Kim Jung Gi was NOT Talented.
Summary
TLDRThe video script challenges the conventional notion of talent, suggesting that it is not an innate quality but rather the result of dedication and consistent practice. The speaker, an experienced concept artist, shares personal experiences and insights, emphasizing that perceived 'talented' individuals are those who have honed their skills over years. Using the example of the renowned artist Kim Jung Gi, the video illustrates how skill is developed through obsession and effective study. It encourages viewers to change their mindset, set clear goals, and focus on improving specific areas of weakness. The speaker also discusses the importance of enjoying the learning process and applying fundamental knowledge to one's own creative process, ultimately advocating for a positive attitude and hard work as the keys to mastery in any field.
Takeaways
- 🎨 **Talent vs. Skill**: The speaker argues that talent is not an inherent ability but rather a result of consistent practice and dedication to honing one's skills.
- 🧠 **Interest as the Key**: A person's talent is often found in the areas where their interests lie, as those are the areas they are more likely to invest time and effort in.
- 📈 **Growth Mindset**: Believing in one's ability to improve is crucial for achieving mastery. A positive mindset can prevent self-sabotage and open the door to improvement.
- 🚫 **Avoiding Negativity**: Negative thoughts about one's capabilities can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Embracing a positive outlook, even when facing challenges, is beneficial.
- 📚 **Learning How to Learn**: Identifying weaknesses and breaking them down into manageable parts is essential for growth. Becoming self-critical in a constructive way is key to improvement.
- 🎯 **Focus on Interests**: Engaging in activities related to one's interests not only makes the learning process enjoyable but also helps build a strong foundation in one's preferred area.
- 🧩 **Managing Projects**: Setting up manageable projects based on interests can serve as a motivator and lead to improvement in various fundamental skills.
- 🔍 **Studying Effectively**: Deliberate and focused study methods are important. It's about understanding and internalizing the process rather than merely copying the outcome.
- 🧘 **Mindset Matters**: Regardless of the outcome, maintaining a positive attitude and aiming high can lead to better results and personal satisfaction.
- 🤸 **Adapting to Weaknesses**: Addressing and planning to improve upon one's weaknesses leads to significant skill improvements, both in art and other disciplines like climbing.
- 🔄 **Switching Focus**: It's beneficial to cycle through different areas of weakness, focusing on one at a time to avoid burnout and maintain a fresh perspective.
Q & A
What is the main argument the speaker is making about the concept of 'talent'?
-The speaker argues that the concept of 'talent' is often overused and misinterpreted. They believe that what is commonly referred to as talent is actually the result of consistent practice, dedication, and the pursuit of one's interests over a long period of time.
What does the speaker suggest is the real source of a person's talent?
-The speaker suggests that a person's talent actually comes from their interests and the amount of time and effort they invest in honing their skills in those areas.
How does the speaker describe their own journey in developing drawing skills?
-The speaker describes a journey that started at a young age but involved slow improvement. They mention that they did not truly understand drawing until their mid-20s and that it was through persistent practice and study that they improved, rather than any inherent talent.
Who is Kim Jung Gi and why is he mentioned in the script?
-Kim Jung Gi is a renowned artist known for his exceptional drawing skills, particularly his ability to create detailed scenes in perfect perspective without preliminary sketches. He is mentioned as an example of someone who is often considered 'talented,' but who actually achieved his skill level through decades of dedicated practice.
What is the speaker's view on the role of mindset in achieving mastery of a skill?
-The speaker believes that having a positive mindset and believing in one's ability to achieve mastery is crucial. They argue that thinking positively and aiming high can lead to better results and that a negative mindset can be a self-fulfilling prophecy that hinders progress.
What advice does the speaker give for maintaining motivation and avoiding burnout while developing a skill?
-The speaker advises taking breaks when feeling down or directionless. They suggest engaging in other activities to reset intentions and not forcing oneself to practice if the motivation isn't there. They also recommend focusing on subjects of interest to maintain motivation and make the learning process enjoyable.
How does the speaker propose to tackle weaknesses in one's skill set?
-The speaker proposes identifying specific weaknesses, breaking them down into manageable chunks, and focusing on one area at a time. They emphasize the importance of deliberate study, using references, and making notes to understand and improve upon those areas.
What is the significance of understanding the psychology of learning in the context of skill development?
-Understanding the psychology of learning helps to recognize how information is processed and stored in the brain. This knowledge can be applied to study methods, allowing for more effective learning by focusing on one thing at a time and gradually building up the skill set.
