Would you sell your talents for 10 million dollars?

[roy7zen]

You mean if talent was an actual physical object? To sell it and not have it anymore?

[shazzbaa]

This kind of contract needs a LOT more specifications

• is this like the fruit from One Piece with swimming where I magically Just Can't re-learn how to do stuff or can I start from scratch? If the latter, is this a world where Not Having Talent holds back my ability to relearn it? (debatable IRL!)
• am I selling ALL my talents? Like, no more drawing, no more moderately pretty singing voice, no more ability to put words together well, no more ability to tell a non-rambling story to my friends at lunch, no more ability to uncannily remember a conversation a week later, no more ability to read the emotional mood of a group of people and tell when others are upset or put out? No more being good at math and logic? We have a lot more talents than we recognise -- if we sell them ALL we might lose more than we expect!
• or can I pick? Can I sell my ability to freakishly bend my thumb backwards for 10 million dollars? Or is it locked in to specifically drawing? Or is it locked in to specifically storytelling? Or is it "anything that helps you make comics"?

Regardless, I think the short answer is no, unless I were in a situation where 10 million would help not only me but also other people I care about, immediately and directly. I wouldn't sell ALL my talents for 10 million under any circumstance, but I could imagine a scenario where 10 million would save my family from dying somehow and I might reluctantly give up my ability to draw for that.
But normally, nah, it wouldn't be worth it!

[AnnaLandin]

Like @shazzbaa, I think I'm pretty firmly in the "no" squad. Like, 10 million dollars would be lovely, don't get me wrong, but this whole thing - art, drawing, comics, storytelling - is such a big part of me that it would be a bit like selling an integral bodypart. I kinda need it.

Can I sell my ability to freakishly bend my thumb backwards for 10 million dollars?

Bendy high-five, hyperflexible buddy!

[isaacfriedman]

Depends on the talent. I might sell my ability curl my tongue, but 10 million isn't quite worth my (admittedly not that great) artistic or writing talents.

[angelfire]

I'm not very good at drawing, and I'm still learning what my real talent is.

Talent isn't something learned, it's what you have and what you have had from the day you were born. (MLP Ref)
Whether you like it or not a talent is something you're naturally good at. For example, I'm good at Math. But I hate it.
A LEARNED talent is something that you like but not necessarily good at and you want to get better. Which is how I am with art. I love it. I know I'm not good at it. But as I learn, I will get good at it.

So to answer your question. No. I would not sell my talent(s). Not because it's a big part of me (like @AnnaLandin said) but because I don't know what it is yet. It might be many, it might be a few. But why give up something that I have yet to discover? Unless of course, I'm in dire need of 10mill (which I think is a lot for any one person).
.

[TennaShoe]

To change it up, I'm going to go with yes.

I learned this talent once, I can learn it again. I'm assuming this thing is talking about just losing your hand coordination. I lost the ability to draw with my dominant hand when it was casted, my non dominant hand learned what to do real fast. So, even if "losing my talent" is just simply losing my right hand, I'm good. Plus side is now I can draw with both hands.

If its the whole shindig of visualizing to putting it on paper, it'd be cool to start fresh with a whole new method. Or whole new talent.

Unless, my talent isn't actually art and its something else entirely, like a social skill, then I'm doomed. xD But at least then I have 10mil to account for my job loss because I forgot how to human.

[phen]

But what if we approach this from an investment perspective? You sell your talent (a high skill with drawing) and it simply disappears, it no longer exists and you have the money. Now, pull a mass industrialisation and commercialisation of your art. Put all of what you've created into huge advertising, marketing, and merchandise. Set up a studio, hire artists to learn and replicate and expand upon your body of work.

Would the turn-out be just as high or higher than if you held onto your talents?

But that's just for monetary gain, right? I personally wouldn't be able to sell any talents (definition: skills I've gained through practise and perseverance) because I would be very, very lonely and lost without 'em.

[DeadAccount]

Totally gonna sell it and hire other people to do the thing. Think of all the job opportunities it'd create \o/

I will miss doodling, but hey...Maybe I'd have the time to get good at everything else.

[roy7zen]

If talent was something that could be sold, then I assume its something that could be bought as well. Would I sell my "talent" to draw for 10 million? Absolutely, I'd then use that money to buy a better "talent" and so on and so on...

It would be a never ending cycle. Because it doesn't matter how much time I practice drawing or (in this example) how much I'll spend on buying advanced "talents" from other artists, there will ALWAYS be some else who's drawing better than me.

