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If the Mona Lisa could talk
She'd say "f*ck talent" and spill the secrets of Leonardo da Vinci's genius.
Wanna know my least favorite compliment?
“You’re so talented.”
I hate it.
You wouldn’t take a shit on wrapping paper, spray it with perfume, wrap it up, put a pretty bow on it, and give it to someone as a token of your appreciation. Now, would you?
I hope not, or maybe you would. I don’t know.
I definitely wouldn’t, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t.
I’m ashamed of the times I credited talent for the fruits of hard labor because I wasn’t expressing admiration. Instead, I was hiding my laziness in a sophisticated insult.
For many years, I refused to believe that sustained effort over a long period of time could yield greater results than talent alone. I didn’t want to believe that hard work beats talent.
My lazy—but sneakily smart—mind was quick to attribute success to luck rather than hard work to keep me safe and justify the events of my life that evaporated my self-esteem, self-worth, and desire to live.
No, I wasn’t suicidal. I just lacked a zeal for life.
Many people die at twenty-five and aren't buried until they are seventy-five.
I felt like I’d been dealt a shitty hand, and most people around me had pocket aces.
Was Da Vinci born a genius?
No one can deny Leonardo da Vinci’s genius.
The man gave us the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, two of the greatest artistic achievements in history. He prototyped the helicopter, diving suit, and various military machines, and his notebooks laid the foundation for many scientific achievements.
Vitruvian Man – sketch in which multiple areas of expertise of da Vinci came together.
But to say that Leonardo was a gifted creative genius would be an insult to his passion, curiosity, and dedication to his work.
Leonardo wasn't born a genius. Instead, he forged his genius.
Leonardo’s genius was a human one, wrought by his own will and ambition. It did not come from being the divine recipient, like Newton or Einstein, of a mind with so much processing power that we mere mortals cannot fathom it. Leonardo had almost no schooling and could barely read Latin or do long division. His genius was of the type we can understand, even take lessons from. It was based on skills we can aspire to improve in ourselves, such as curiosity and intense observation.
Leonardo didn’t receive any formal education, which limited his access to the scientific and philosophical knowledge of the time. Still, despite his academic challenges, his genius stemmed from his curiosity, deliberate observation, and constant application of his knowledge to create solutions for real-world problems.
"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."
A Studious Boy
At 14, Leonardo became a garzone (studio boy) in the workshop of Andrea Del Verrocchio, a student of the great sculptor Donatello and a leading painter and sculptor in Florence. He became an apprentice by age 17 and remained in training for seven years, during which he was exposed to theoretical training and a wide range of technical skills—from chemistry to woodworking.
Leonardo wasn’t gifted. He poured blood, sweat, and tears into his craft.
The Baptism of Christ by Verrocchio 1475. A young Da Vinci painted the angel on the left so beautifully his master Verrocchio never painted again
Even though Leonardo spent years developing his craft, we can’t ignore the gifts that played a role in his creative development and success.
Being part of the creative lineage of Donatello was the universe's first gift to Leonardo. His second gift was Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance.
Fertile Florence
There was no place in the world that offered a more stimulating creative environment than Florence in the 1400s.