I've been a self-taught person for a good percentage of my life. From learning to read to Yoga, I've learned almost everything I've wanted from books. However, there are some things you just can't learn from books; some things you must learn from life experience. Well, of course there is! For example, driving a car. You can't learn everything about that from a book, you must know the road rules and how to work them out properly on a road with other drivers - as not every driver thinks the same way.
Gardening is another one. Yes, it looks right in the gardening manuals and magazines; but it doesn't mean the same plants and gardens will work out the same way in your place; that an English cottage garden will work in Cairns with exactly the same plants.
Along with these two examples, I can think of a others, such a cooking, knitting, sports, writing, sewing, painting and many, many more things you must try out for yourself as well as reading about them. However, have you read about something and then found you've been stumped? It looks okay and right in the book, but when you try it out for yourself, nothing works at all? I have.
I took up crocheting recently and found it was one of the hardest things around. Not only have I tried taking it up at a late age, but it's something left-handed people aren't really suited to do. Now, I can knit and sew; but crocheting is strictly a right-handed skill and there's not a single lefty crocheter I know around in my family. Well, okay, Mum is, but she hasn't done it in years, so can't really show me. And how did I come across trying out this skill? My brother, Gabe, and his fiance, Kat, gave me a book on how to make Crobots for Christmas. These are crocheted robots; cute tiny little things; skillfully made and lots of fun! However, when I looked into it - and found the book taught you how to crochet - I found it was a right-handed skill. I asked around and nobody could teach me; and so I Googled online to find a book to teach a lefty how to crochet... there was no such book around! Bummer! So, it looks like I'm heading out to a craft group where women - or men - of the older generation will have to teach me how to crochet. This will take time.. and no book is available to teach me this skill.
So, have you found a skill where you've had to go into training or go to a college or university course to find the right types of skills to get where you need to be? Have you found something you've wanted to do, but no book - or set of books - can teach you what you want? Until my next post, happy reading!
Gardening is another one. Yes, it looks right in the gardening manuals and magazines; but it doesn't mean the same plants and gardens will work out the same way in your place; that an English cottage garden will work in Cairns with exactly the same plants.
Along with these two examples, I can think of a others, such a cooking, knitting, sports, writing, sewing, painting and many, many more things you must try out for yourself as well as reading about them. However, have you read about something and then found you've been stumped? It looks okay and right in the book, but when you try it out for yourself, nothing works at all? I have.
I took up crocheting recently and found it was one of the hardest things around. Not only have I tried taking it up at a late age, but it's something left-handed people aren't really suited to do. Now, I can knit and sew; but crocheting is strictly a right-handed skill and there's not a single lefty crocheter I know around in my family. Well, okay, Mum is, but she hasn't done it in years, so can't really show me. And how did I come across trying out this skill? My brother, Gabe, and his fiance, Kat, gave me a book on how to make Crobots for Christmas. These are crocheted robots; cute tiny little things; skillfully made and lots of fun! However, when I looked into it - and found the book taught you how to crochet - I found it was a right-handed skill. I asked around and nobody could teach me; and so I Googled online to find a book to teach a lefty how to crochet... there was no such book around! Bummer! So, it looks like I'm heading out to a craft group where women - or men - of the older generation will have to teach me how to crochet. This will take time.. and no book is available to teach me this skill.
So, have you found a skill where you've had to go into training or go to a college or university course to find the right types of skills to get where you need to be? Have you found something you've wanted to do, but no book - or set of books - can teach you what you want? Until my next post, happy reading!
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