How does the speaker relate their experience with climbing to the process of learning and improving a skill?
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What is the speaker's opinion on the role of inherent talent in achieving a high level of skill like that of Kim Jung Gi?
-The speaker believes that while some people may have a slight adaptation or start a step ahead in certain areas, no amount of inherent talent can translate to mastery without consistent work and practice.
What is the key takeaway from the speaker regarding the development of skill and achieving mastery?
-The key takeaway is that skill and mastery are achieved through dedication, consistent practice, and a positive mindset. The speaker emphasizes the importance of focusing on fundamentals, studying effectively, and being honest and objective about one's weaknesses.
Outlines
🎨 The Myth of Talent in Artistic Pursuits
The speaker begins by challenging the notion of innate talent, suggesting that it is often overestimated and misused to praise or explain away success. They argue that true talent comes from interests and consistent, dedicated practice. Drawing from personal experience as a concept artist, they emphasize that those who are labeled as 'talented' are usually those who have persisted in their craft for years. The speaker shares their journey of self-discovery and improvement, highlighting the importance of hard work over the idea of inherent talent.
🧠 The Role of Memory and Practice in Skill Development
The second paragraph focuses on the misconception of talent as a magical gift. It discusses Kim Jung Gi's artistic prowess and how his skill is often perceived as superhuman. However, the speaker clarifies that talent is not an exclusive resource but the result of hard work and dedication. They reference an interview with Kim Jung Gi, where he talks about his extensive drawing practice from a young age. The paragraph also touches on the idea of a 'visual library' and how consistent practice contributes to the development of skills, rather than relying on a supposed innate ability.
🚫 Overcoming Negative Mindsets in Skill Mastery
The third paragraph emphasizes the importance of a positive mindset in achieving mastery of a skill. The speaker suggests that self-belief is crucial and that one should not sabotage their potential with negative thoughts. They recommend taking breaks and engaging in other activities to reset intentions when feeling down or directionless. The speaker also stresses the importance of setting clear and positive goals, and working towards them with a critical yet realistic mindset about one's abilities.
🎓 Deliberate Practice and the Power of Interest
In the fourth paragraph, the speaker discusses how to achieve goals through focused study and the importance of playing to one's strengths. They advocate for drawing subjects of personal interest to maintain motivation and enjoyment in the learning process. The paragraph also covers the concept of manageable projects and how they can serve as a motivator for improvement. The speaker shares insights on how to effectively study and improve, including the psychology of learning and the process of moving information from working memory to long-term memory.
📈 Applying Fundamental Knowledge to Creative Process
The final paragraph showcases the speaker's approach to learning and improving in their craft. They demonstrate how to apply fundamental knowledge to understand and emulate the work of skilled artists like Kim Jung Gi. The speaker emphasizes the importance of breaking down complex skills into simplified forms to understand the process behind them. They also provide a brief interruption to promote a Patreon lesson on specific drawing techniques, before concluding the video with a reminder that talent is not a determining factor for mastery, and that consistent practice and focusing on fundamentals are key to improvement.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Talent
💡Interest
💡Practice
💡Kim Jung Gi
💡Mindset
💡Study Methods
💡Fundamentals
💡Deliberate Practice
💡Self-criticism
💡Motivation
💡Long-term Memory
Highlights
The concept of talent is often misunderstood; it is not an inherent ability but rather a result of interests and consistent practice.
Talent is developed over time through dedication and effective study, not just a natural gift.
The speaker, a concept artist with over 25 years of experience, emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and the role of interests in skill development.
Success in any field is attributed to those who continue to hone their skills over the years, rather than those who move on to other interests.
The speaker shares their personal journey of self-doubt and the realization that talent is not a fixed trait but something that can be developed.
Kim Jung Gi, a highly skilled draftsman, is used as an example to illustrate that even those perceived as 'naturally talented' have put in extensive work to achieve their skill level.
Kim Jung Gi's ability to draw detailed scenes in perspective without preliminary sketches is not due to innate talent but decades of practice.
The speaker challenges the myth of photographic memory as a talent, explaining that extensive drawing practice contributes to a strong visual memory.
The importance of obsession and effective studying is highlighted as a pathway to mastery, as demonstrated by Kim Jung Gi's dedication to drawing.
Changing one's attitude towards skill development is crucial; believing in one's ability to achieve mastery is the first step.
Taking breaks and engaging in other activities can help reset intentions and improve focus when returning to one's primary skill.
