Late Bloomers

What do the painter Paul Cézanne and the writer (and former lawyer) Ben Fountain have in common? They were both late bloomers. They did not "discover" their artistic and creative talents until later in life. In the "Annals of Culture" section of The New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell discusses the concept of creative genius, and argues that it is not a characteristic that is unique to the young. This is not to say that there aren't prodigies; there are. In fact, Gladwell uses Pablo Picasso and Jonathan Safran Foer as examples of individuals who discovered their talents early in their careers. Success comes easily for these prodigies. For the late bloomers, however, their success greatly depends on the other people - a spouse, a patron, a friend - someone who believes in the late bloomer's art. As Gladwell concludes, the story of the late bloomer is really just a love story.