Is Artistic Talent Hereditary?

I believe a person could be born with a natural talent or eye for art, music, writing, etc. But unless that creativity is fostered and encouraged, it will wither and die like so many of my houseplants in the past (and present, because as I’m writing this the basil plant across the table is wilted and beyond saving.) 

However, I’d also argue that the responsibility of nurturing here doesn't just lie with parent(s), but also with the individual. If they are unwilling to put in the time and effort to practice, their skills will simply stagnate. If you haven’t drawn anything since you were 7, well, you are probably still going to draw like a 7-year-old. No hate here, I love kids’ drawings! They have their own way of seeing things, as I’m finding out. And if your drawing skills are lacking as an adult, your skills in another area of your life are probably pretty great!

I often tell people (mostly my kids) that art is like anything else and there's no secret to success: practice makes perfect. When I was a kid, I drew like every other kid my age. But in high school, I drew every single day. I came up with hundreds of unique characters, illustrated once and forgotten. I wish I had an official sketchbook from that time, that I could dig out and redraw them 20 years later. However, much of my art at that time was in school notebooks, on assignments and tests, doodling in the margins and around the text I was supposed to be studying. It was the daily drawing practice for so many years that got me to the level I am today - and I'm still learning and practicing!

Didn’t everyone decorate their 2003 calendars like this?

So is creativity genetic? Can it be inherited from your parents or grandparents? There are countless examples throughout history of multiple generations of creative people in a single family: sons of singers who are just as talented musically as their mothers; daughters of painters whose fathers put brushes in their hands before they could walk. 

My own father is an art teacher, my brother is a musician (he occasionally creates visual art as well,) and my sweet mother is an accountant. I'm not sure of anyone else proceeding me in my family tree who was artistically inclined (although my maternal grandfather was a tinker who created a variety of incredible functional things, without much of a formal education.) But my parents were so supportive of me in becoming an artist, they'd look at every angsty teenage drawing I showed them and ask thoughtful questions about the characters - most of which I had no answer for. Why is that fairy holding a giant bloody wrench? How should I know, I'm just the artist! (But probably to cover up the hands or feet!)

“Monkey” by Emma McAndrews, crayons on paper, 2022

A few months ago my own daughter, at 5 years old, informed me that she is an artist like me. I believe her, because A. all children are artists, and B. she loves drawing and coloring, so she does it often and as a result she’s getting pretty good!

Will she always be an artist? I can’t predict the future. But as long as she is interested in creating, I’m going to encourage her. And if her interests shift to something else less creative, I’ll still be just as proud of her. Because when it comes down to it, I believe that it’s not the genes you were born with but the effort and passion you put into something that makes it art.