Do you think it's likely that an adult could become exceptional at something. . .

[gandpsmommy]

if he/she is learning it for the first time and never studied it as a child? For example, do you think it is possible for an adult to learn to play a musical instrument for the first time, and become good enough at playing to become a paid member of an orchestra? Or for an adult to study pottery or painting for the first time and come to create art worthy of exhibiting and/or selling?

 

I've read about the windows of opportunity for learning certain things (foreign language and music, specifically), but I wonder how much that would really matter if one had a passion for something? I know that it would be difficult to suddenly become good at something if one had absolutely no exposure to the idea prior to adulthood, but what about someone who had a propensity for a certain area, but never was afforded the opportunity to study it formally?

 

I wonder how many adults limit themselves because they think it is too late to learn something. I also know that it's worth pursuing hobbies and interests, even if one never becomes good enough to pursue something as a vocation/career, but I guess I just wonder if that possibility is there?

 

What do you think?

[secular_mom]

I think it's possible.

[SproutMamaK]

Absolutely. My sister learned to play violin after she had her second daughter. She's now (in a very short period of time, all things considered - that daughter is now 6) a concert violinist.

 

In can think of countless examples, actually. Come to think of it, MOST people I know have something that they didn't become involved in until they were adults, and they're generally very good at it. Perhaps that's because ,as adults, which more equipped to determine both what we're good and what we truly enjoy, and we're able to direct our learning along those paths? Kind of like unschooling, but with more maturity. ;)

[lionfamily1999]

Yes, it is very possible and in some cases likely. Not everyone is afforded the opportunity to find their niche until they're older and have their own money to spend, or time to spare.

[RoughCollie]

I think adults can do that. Some goals require talent as well as hard work, IMO, to be achievable: art, music, writing. Some require youth, so if you want to be a professional athlete, this is probably not possible.

 

In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers: The Story of Success, he talks about more factors than simply age and time. It seems to me that one can become more than proficient at many things if one puts 10,000 hours of practice into one's goal. Ten thousand hours equals five years of full-time work (40 hours a week x 50 weeks a year x 5 years).

Edited May 15, 2010 by RoughCollie

[gandpsmommy]

Absolutely. My sister learned to play violin after she had her second daughter. She's now (in a very short period of time, all things considered - that daughter is now 6) a concert violinist.

 

In can think of countless examples, actually. Come to think of it, MOST people I know have something that they didn't become involved in until they were adults, and they're generally very good at it. Perhaps that's because ,as adults, which more equipped to determine both what we're good and what we truly enjoy, and we're able to direct our learning along those paths? Kind of like unschooling, but with more maturity. ;)

 

Wow, thanks for sharing your sister's story. I can't tell you how much it encourages me!

[Guest]

Two examples from books I've read recently:

 

First, The Man Who Loved China tells the story of a British scientist who fell in love with a Chinese woman and through her with the Chinese language and with China. He ended up becoming a world expert on the history of science in China, producing a book of some 20+ volumes that is still considered the ultimate in its field. This all began when he was in his mid-thirties. He'd had no contact or study of China/Chinese before. He knew a number of languages so was clearly skilled linguistically; but Chinese is far different in structure and just about everything else from those he knew, and he learned it from scratch.

 

Second -- this is not a story of expertise so much as the story of a man finding his calling as an adult -- Greg Mortenson only accidentally stumbled into a Pakistani village and discovered his life's work of building schools for girls. I'm assuming he learned local languages as he worked with villagers, so clearly learned them as an adult also.

 

More generally, there are multiple examples of incredibly disadvantaged, illiterate people from impoverished countries learning to read as adults and going on to college and/or professional jobs of high caliber. I have not read Pablo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, but a dear friend has, and she's told me stories from the book about this type of adult learning.

[Chris in VA]

Well, there's Grandma Moses, who started painting in her 80's! :001_smile:

 

Sometimes natural talent just isn't developed until much later because of opportunity.

 

And sometimes, it really isn't all about natural talent, but about hard work, as a PP said.

[MamaT]

I think it is possible. Julia Child didn't start cooking until she was over 40. I think if you look, you will find many examples of adults finding a passion and becoming expert at something.

[Caroline]

I have a dear friend who took up making pottery in her forties. She started as part of her grieving process when her father died. She now sells her work at a number of galleries and shops. She has also had work accepted in many juried shows. I love her work and have several of her pieces.

 

I have another friend who took up pottery after her husband had a stroke. She was in her sixties at the time. She sells her work at a couple of artisan shops in Savannah.

 

I started messing around with fiber art a few years ago. Recently I had a piece accepted in a travelling show.

 

So, yes, it is possible. Go for it. You are never too old.

[BikeBookBread]

I think adults can do that. Some goals require talent as well as hard work, IMO, to be achievable: art, music, writing. Some require youth, so if you want to be a professional athlete, this is probably not possible.

