What can we learn from the Nature vs Nurture debate?
How the idea of natural born talent holds us back from reaching our artistic potential
7 out of 10 adults are afraid to paint, out of a fear that they don’t have the talent for art. [1] Scientists and educators alike have tried to determine whether artistic skill is a gift of nature or the product of nurture. In reality, in classrooms, the socially constructed idea of natural talent presents a pressure to be “good enough”. Instead of celebrating outstanding talent, the art education system needs to reflect that everyone learns at their own pace. After all, a “good artist” is someone with more than innate skill, it takes passion and determination.
Do you think that artistic skill is a result of nature or nurture?
That question has captured the minds of artists, scientists and educators alike. The widespread curiosity about the debate, whether artistic skill is something we are born with (or not), sparked a curiosity of our own:
Does the idea of natural talent hold us back from reaching our artistic potential?
Perhaps a better way to word the question of Nature vs Nurture is: Do you think it’s possible to become an artist without innate skill?
The answer is YES. However, research shows that this isn’t something that’s widely accepted by the nation.
Over half (53%) of adults like the idea of art as a pastime, however, 7 out of 10 worry they don’t have the talent for it.[1]
That suggests that we don’t show signs of natural talent, does that mean we are not capable of becoming artists?
Worse still, the pressure to be “talented enough” has proven to prevent people from making any art at all:
60%, of the 2,000 adults polled, are so daunted by the prospect of creating art that they haven’t tried.
53% say that this is due to a fear that what they make might be judged by others.[1]
This fear of being “good enough” doesn’t manifest after we leave school, statistics show that it’s ingrained in children as young as primary age:
A researcher asked primary age children: “why do children make art?”. This was in the quest to discover children’s outlook on art education in schools. The findings revealed that the majority of younger pupils (62%) said that children make art because it’s fun. However, around 11 years old, this attitude towards art began to change. The number of students who thought that art is “for fun” declined to 49%.[2]
The reason for that drop was seemingly due to pressures on personal development, with 20% of these pupils suggesting that children make art in order “to be good at art”.[2] It shows that the belief that a pressure to be good at art leads to the belief that “art isn’t for me”.
How do we keep the enjoyment of art alive to sustain a practice?
Emily, Club Manager from art-K Bexleyheath, shared her artistic progress from age 3 to now:
Whilst, Becs Club Manager of art-K Fulham, shared her progress from secondary school age, to now:
How do you get from A to B? Once you realise a dream of being an artist, how do you get there…
Is it nature or nurture?
In a landmark study, carried out in 2015, scientists assessed the artistic ability of twins who were raised apart for the first time. They found that only about 26% of the difference in creative drawing ability was explained by genetic factors.[3] Whilst this study was somewhat limited due to the number of participants, the outcome of the findings are backed up by other studies. It has been widely accepted that the amount of practice and artistic training has a bigger impact on artistic ability.
“Genetic factors may provide the foundation for creativity, but it’s the environment that shapes and refines this potential.” – The Teachers Institute [4]
What’s more, scientists have actually compared the brains of practicing artists vs. non artists, via MRI scans. Their results show that observational drawing relates to changes in structures in the brain that help us carry out fine motor control, and that artistic training is associated with the enhancement of those structures. The findings provide insights into the potential of us developing a more “artistic brain”. [5]
The conclusions from these findings offer the key to nurturing the next generation of artists…
The 2015 twin study stressed that parents, teachers, and others concerned with fostering creativity in children, should pay close attention to individual characteristics (e.g., personality and motivation).[3] It makes an important case for why individualised teaching is so essential when raising creative children.
However, 10 years after that study, it seems that little has come into effect in art education
The fact that everyone develops at their own pace is something widely accepted. However, it’s not reflected in the marking system offered in the Ofsted guidelines. Schools remain a place of direct comparison through grades and peer-to-peer judgement.
