A Compass And A Map
Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash
Navigators use different tools to get where they’re going, depending on what they need at the time. An experienced navigator might be able to use only a compass. A less experienced navigator in the same situation might need a map. A non-navigator might need turn by turn instructions.
This is true for, say, traveling from New York to Chicago by car, or Trenton to Philadelphia on horseback. Though there could be times when even an experienced navigator needs to refer to a map, or an experienced driver might run into traffic or a road closure and be well served with turn by turn directions to get back on track.
But what about navigating life? Or education? Learning music or painting?
As a beginner, needing structure and more explicit guidance in learning a new craft or subject is likely very useful. As we gain experience and develop skills, we might feel like we need less prescriptive guidance and prefer a more general approach. That doesn’t mean we won’t ever get value from stronger guidance. It depends on context.
When first learning to paint, I felt like I needed a lot of explicit guidance and there really wasn’t a whole lot around. I wanted somebody to tell me how to hold a brush and how to physically mix one color with another to get a third color, how to load a brush with paint, how to apply it to the surface correctly, etc. How much paint should I use? Should I use a brush or a knife?
I needed a map. Actually, I needed turn by turn directions. Now, I mostly need a compass but there are times when turn by turn directions would be a big help.
So where do aspiring artists go for guidance? Often, it’s the internet -- specifically, YouTube. While there are a lot of great artists on YouTube, the actual guidance one gets there ranges from turn by turn instructions without any context, to barely more than a compass without sufficient practical guidance (a map) to be useful to beginners.
Studying with an art instructor in person, through workshops or classes, can certainly help. It depends on the instructor though, and not everybody has a local art instructor they can work with. Still, in my experience, it’s the most effective way to get what you need, no matter your skill level. Even in this case, it’s important to stick with one instructor, if possible. If not possible, stick with one method or approach. That’s the best way to get the best understanding of The Thing You’re Learning and not get distracted by All The Other Things. There’s a lot of different approaches to learning and teaching how to paint. They can all be fun, but learning them all at once isn’t likely the most fruitful approach.
There are now more online art schools and ateliers that may be able to bridge the gap between YouTube and live workshops. I don’t have any experience with any of them, so I can’t comment on their effectiveness. But as long as you can ask a specific question and get a specific answer, they’re probably a lot better than watching a video alone. Just try to be aware of what you need at any given time, and ask yourself, “do I need a compass or a map?”
Sometimes, I think I need a map when a compass would do. Sometimes I stubbornly stick with my compass when a map would make things so much easier.
No matter how I get where I’m going, though, I try to focus on the journey.