Shouldnt cutiemarks appear when ponies are teenagers?

[V3ng34nc3 110]

I know that the show is focused on little kids, but a headcanon I use a lot is that Cutiemarks appear during adolence to represent finally knowing your passion. For example, I never realized I wanted to make art my hobby until I was around 12 

Of course I would totally understand anypony who says otherwise since cutiemarks are meant to represent talents. Just want to see if anypony else shares this headcannon! 

[Snow 8,958]

7 hours ago, V3ng34nc3 said:

 

I know that the show is focused on little kids

 

Oh but it’s fun to theorize! And to have these little what-if’s.

I don’t personally share your view, my reasoning being that art might have clicked for you while you were 12, it might have clicked for someone else when they were 6, maybe it clicked for someone when they were 18 or 24 or older still.

Puberty/adolescence represents a big period of change in our lives as we develop though a lot of people and perhaps ponies too can make it well past this stage of life without really finding out what their “special talent” really is, no doubt that it could be very frustrating but I’d like to think that makes for good story potential.

There is no certainty that an individual will have found their way or place in the world at any specific age or age range, and I think that’s ok. 

[SharpWit 2,995]

Art and other forms of being creative I think fall into a unique category for being more likely to get one's cutie mark sooner rather than later. It can be hampered by a lack of encouragement or not having access to materials, but ultimately most artists make things they like, regardless of what others think, and are resourceful enough to find a medium one way or another. It's a passion that requires a lot from ourselves, but little else, and can begin at a very young age. It also nicely falls into the grouping of special talents that don't have to be put towards a career, though that'd be nice, and praise to those who do so successfully!

As for age and cutie marks overall, I think there's two ways to go about it, and both are a little sad. Either they're supposed to appear when you're relatively young because it's not just skill, it's passion! Which has no connection to livelihood, they can appear generally at anytime, and it just takes a while longer for some to find out what that thing they're good at is.

I'm all both, and they can even work together, if our cultural upbringing plays a role as well. What does your environment foster? Does a suppressed society eventually see little to no cutie marks altogether? Or if ponydom took place in our current setting, would we see a severe increase in late bloomers, and call it an epidemic as the youth just try to get by? In the latter I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't until college or beyond that a significant portion of the population got theirs.