The speaker advises focusing on interests and strengths, gradually introducing new subjects to expand one's skill set.
Understanding the psychology of learning and how information is processed is key to effective studying and skill improvement.
Deliberate study methods, focusing on one aspect at a time, and breaking tasks into manageable chunks are essential for learning.
The speaker shares techniques for drawing ellipses and emphasizing the importance of practice and precision in mastering a skill.
The video concludes with the message that talent is not a prerequisite for skill; hard work, dedication, and a positive mindset are what lead to mastery.
Transcripts
[Music]
hey everyone today I'd like to tell you
that you are not talented what do you
mean what do you what do you
mean what do you mean you are skilled
yeah they had us the first half I'm not
going to lie now I know you think I'm
being clickbaity I promise you I am stop
it get some help in all serious
I think the word talent gets thrown
around quite a bit uh to show
admiration and appreciation for someone
doing something impressive or difficult
to imagine without some latent ability
only a few have access to while there
are minor exceptions to the rule I don't
think that's really the case
personally I would argue that the real
place a person's
Talent comes from is wherever their
interests
lie as someone who's been drawing for 25
plus years now I work as a concept
artist and instructor for character and
environment design I assure you I
started at the same level as other kids
my
age 9 9% of those we describe as having
talent are the ones that continued for
years to hone their
skills those who did not do the work did
not get better comparing it to my
experience with drawing those kids moved
on to other things where their interests
truly lay their talent was in other
fields science math history Sports the
list goes
on I was lucky enough to discover my
passion at a very young age I kept
working at it for many years before it
paid off many years even still I was
extremely slow to improve
okay I would fumble my way to Stronger
drawing skills by pure accident on the
mere basis that I was
drunk I believed myself to lack the
necessary talent to achieve the level of
drawing
I would see for my Idols growing up
comic book artists of the 9s like Todd
McFarland Greg
kulo and Frank Miller to name a
few I assumed I was unable to reach that
level based on some inherent personal
shortcoming I'll leave the long story
for another video I could get into that
at some point but essentially I did not
truly start to understand drawing until
after I finished
University it wasn't until my mid
20s that it started to click for me I
began to realize the idea of talent once
again to use air quotes a little too
much was a lie a lie I concocted to
protect my ego from the truth the truth
that I wasn't good at the thing that I
was the most passionate
about so then instead of blaming some
Amorphis
idea I finally got to work I started to
develop my weaknesses and hone my
skills in this video essay lesson
whatever you want to call it I would
like to discuss an artist that often
gets placed on this pedestal for having
superum like abilities who seemingly
came out of nowhere and established
himself as one of if not the most
skilled draftsmen ever the late and
great Kim Jung
[Music]
G
[Music]
so why did Kim Jung G seem impossibly
good at first glance even the most
seasoned professional artist can get
caught up in mythologizing his technical
prowess and
skill the way he's able to orchestrate
and Define incredibly detailed scenes in
perfect or near perfect
perspective with no underdrawing and
straight ahead with ink seems
inhuman and there is no wonder so many
people used to land up for hours to see
him draw on these massive Scrolls live
in person with no real idea of what he's
drawing until he
begins but as I've stated earlier Talent
is not some magical well that only a few
are able to tap into Kim jungi put in
the work for many decades before he even
began to become a blip on the art
world's radar as described by Kim jungi
himself in this excellent proor
interview from a few years back he
discusses just how much he would draw as
a kid everyone wants to figure out how
they can get this good how can I draw
anything from imagination how can I get
such a giant visual library in my brain
tell us the secret Kim
jungi I couldn't help myself
I asked about it too do you think you
were born with a better memory than most
people I'd say that I'm able to remember
and recall images for a much longer
period of time than most people but I
also Drew so much I probably Drew way
more than people think I have I
never cared for academics so while I was
attending school I'll be drawing from
first period to the very last
most people assume he has a photographic
memory but when I asked him about it he
said he doesn't of course some part of
it is a talent he was born with but we
can't Overlook how much that Talent was
developed knowing this his skills seem a
lot more understandable or at least they
should right he had been drawing and
more importantly studying in a very
effective way from an extremely young
age
he was putting himself into difficult
situations where he needed to problem
solve and was doing that before most
people he was drawing in perspective
before other kids his age because he
chose
to he started at
6 6 years
old others like myself started doing the
challenging fundamental practice at a
later point in life by the time he
passed he had been drawing diligently
for over four decades that is dedication
he did not believe himself to be all
that special in terms of latent
ability he was obsessed enough to keep
consistent long enough for the fruits of
