The great Samurai Musashi said we could learn a thousand things from one. I think he was on target. For instance, good study skills are easily transferable from one area to another, making learning multiple things possible.
When I taught marine carving, most students had no carving experience. I started with foundational skills like sharpening and basic cuts with the knife. These skills precede everything else in carving, and though they are not showy, they lay a foundation for the elaborate and complex. By the end of the course, most students progressed from simple chip carving to more intricate types of relief carving.
It’s normal to want to dash in and”create.” Without solid foundations, we’d need great luck and enormous talent to be successful.
How do I know this? I’m the original “rush in where Angels fear to tread” kid. I never had formal tuition in my craft, and I picked up from mentors what they would show me. Eventually, I found, reluctantly, that I had to backtrack and learn the fundamentals I had skipped over.
Having a grip on fundamentals, you can experiment with bending, expanding, and exploring. The basic skills are not limits on your art; they are merely stating points.
Forget about being good at five things. Go for the gold, and follow Musashi’s advice from one thing learn a thousand.
Discover more from Louis N. Carreras, Woodcarver
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Well said, Lou. Good things always come from solid foundations!
You and I are crafters. We learned through hard experience.
We sure did.
You never get anywhere through cutting corners in your learning. You have to master those basics and then grow your skills from there. Otherwise your product will suffer and so will your success.
Count me in. I learn quick and can teach others quickly. I think I’m a good influencer (what they call nowadays). I mean motivator. I’ve inspired friends who couldn’t run&hike, or those who couldn’t exercise or dance; Now they do. My mostly female heroines that I create in my Amazon Books will inspire you too to try things that you thought you could not achieve. Cheers.
I really love this. Thank you!
I am like you..’yada, yada, yada. Let’s get to it!’
“The basic skills are not limits on your art; they are merely stating points.” It’s like teaching writing. I couldn’t teach them what to say; only how someone else might have a better chance of understanding it. THAT is a tough thing for a student to understand. BUT there are so many different kinds of learners. I’m a kinesthetic learner and teachers could yammer all day, but I had to try things out. It’s funny… I also taught my students that most of their learning wouldn’t happen in school; that school existed to teach them HOW to learn.