A good example from real life: I've been drumming for a good few years now, teaching myself and playing along with songs. Ive gotten pretty good at it too, if you'll forgive a little boast. But recently, I've just up and lost the desire to drum. The talent is there, but the passion to use this talent is not.
Similarly, I have been looking at art colleges recently for the next year. One thing I have noticed, somewhat with relief, is that genuine talent is not necessarily what they are looking for. Sure you need to have some talent in the fields they cover, like sculpting, textiles, drawing, etc. But what they are REALLY looking for is a willngness and passion to learn. In fact, one college even told a story about how, when applications and interviews came about, there was a choice between two students: One was an amazing artist, as well as being very confident and full of himself, and the other was a decent artist, who was a little shy but his interview showed that he had a genuine passion for his subject and wanted to learn. The college chose the latter student for the place.
Another good example, though not from real life, is those three little ponies, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Look at their actions in "The Showstoppers". They each know that they are highly skilled in certain areas (Applebloom being an adept builder and craftspony, Sweetie Belle being an incredible singer, and Scootaloo being highly agile). But none of them embrace these talents for various reasons. Sweetie, wanting to emulate her sister, as well as being shy about singing in public, chooses to work on building the props and costumes for heirupcoming peformane in a talent show. Scootaloo prefers to be the lead singer and songwriter (despite having an atrocious singing voice), leaving Applebloom to be the (clumsy) lead dancer. Now all three fillies worked as hard as they could on their chosen jobs, but because the talent was not there, their performance literally fell to pieces. However, this raises the question: Would it have been better that they put their hearts into delivering a passionate performance incorrectly, or utilising their individual talents and delivering a stunning performance, but without passion?
So for me, I'd say that talent in a subject, and a passion for a subject, are equal. Even if a person is no good at something, as long as they re eager to do it and get better, that's honestly what matters at the end of the day: whether they enjoy it or not.