his labor to pay off maybe a more
analogous comparison than Talent being
simply a person's interest is that it is
their Obsession Kim Jung he was obsessed
with drawing if your goal is to be a
master on the level of Kim junge if you
want that technical prowess you have to
have a combination of obsession and
effective studying over
time okay now that we've discussed a
little bit of Kim Jung's backstory shown
a bit of him discussing his
skills how do we actually get there
you're asking
right
first I would argue you need to change
your attitude about what you can and
can't
achieve you should be thinking clear and
positive goals with positive intentions
do not sabotage yourself by negative
thoughts that doesn't mean don't be
realistic about your skills okay it
means you should be thinking critically
of what you want to improve on and work
towards those
goals if you want to master a skill you
have to believe you can do it in the
first
place thinking you can reach the level
of Kim Jung G is not out of the realm of
possibility as long as you understand
the level of commitment it will
take if you think something is
impossible before you even begin to try
then it will be self-fulfilling prophecy
you're shooting yourself in the foot
before you've even started right want to
be an absolute beast at drawing or
whatever skill it is you want to improve
on then you need to believe you can get
there something I do if I am feeling
down about my skills or I feel
directionless with my art
is stop
drawing take a break and go do something
else so for me going to train or focus
on something other than art is a great
way to reset my
intentions do not force yourself to draw
or study if the motivation just isn't
there sometimes stepping back is healthy
it often is don't push
yourself to be clear when I say
something like you know the level you
want to get to it's not meant to make
you feel like every time you sit down to
draw it should be a chore or difficult
it's not like this is the hardest thing
on the
planet I'm just simply coming at it from
a realist IC
perspective your goals will change and
grow with you that is
true I'm merely pointing out what a
master like Kim junge had to do to get
to his level where do you want your
skills to
be if you have a certain artist in mind
that you'd like to reach the level or
have a similar vibe in your own work
there are certain practices and studying
methods that you should be doing it can
be helpful to understand what they did
specifically everyone is on their own
path I'm only showing you my
perspective thinking you were going to
fail something before you even begin is
as I mentioned earlier
self-fulfilling there are two possible
outcomes no matter what you either get
to the level you want to through hard
work and dedication
or you
don't you might never reach that level
even with all the hard work it's not a
guarantee but if you have a negative
mindset about your chances you'll almost
certainly always
fail I choose to think positively
regardless of the final outcome think
positively and succeed great think
positively and fail also great because
you've aimed High high and likely
achieved better results than if you had
counted yourself out from the
beginning right if it's hard why make it
harder by having a poor
Outlook if you somehow still believe
your mindset doesn't matter okay cool
right then you may as well just think
positively you may as well just fake it
if it doesn't matter be less miserable
choose choose the less miserable option
why
not now with your attitude in a better
place let's talk about how to achieve
these actual goals or at least how I
work towards my
goals you need to learn how to learn
when I started to see significant
Improvement and consistent improvements
in my skill is when I began to identify
my weaknesses and break them down down
into manageable
chunks becoming self-critical is
integral to your artistic growth a lot
of people are aware of their weaknesses
but ignore them with the hopes that they
will sort themselves
out they
won't pick one thing you want to get
better at in relation to drawing that
could be Anatomy color perspective
whatever it is tackle one thing at a
time and study that for a while when you
start to feel burned out or like you've
gotten over one difficult
concept switch to another keep things
fresh draw what you like this should be
the most obvious thing but do not draw a
subject or particular thing you aren't
interested in because you think you
should
I myself have fallen into this trap of
thinking oh I need to get better at X Y
or Z because that's what I see in the
industry not necessarily focus on what
you enjoy and the rest will
[Music]
follow love drawing animals do that
right draw animals hate drawing Vehicles
don't focus on that build up your skills
by drawing your
interests for
example Mike MCA Comics never have cars
in them because he hates drawing them
Todd McFarland would try to obscure
Anatomy he wasn't sure of in Shadow or
with clever composition with his
paneling play to your strengths and
slowly introduce more content to your
visual Library as you see
fit having manageable projects based on
your interests is an excellent motivator
to inadvertently get you better at a
bunch of different fundamentals without
noticing try to gamify your studying
keep it
fun build up your skills by drawing your
interests don't worry about subject
matter you don't enjoy interests change
and grow and you can come back to them
when you want to you can come back to
other things things when you're more
interested in
them the fundamentals are present in
everything getting proficient with one
thing improves your confidence and you
are more likely to want to Branch out to
other subject matter
