Imagine with me a king.

He leads a happy life, lavish and stable, but he does find it rather dull. So he decides he wants music in his courts- The best in the kingdom. Music he would want to hear every single day.

So, he declares to the people: "Bring me the best musicians in the land, that I may choose one to play in my courts."

Two musicians arrive at the castle the next day.

The first is a man who had been trained to play music his whole life. He had the skill to play any piece of music flawlessly. He was undoubtedly the most talented musician in the land.

The second was a little boy who only knew the basics of music. No nice clothes, no sheet music, no nothing. Just a kid and his own determination.

The first musician takes a seat at the piano and begins to play. His hands move a lightning speed, filling the room with a perfect, calculated sound.

He steps back with a flourish and a grin on his face, confident he'll be back soon. But the king's expression tells nothing.

Then the boy steps up to take his turn. He sits at the piano, takes a deep breath, and focuses his thoughts on his family: Paupers who can barely afford to feed themselves. The overwhelming sadness of the image of a life on the street. The sympathy one who pays attention must feel.

Finally, he places his hands on the keys and begins to play.

The sound is soft. Simple. Uncertain, almost. But it's true to the thought. It flows naturally, under no instruction from a sheet or technical knowledge.

As the last note from the boy's song echoes through the room, the king points to him, a smile creeping across his face, and he speaks.

"I want to hear you play in my courts every day. For when I heard your song, I felt the weight of your struggle."

The older musician was outraged, and he begged the king to change his mind. But the king said:

"To hear your music every day would drive me insane. For when you played, it was perfect, but I felt nothing. For your music thrives on skill in your brain, but the boy's was born from his heart."

Yeah, it's some corny "good music comes from the heart" type stuff. But there's really no way to say it without sounding like a cliché. Talent and art are meant for each other. You can't do just one.

You can know how to play a song, but if it won't make you feel anything, it won't make anyone else feel anything either.

Think of it like the human body: If you only have bones, what good are they without anything to move them? And if you only have muscles and organs and all that, it's just a big, gross puddle without the bones.

Art is a language, and skill is the translator.

Thank you for your time.