Late Start

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I am 29 years old (will be 30 in two months! XD where does the time go?). I have always liked to doodle and take pictures, for example but I never thought I would be any good at it. Well about 11 months back. . . Actually it was two Christmas ago about I bought a cheap sketch book and charcoal sticks to start drawing and lo and behold, I am now full-steam sketching. I do it a few times a day every day and well I am quite a bit obsessed with the activity. Recently someone told me I started trying to be an artist too late in life. I do not exactly give this credence, but, what if they are right? You see all this super talented high-grade painters that are like 16 and sometimes I feel kind of bad about the quality of my art. I have good pieces and bad, of course.

Plus you hear all these tales about autistic people being really good at one or two things and I am like, drawing is about one of the best things I can do, and it sometimes looks so substandard.

I really did not mean to rant away. . . Not like I discuss this sort of thing at home often. Meh! I do not like to have conversation that often period.

i didn't learn i had a special touch with digital audio restoration until recently.

I do not understand why people think talents usually develop early. I guess that comment made me feel sad?

extreme savant-like talents usually DO develop just as soon as the gifted person is able to walk and talk which, in those sorts also comes several months earlier than those of the rest of us born under a lesser god.

Talents don't have to develop early, At 30 your still young! Art is all a matter of perspective anyway so I would pay little attention to others who are likely wanting to be more like you. You are your likely own worst critic, if so I know the feeling.

I think it's utter BS... that is unless you've lost all autonomy and are on a death-bed. No, it's never too late to develop special talent(s).

I'm not sure but I think this sort of way of thinking has to do with success? Could be wrong... but that's my impression.

I suppose there are certain talents that you either have or you don't, but that's an entirely different thing from skill. Frankly I have more respect for the skills a person has as a result of the work they do than I have for a talent they were born with.

There is no "...too late in life" when it comes to developing a skill. The unstated implication of that person's comment is that you can't be a good artist because you started too late. This is absurd. First of all, you started learning how to see and how to draw when you first started doodling, not when you bought the sketch pad. Second, it's not when you start, but how well you learn that determines the quality of your work. Third, you have no idea how young 30 is.

Yes, it can take years to get good at a skill, but if you are better now than you were last year, then that's really all that matters.

Thanks for the replies guys they where very helpful, and sure took those art blues away. I should probably be less harsh on myself.