 

In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers: The Story of Success, he talks about more factors than simply age and time. It seems to me that one can become more than proficient at many things if one puts 10,000 hours of practice into one's goal. Ten thousand hours equals five years of full-time work (40 hours a week x 50 weeks a year x 5 years).

 

:iagree: - when I read original thread post, I thought of this book immediately!

 

ETA: I started to bake artisanal bread at the age of 38...(I hate talking about myself like this) but people beg me for my bread, and tell me I should open a bakery. I never took one lesson -- just read about it, messed around, started out with a Breadman bread machine and graduated up from there.

 

I love hearing about totally out-of-shape people who take up triathlons, etc... Lance Armstrong didn't become a world-class athlete until his body makeup was fundamentally changed by cancer (which was an awful way to get into the best shape of his life!).

 

My sister in law took up basketmaking at the age of about 40, and now has beautiful pieces in demand at craft shows.

 

What a great thread!

Edited May 15, 2010 by BikeBookBread

[Janet in WA]

Another example: Steve Martin is considered among the top banjo players in the world. He taught himself to play as an adult by watching videos of other banjo players -- frame by frame -- and copying their movements.

[sparrow]

:lurk5: Fantastic thread! I'm reading with great interest.

 

I've decided that I'm going back to school this fall. I'm going to finish pursuing the RN degree that got pushed back when life got in the way 15 years ago. It may take me YEARS (I'm only taking a prerequisite/semester for a while, then hoping grades are high enough to be accepted in the program), but I'll lose nothing by trying and I'm hoping to set an example for my kids, that learning is for a LIFETIME!

 

Please keep your stories coming :001_smile:.

[elegantlion]

Yes, my MIL started writing murder mystery novels just before she retired. She was in her 60s. She published her 3rd a few years ago and is done with her 4th.

[gandpsmommy]

I have a dear friend who took up making pottery in her forties. She started as part of her grieving process when her father died. She now sells her work at a number of galleries and shops. She has also had work accepted in many juried shows. I love her work and have several of her pieces.

 

I have another friend who took up pottery after her husband had a stroke. She was in her sixties at the time. She sells her work at a couple of artisan shops in Savannah.

 

I started messing around with fiber art a few years ago. Recently I had a piece accepted in a travelling show.

 

So, yes, it is possible. Go for it. You are never too old.

 

Thanks for the encouragement, Caroline.

[angela in ohio]

To become truly exceptional (not just proficient,) I think an underlying exposure would need to be present from childhood. So I think a person who was exposed to art or mucic as a child could learn to be exceptional at an art or musical form as an adult.

 

I also think that an adult often has many, many other responsibilities that would make the dedication necessary nearly impossible.

 

Of course, I think to become truly exceptional, there must also be an inherent gift in the person. For example, with enough practice, one can learn to play the piano very well. But to move people to tears, to express the fullest that the music offers... that takes something more, and not everyone has that.

 

The key is finding the gift you have early enough that you still have enough time to practice enough to excel. :001_smile:

 

Whether to learn something anyway, even if you won't be able to become exceptional, is another thing entirely. I personally don't think anything learned is wasted.

Edited May 15, 2010 by angela in ohio

[Alphabetika]

My oldest dd took hammered dulcimer lessons from a woman who did not started learning dulcimer until she was over 40. Her teacher never learned to read music, as one isn't able to read while playing dulcimer; she played by ear. She was in a band that recorded two CDs, won numerous awards, went to Ireland as a prize for one of the awards, and played in many, many venues. My dd was the only student she ever had; we found her when her band was playing monthly at a local coffee house and just approached her and asked if she'd teach. She unhesitatingly said she'd love to teach my dd, even though she'd never taught before, my dd was only 10 at the time and didn't have a dulcimer (yet). My dd took lessons from her for two years and learned oodles, as well as getting the chance to play with her band. Her band has since, um, disbanded, for time reasons, sadly. I would say she's exceptional, not only as a teacher, but as an inspiration and friend.

[dangermom]

The woman who won Best in Show for her quilt at the 2006 Houston Quilt Show had not quilted long--it was her third. Check it out. (Longer description, more photos here.)

[BikeBookBread]

The woman who won Best in Show for her quilt at the 2006 Houston Quilt Show had not quilted long--it was her third. Check it out. (Longer description, more photos here.)

 

WHOA! that's AMAZING!

[Snickerdoodle]

if he/she is learning it for the first time and never studied it as a child?

What do you think?

 

Is it in the realm of all possibilities? Yes.

 

Is is true for every person and every subject? No.

[JudoMom]

Yes.

 

My dad didn't take up woodworking until I was a teenager, and woodturning after that (so late 40s/early 50s for woodturning). He's now 62 and has started traveling around giving demonstrations and seminars, and he's fairly well known in woodturning culture for a certain finial he turns. He's also sold some of his work.

[cathmom]

Adults certainly can learn a foreign language to full fluency. The only advantage children have is that they are able to develop a native-sounding accent. Most adults will not be able to do that. However, I once met a man from Iran who came to the US at the age of 19 knowing no English at all, and he had no accent. So it is possible, just rare.

