!
Right?!? And knowing we’re not alone in this is great. Everyone is blinded by talent initially. But I’m glad this landed for you when you needed it. Happy Friday!
Amen! I literally just wrote about this:
https://open.substack.com/pub/thomasobrien/p/no-one-is-naturally-talented?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
I can't tell you how many times I've had students approach me with the "I can't" or "I'm not" mentality. Like you've written, natural talent was a convenient lie--a myth that was unfortunately hampering their development. Way to spread the good word!
Thanks! And definitely two great minds think alike. We gotta spread the word!
Absolutely!