Silver apples quote for the day:

Author Patricia Wrede wrote, "Talent is way down on the list of things you need to write; it comes in a distant fourth, after persistence, motivation, and discipline. And the reason is that 'talent' is as common as mud; what's rare is the motivation to sit down and actually do something with it, the discipline to do it regularly, and the persistance to stick with it until it's finished. I know oodles of extremely talented people who will never publish anything, because they won't ever sit down and actually 'write' anything, much less finish it."

Granted this is in regards to writing, but I think the same principles apply directly to illustrating (or any other talent-based endeavor). It can be disheartening to see the mass of talent 'out there' and feel how can I possibly compete? But I have even more control over the other attributes mentioned (persistence, motivation, discipline) - which can feel much more empowering.