Talent...

Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. ― Stephen King

Richland Creek, Buffalo River Country  24X18 Acrylic on canvas

Let me tell you about “talent”. In college, I had a close friend who was also a photographer and very “talented”, maybe more talented than I. We both loved NW Arkansas and the Buffalo River County. We literally spent weeks floating the river together. Through the years we went separate directions becoming professional photographers. He moved to Jasper, Arkansas near the Buffalo National River where he earned a living doing photography and other odd jobs, but he only did what was needed to get by. He liked smoking pot and drinking Arkansas moonshine a wee bit.
 
I too, moved to Arkansas. I worked every day, first for a newspaper and then as a freelance photographer for national editorial magazines. One day I got a call from National Geographic contracting me to spend a week photographing the autumn colors of the hardwood forests in the Buffalo National River region. To work for National Geographic and photograph the fall colors of the most beautiful place in the Ozarks was a dream of a life time.
 
Since my old friend lived near the Buffalo River I dropped by telling him of my assignment and asked if he would like to spend a couple days together as I worked in the area. I told him where I would be camping and asked him to join me that evening.
 
He did join me, and on a cool crisp autumn evening we had dinner by the campfire, reliving old times and drinking just a bit too much. Later in the evening my friend informed me I didn’t deserve to be doing this assignment. After all, he was more talented, a better photographer than I, and he knew the Buffalo region better. He’s proclaimed he should be shooting for National Geographic. Never mind I had been sending samples of my work and developing a relationship with National Geographic for years, just hoping to get this opportunity. It was an uneasy moment, and we were old friends. I let his comments slide as we decided to call it quits for the night. But the next morning I suggested this wasn’t going to work out and we needed go separate ways. I would go on to do several more assignments for National Geographic. My friend was died in car accident a few years later.
 
So much for “talent”. It’s totally worthless unless you are willing to put a lot of effort into it. 

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