[orangearrow]

if he/she is learning it for the first time and never studied it as a child?

 

Possible? Absolutely!!

 

Not without a lot of hard work - but that's pretty true whether you're learning something at age 8, or age 80.

 

But, yes, absolutely - it's possible!

 

(some things, of course, would be easier/more likely than others. If you wanted to be an Olympic-level gymnast, for instance, you might have a lot of things working against you as an adult. ;) )

[OhM]

:lurk5: Fantastic thread! I'm reading with great interest.

 

I've decided that I'm going back to school this fall. I'm going to finish pursuing the RN degree that got pushed back when life got in the way 15 years ago. It may take me YEARS (I'm only taking a prerequisite/semester for a while, then hoping grades are high enough to be accepted in the program), but I'll lose nothing by trying and I'm hoping to set an example for my kids, that learning is for a LIFETIME!

 

Please keep your stories coming :001_smile:.

 

:iagree: What an inspiring and encouraging thread! I love it! Thanks, OP, for asking.

[mcconnellboys]

Yes! I've read about this in the past couple of years! As people age, they actually become more right-brained (don't remember what happens to people who already are right-brained, sorry)..... Many people can become artistic, etc. as adults when they were never so growing up. People may completely change careers and do something totally different. Lots of changes can occur.....

[Susan in TN]

Yes - I am in the process of learning the lever harp. After 9 months, I'm not good. But in another 10 years, I expect to be at least competent. ;)

 

They say it takes something like 10,000 hours at anything to become an expert; I may not have another 10,000 hours to learn anything, but I'm also not going for expert - I'm OK with competent. :) I bet that as we get older, we also become more efficient in our study habits.

 

 

My father learned Hebrew when he was 60. Then he learned Chinese. Now, at 70, he's learning Ethiopian (or whatever their main language is in Ethiopia.) As far as I know, he'd never learned a foreign language before. It is astounding to find that he truly has this incredible gift for learning languages - I don't know if he's always had the ability and never had/took the opportunity to learn, or if it's something that has sprung up in his brain as he's gotten older.

[Susan in TN]

Absolutely. My sister learned to play violin after she had her second daughter. She's now (in a very short period of time, all things considered - that daughter is now 6) a concert violinist.

 

 

 

That's amazing.

 

This reminds me of my high school youth symphony director. He was an incredible conductor and a very accomplished violinist. When he went to college, he played baseball and was a physical ed. major. Hadn't ever touched an instrument. But when he was a soph. or junior, he picked up a friend's violin for fun and gave it a try. 3 years later he graduated with a degree in music.

[Heather in Neverland]

My dh read that if you spent one hour per day for 5 years on something (playing an instrument, studying a topic, etc) you would be an expert in the field.

 

So I am 39yo. If I start now by the time I am 44 I could be an expert at something...hmmm.....what to pick?

[laughing lioness]

Don't forget John Holt who picked up the cello as an adult and played in a string quartet.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Adults certainly can learn a foreign language to full fluency. The only advantage children have is that they are able to develop a native-sounding accent. Most adults will not be able to do that. However, I once met a man from Iran who came to the US at the age of 19 knowing no English at all, and he had no accent. So it is possible, just rare.

 

My dad learned Japanese in his 20's and not only had full fluency but he had no accent. My mom and others who came to Japan and studied with him at the same time all had accents even though they had fluency. I think it must have been genetic or something even though he was an Iowa farmboy who had never traveled very far from the farm before.

[lollie010]

This is great--now I am all motivated.

[Anne in CA]

I work in a large hotel. I just got off work tonight actually and was delighted to find this thread when I came home. I work with lots of people from other countries who learned English as an adult when they came to the US. I mean, I probably have met more than 100 people who learned English after they were 25 or older. So I have seen that not only is it possible, depending on where you live, it is common.

[Imprimis]

What an inspiring thread! I think too many of us take the old saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" to heart.

 

So nice to see that disproved.

[Dandelion]

What a great thread! I've really enjoyed reading about the various skills people have picked up in adulthood. Feeling motivated now too!! :)

[Gooblink]

This is an encouraging thread!

 

I'll be 47 this fall and started taking piano lessons just over 2 years ago. I've learned several classical pieces by heart in addition to contemporary music. I'm not exceptional, but have far surpassed my wildest dreams at this age. :)

 

Next on list: back to college for a PhD in something totally impractical and writing a best-selling book.

 

Gotta have dreams, eh?

[vonfirmath]

if he/she is learning it for the first time and never studied it as a child? For example, do you think it is possible for an adult to learn to play a musical instrument for the first time, and become good enough at playing to become a paid member of an orchestra? Or for an adult to study pottery or painting for the first time and come to create art worthy of exhibiting and/or selling?

 

My MIL did this with the viola and the Missoula Orchestra.

[cyndyinohio]

I think it's possible...just might take more time!