Re: The Element

I was interested in The Element, by Ken Robinson because I agree that everyone does have something they enjoy that they’re talented at, and that too many people forget or bury that passion. But I found this book  more inspirational than instructional. It’s 95% stories of talented people who figured out what their talent was and pursued it. The other 5% are rants about how bad our educational system is.

That said, my favorite story was Matt Groening’s, especially the part where he was drawing so much, he used up all the paper. The typical pattern is child is obsessed with something they enjoy or child is restless and unable to concentrate in school. The former pursues the obsession. The latter receives guidance from a sympathetic teacher or other adult expert. Some do not receive parental support. Those who do are eternally grateful.

The examples are heavily weighted to creative types: writers, artists, musicians. While the book repeatedly complains that the school system emphasizes reading and math and testing over arts and music, it completely leaves out any mention of occupations that involve manual labor or craft. No plumbers, HVAC, auto mechanics, or knitters in this book. Forget about athletes, not to mention any occupation featured on Dirty Jobs.

While the majority of the book is dominated by people who grew rich pursuing their passions, he gives one chapter to people who use their day jobs to support the hobbies they love, like the car salesman with the beautiful surf photography portfolio. I could not find any explicit guidance about how to (re)discover your own passion. Maybe the expectation is that young people will read it and realize that it’s okay to want to be an architect, or whatever.

Frustrating.