"Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing that makes you good."
- Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers).

"Shaolin Monk" (少林僧) contemplates the main theme of Malcolm Gladwell's written work, Outliers. There is no such thing as talent; it is practice that makes you an overachiever –
10,000 hours of practice, to be precise. This theory is best affirmed by the shaolin monks, who spend a lifetime developing their inner and outer strengths in a series of repetitive and painful routines spread throughout the day. They appear to be bearers of almost superhuman skills, but the secret lies within their consistency. This phenomenon is expanded throughout all professions. Bill Gates, Michael Jackson (R.I.P.), and Tiger Woods all practiced or exercised for around 10,000 hours before they achieved anything great. So how come, asks Gladwell, since greatness is not a matter of talent but of time, there are not more professionals out there? The magic lies within determination, devotion, and deliberate practice. People adapt very quickly in the beginning of life and work but along the learning process, progress slows down, even stops. It takes those extra steps which are very painful and difficult and therefore are taken by few. That's the way it must be. If great performance were easy, it wouldn't be rare.
Liu Dao can look back at 5 years of experience, a period of time when the members spent each and every day pouring their hearts' blood and souls into the projects they believed in. This period has not yet come to an end. The joint forces have clocked 10,000 hours and beyond – but we know this alone will guarantee nothing. The benefits of synergy are inevitable side effects of collaborative work.
The Liu Dao art collective has achieved many things. Together they produced 200 artworks in the year 2010 alone. But the journey does not stop here; there are always many hours ahead to sharpen abilities and perfect crafts. Practice makes perfect.
What would you spend 10,000 hours on? [Laura Breitenberger]