AccessArts highlights that teachers are not given adequate training on how best to support students who have additional needs, or have difficulty with certain artistic elements.[6] Perhaps it starts with ensuring that primary age children are given the confidence to make art for fun, with less pressure on skill. As, it’s possible that children deemed “less gifted” in school are not given the same nurturing opportunities to succeed in art, or the confidence to pursue it.
3 reasons WHY children may not be deemed “gifted”, and ways that young artists can be supported to overcome them:
- Children may be overstimulated by visual data…
Mona Brookes, an important figure in children’s artistic development, attributes the main reason some children find difficulty with drawing is because they are overwhelmed with complex visual data. This just means the details are too much to take in. Once broken down, her research proves that children demonstrate a better drawing ability.[7] We see this in class every day.
- A child may need support to develop their fine motor skills.
In children, the development of fine motor skills are a significant factor that enables them to draw. They are important for the control of utensils with precision, which develops further over the primary years. [8]
- It is essential to acknowledge that special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) may change the way that children see and approach their artistic practice.
Arthur, Club Manger of art-K Beckenham, has red/green colorblindness. He shared that this affected the way he was mixing colour, as the faces appeared unintentionally greenish, and the hair had an intense red tone. His art teachers thought he was very talented for portraying the world differently. He has improved his colour handling by learning about colour theory and being shown how to carefully check and compare colours.
An inspiring story of triumph from an art teacher:
“One student (age 6) was finding difficulty with drawing basic shapes with accuracy, as they struggled to control their pencil. Over the course of a year, they practiced Coogam exercises, and completed a series of other drawing tasks. This led to a moment I will remember for a long time, when they were able to complete their first, independent zentangle drawing. They had built their fine motor skills through practice. Without an opportunity to nurture that, our student may have been considered “unable to draw.” – art-K Teacher
A Summary of findings:
You can make art at any age, with any ability!
In answer to the question: “How do you become a good artist?”, “practice makes perfect” is not the right answer. What is perfect after all? The end goal for creative practice may not necessarily be to become an artist, or be perfect. Practicing art helps us relax; it builds our fine motor skills; helps with cognitive development; language skills; confidence; emotional understanding. The list goes on!
Rather than asking, “Where does innate talent come from?” we can ask: “How can we fuel a love of art that makes us want to keep practicing, no matter our ability?”
Overview of this discussion:
- To the 7 in every 10 people who are afraid of making art out of a fear of being good enough, you should make art for fun. Young children’s attitude (aged 7 and under) towards art as something we do “for fun” is something that we need to tap back into. [2]
- Everyone has their own individual characteristics (be it genetic or environmental) and so we all learn at our own pace. If everyone was given the opportunity to be raised as a creative person, and given the confidence that they are capable of being artistic, then more people would be making art into adulthood.
- Artistic skill is not something that you either have OR you don’t… The genes we are born with do not determine our artistic ability or capability of being creative. You can be an artist too!
The cultural commentary on the Nature vs. Nurture debate
Need more inspiration to get creating? Here is a list of books and films to inspire us that we can do anything, or offer further insight into the debate!
- Gattaca (Film PG/13) is a sci fi film that probes the mind about the nature/nurture debate.
- This blog from the Teacher’s Institute questions whether creativity can be taught, offering further ideas on the debate.
- Watch or read about the Celebrating David Hockney series on SkyArts which inspired the survey of adults on their creativity hold ups.
- An interesting book on the developmental stages of children’s drawings is Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes.
Sources:
[2] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227700053_Attitudes_to_Making_Art_in_the_Primary_School
[3] Genetic and environmental influences on applied creativity: A reared-apart twin study – PMC
[4] Can Creativity Be Taught? Understanding the Role of Genetics and Environment • Teachers Institute
[6] Mind the Gap Between the National Curriculum in Art for Primary Schools & Ofsted
[7] Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes
[8] Creative Development in 3-5 Year Olds
Written by: Molly Huxley
Edited and reviewed by: Emily Harper
