Talent or Passion?

What is talent? According to Oxford, it’s a “natural aptitude or skill”.

Hmmm…

Aptitude equals natural ability. How about passion? Passion is “a strong and barely controllable emotion”. What if you don’t have aptitude in music but you have a passion for it? That’s where my struggle is: I’m stuck precisely between passion and talent. Agh!!!

Music has always struck a chord with me (pun intended!) It is one of God’s great gifts that has helped me through many times in life. It has allowed me to feel pain, permitted me to be angry, and helped me to get over the pain and anger so I could be happy! Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of something that can’t make a person feel every emotion known to mankind?

Passion I have. Talent I don’t.

Well, if you lack talent then it is extremely difficult to be a part of music! In my case, I find it is so unfair how many talented people I know who just take it for granted while I’m over here busting my hump for every note of music I produce, whether from my lips or my fingers and still never feeling even close to good enough! Agh!!!

So which would you have: talent or passion? Obviously both would be ideal but let’s say you can only choose one or the other… what would it be?