An Unrecognised Talent
Don't be a victim of the education system! Over the years, I've encountered many people who have made a discovery about themselves, and found that the way education works has deprived them of something fundamental to their nature. Quite simply, teachers, usually under pressure to find those students who guarantee success in examinations, will leave the majority of their students feeling like failures. It is a sad fact that, unless a student fits the mould cast by the System, they will be pushed aside, often told that they lack the ability to succeed in something. This most frequently occurs in the area of the Arts. It really doesn't matter to the teacher if you have a passion for an artistic pursuit. If you can't achieve on their terms, then they consider you to be lacking any talent.
In fact, I have encountered numerous people who have, despite that early disappointment, discovered that they can achieve in an art form which they love! However, these people suffer still from a lack of self-esteem. Despite demonstrating a real talent, they can't quite believe that they are as good as others say. I've seen it impact on painters, sculptors, writers, singers - all manner of artists. They sometimes have a talent which manifests itself more by chance than design. Some change in their life, such as disability or retirement, leaves them vegetating. In an act of desperation, they try to do something which once enamoured them. Much to their surprise, and contrary to what some teacher from their past may have said, they discover that they have real ability. Their lives are changed forever, enriched in ways that they could never have imagined.
Education follows formulas. If you don't obey the rules of a formula, you will be rejected. Far worse, you will be robbed of demonstrating a potential that may be unique to you! For every person who discovers that a teacher from their past was heartlessly unfair, there must be thousands who will never challenge the rejection, and will therefore lose something of themselves. A talent is a wild thing. It doesn't recognise the System's desire for order. If there is something within that desires to create, to reach out into the abstract world of the Arts, it should always be nurtured. If the System doesn't do that, then it is necessary to have some way to acknowledge and encourage talent that doesn't fit the formula.