later here is a bit of the Fantastic
YouTuber Dr draw explaining focused
studying further to know what is and
isn't an effective study we need to look
at the psychology of learning and how we
process information which is actually
quite similar to a computer when we get
a piece of information it ends up on our
working memory here we decide what to do
with it it's basically where we make our
day-to-day decisions the first time we
deal with certain information it takes
up quite a lot of space on our working
memory but if you've processed
information before it takes up less
space and if you've processed something
for years like your mother tongue it
doesn't take up much space at all this
is because the decisions are stored on
our long-term memory or subconscious the
more decisions you make the more boxes
end up here this is basically how we
learn but in computer terms you could
say automation with all that great
information in our minds and focused
studying understood we can now get to
the actual studying process if we look
at a random drawing by Kim jangi you can
see he Masters a lot of stuff he
understands perspective figures clothing
motorcycles storytelling and proportions
if we want to draw like him you might
like me be doing all of those things at
the same time but let's simplify and
pick one of these say proportions of
people on motorcycles instead of
overloading our working memory we're
taking away all the extras and focus on
one thing so let's be very very clear on
this and write it down we're focusing on
proportions not details then we go on
Pinterest and search for reference
images we like study them a bit by
writing down what you observe and now we
can start with drawing you can see that
in all of these drawings I'm not
concerned with the details but purely
focus at proportions and I make notes
this is because making notes helps you
get an understanding of what's going on
an important aspect to learning how to
learn is tackling your weaknesses using
deliberate study methods and focusing on
one thing at a time break your tasks
down into manageable chunks and Tack
them systematically other than
drawing one of my big passions is
climbing similarly to drawing I started
to see massive improvements when I began
to objectively address my weaknesses and
devise a plan of action to improve them
since taking climbing seriously the same
way I do
drawing I started to see significant
improvements in my
skill I
believe you know my my opinion on this
is the key to learning any new skill is
being honest and objective with yourself
will also remaining positive that you
can
improve focusing your studying on one
particular asset and then tackling that
is the key to success and and deliberate
and consistent
Improvement here you can see how I apply
my fundamental knowledge to tackle the
brilliant skill of Kim Jung G's work
breaking things down to the most
simplified forms and trying to
understand his drawings on an intrinsic
level inside and out it is not about
copying what you see a lessly it's about
studying and breaking down his process
to understand how he got there this is
how you take knowledge with you and
adjust to your own creative
process hey guys just a quick
Interruption here I wanted to show an
exclusive look at my most recent patreon
lesson where I go over specific drawing
techniques so I like to do ellipses
where my arm feels as comfortable as
possible I ghost and
then put it
down you also try being precise and
going inside the ellipse
now right and the point of in ellipse is
to try and get
these as equal so they're not pinching
like this one not as good as maybe uh
this one right you want the pinch to be
same on either side another technique
you should definitely
incorporate is a to B where you decide
on two points on the paper and then
draw a line between them or we're going
to ghost the
line and I hit a I missed B right so I'm
going to try again I'm going to ghost
the
line um if you like this please please
consider helping me out and subscribing
to my patreon the link is below um thank
you anyways back to the video
thanks with all of that being
said to kind of wrap things up
here I don't really believe in
Talent at least not in the way most
people
do sure some people have a slightly
better adaptation
to certain
things or start a step or two ahead of
others but no amount of talent right
last air
quotations will translate to Mastery
without doing the work there is no
amount of
theorizing or
hypothesizing that will translate to
skill do you want to get better at
climbing like I do climb a lot and train
your weak movements do you want to get
better at drawing draw a
lot and
emphasize on the fundamentals you are
lacking in be that perspective Anatomy
color design Etc I know I lack in
everyone one of them in some way so I
switch through them as I see fit okay
so that about concludes this essay
learning practice
session uh if you have any questions or
thoughts um other points you want to
make leave them in the comments below
I'm curious to hear your guys's
opinions um another caveat to take with
you is remember I am just one person
with one set of
opinions I'm coming at it from
a professional level trying to
explain what I see as a
teacher and how I think you can
improve but I only know what I know so
do you agree or
not and if you
do great tell me why if you don't be
civil and try and give me
some constructive reasoning as to why
you
don't
okay the majority of you watching this
video are not subscribed so it means a
lot and it helps a lot if you click so
you'll be notified when I have a new
video so like comment And
subscribe and uh yeah Kim
junge was not
talented he was
skilled you are not
talented you are skilled see
you
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