> Something I learned relatively late in my career was that really impressive work is the result of iterations in tiny steps.
I agree 100%
> I am definitely of the opinion that given then right circumstances most people could produce something that other people believe is at that sort of level of complexity.
This is the "if my grandma had four wheels, she would be a truck" argument and in my experience it is not accurate. A quote from Ratatouille puts it very eloquently: "A great chef could be anyone, but anyone could not be a great chef"
> They're not that different to the rest of us
I beg to differ. Again, with the caveat of "in my experience", they are very different. Maybe not in ways that would make a great Forbes article, like having superhuman IQ, but for example "having grit" or simply "ability to obsess over the right things" is a key ingredient that most people don't have enough of.
I agree 100%
> I am definitely of the opinion that given then right circumstances most people could produce something that other people believe is at that sort of level of complexity.
This is the "if my grandma had four wheels, she would be a truck" argument and in my experience it is not accurate. A quote from Ratatouille puts it very eloquently: "A great chef could be anyone, but anyone could not be a great chef"
> They're not that different to the rest of us
I beg to differ. Again, with the caveat of "in my experience", they are very different. Maybe not in ways that would make a great Forbes article, like having superhuman IQ, but for example "having grit" or simply "ability to obsess over the right things" is a key ingredient that most people don't have enough of.