Going beyond your talent

Becky Rickenbaker brings talent,
hard-earned skills and a delightful
sense of humor to her work.


“First, learn your craft,” the painter Auguste Renoir said.
“It won’t prevent you from becoming a genius later.”
The trouble is, most wannabe geniuses won’t learn their craft.
It takes: Discipline. Patience. Focus. Persistence. Humility.
Talent’s important, too. You really can’t make pigs fly.
Becky Rickenbaker fell in love with art in grade school.
A teacher inspired her. She’s been at it ever since.
I asked her when she discovered she had an eye for art.
Becky modestly said she discovered art first.
She’s still working on “the eye” part, she said.
I wanted to be a writer from the time Mom read to me.
Writing stories seemed the most exciting thing imaginable.
Now I’ve been at it more than a half century.
I’m still working on “the eye” part, too.
Some people even think I make up the stuff I write.
And I didn’t think I was writing fiction.
Here are three tips to help you become “a genius later”.
1. Keep a firm grip on your ego.
Never get to the point where you think you’re the best.
That’s when you stop learning and become a smug little SOB.
2. Associate with people you can learn from.
A friend says you never want to be the smartest in the room.
If you think you are, it’s time to develop some new friends.
Make sure they’re smarter than you think you are.
3. Sit down at the easel, computer, piano, etc.
You’ve got to practice, practice, practice.
Even if you’re swinging for the fences, that’s practice.
Wannabe geniuses talk about what they’re gonna do.
While they’re talking, you should be doing.
It takes 10,000 hours of practice to become good.
Work at it at least 10 hours a week.
In only 20 years, you’ll be getting good.

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