Art is craft first. Crafts can be learned. Some learn fast, some slow. Many who could learn give up. Innate giftedness matters, but "her work ethic and perseverance were amazing" tells the tale. This is why some artists/musicians/writers hate it when you tell them they're "so gifted" or "a genius," and will say, "Nah, I just work hard." You think they're being humble. They're being real, and if they're annoyed by what you intended as a compliment, it's because they think you're discounting the work, as if all their mastery just got plopped into their laps unearned. They've seen those vanishingly rare cases and know they're not that guy. This is why a Billy Joel, with decades of success and many hits, will say, "As a musician, I'm merely competent." The artist in the anecdote also kept trying, which gave her many chances to get lucky. That matters too.