[efdvorsky]

What if you sell your talent, then be able to afford actually going to a really good art school? Actually be able to polish yourself up from the greatest masters. CAN you relearn the talent you sold?

I mean, yeah you'll start from scratch but you also own a yacht and don't need to struggle to pay rent ever again.

If it's storytelling, then no way José.

[alaingrey]

I would sell my talents and then make something truly talentless.

Consider this: the most appreciated and talentless film ever made, THE ROOM, cost 6 million to produce. So with no talent and ten million dollars I could create a new cult classic and then spend my last 4 million dollars sleazing around Hollywood.

I'm ready.

[OgonoArtFamily]

Yes, I needed to be more specific and I did mean all yoru talents, but if I could count something as bending your thumb backwards...sure..But I was going for something deeper. How about talents that aid in your passion >:). I'm assuming since everyone here is on tapastic art andstorytelling would be lost at the cost of million dollars. Sure people can be passionate about many things, well it's debatable. But if you were sold 10 million dollars for your "main priority passion". Like art and storytelling telling all accounts to one main priority passion of comics. 2 stuff forming into 1.

But all the stuff you mention would be something deep to think about lolol. ALL talnets xD...maybe I should've raised the price to 1 trillion. Then again with all the money in the world you have the option to help others. Then again, the talent of lacking discernment...you could have all that money taken away and lose everything.... Buuut, Let's stick to "main priority passions" xD

[OgonoArtFamily]

"Then again, the talent of lacking discernment.." Sorry I was in a rush typing this, I meant talent of discernment being lost xD

[OgonoArtFamily]

Yes! In a way, if it was a physical object that could be sold, would you?

[shazzbaa]

Whatever genie is making this deal with me still has a lot of room for interpretation!

The biggest question remains: can you relearn, or are you selling away your ability to ever be good at this thing? Because if you can sit down and work hard and relearn art, and you're relatively young.... I'm with @efdvorsky, I could see that really being worth it for some artists!

(sidebar: heck, you could have an entire business model built on that -- study and work for years to become good at a thing and then sell your ability to be good at that thing for a huge amount of money, and then just study again until your talent is big enough for another sale? There's definitely a sci-fi story premise hiding in this scenario,,,,,)

If you make comics as your main passion, "anything that feeds into your main passion" includes storytelling, communication (which would affect your ability to communicate well outside of comics), creativity, an eye for aesthetics (you need to be able to tell when your drawings look good and when they don't), the ability to choose colours well (all of which would affect any graphic design abilities as well as having repercussions on your ability to present yourself well), and an ability to draw. How about your ability to sell yourself and your work? Your ability to network with others? Those are important all over the place in life, but they tie into webcomicking too; are they included?

Or is this a magic bargain where you keep those abilities outside of comics but just whenever you sit down to draw a comic something magically prevents any of it from working?

[Kura]

As much as I love my talents I would sacrifice them and use the money to get my parents out of debit and give them a nice retirement where I would be sure they would be both cared for and happy.

[ashriott]

If you're talking about art talents specifically, then no. Cause on days that I'm down or feeling cynical, I'll probably just say "I wish my talents were even worth 10 million dollars" :'D

[OgonoArtFamily]

"If you make comics as your main passion, "anything that feeds into your main passion" includes storytelling, communication (which would affect your ability to communicate well outside of comics), creativity, an eye for aesthetics (you need to be able to tell when your drawings look good and when they don't), the ability to choose colours well (all of which would affect any graphic design abilities as well as having repercussions on your ability to present yourself well), and an ability to draw. How about your ability to sell yourself and your work? Your ability to network with others? Those are important all over the place in life, but they tie into webcomicking too; are they included?"

Yeah all of this would be included all gone, but you have the option to relearn all of those skills. Nothing is preventing you from it. Unless, you want to include something that magically prevents any of it from working...ooohh boy. If we're gonna involve genies with that kind of power. I might as well raise the price from 10 billion to 10 trillion. Maybe even more lolol..

[OgonoArtFamily]

Wow, that's a amazing way to look at it lolol.

[UrMom]

Seeing as storytelling isn't my talent, yeah, I would. Now if I had to compare my "passion" with money, then it would be a no, I'd rather be penniless and keeping the one thing I completely enjoy in life than be rich and have nothing... even if it's not something I'm good at.