I've been in a deep dive of
learning Procrete, a digital drawing and painting app. I've had the app for years and have struggled to to learn it with my not-so-tech-inclined brain. As with most things, when you look a little deeper you find all kinds of life wisdom and good things to remember. Maybe you can relate.
Shall we?
1.
The right support is everything.
I am pretty good at DIY'ing things I want to learn. Google and YouTube go a long way, but sometimes it is not enough. It is good know when reaching out for help is the best way to get what you
want. In my case it is Procreate: A Mixed Media Journey with Kelly Rae Roberts.
work in progress
Demonstration is different then instruction. Personal research is different than expert advice. A group class is different than working with an individual coach. Doing it out on your
own is different than getting help. Conversation is different than contemplation.
Demonstration is great. Contemplation is wonderful. A personal coach, amazing. And, none of these things are an exact substitute for any of the others. I default to figuring things out on my own and have been struggling for years to figure out this app. To use it in the
ways I want I needed to have someone teach me, not a YouTube tutorial or the manual or just trying harder on my own. I needed someone whose process looks enough like mine, who is using it ways similar enough to how want to use and when I did it that opened up all places I have been stuck.
What is the support you really need?
Is it different then what you have been getting?
2.
You don't need everything to start.
Beginning with what you have is enough. There is a whole industry of people offering additional brushes to create textures and patterns for the app. How exciting! The possibilities flood my imagination as I scroll through Etsy! Would they be nice to have? Sure. Do I need them? No. Might I want them as some point? Maybe. It is easy to put off starting because you don't have everything, everything,
everything, but usually what you need is pretty minimal compared to what our magpie hearts (or nervous mind) think is needed.
When I was teaching knitting people were surprised that all they really needed to learn was some decent yarn, a pair of needles, and a way of learning to cast on, bind off, the knit stitch and purl stitch in the that works for
them. That's it and it can carry you a long way. For some it was a class, others private instruction, and others YouTube. In time for those it clicked with their materials and tools expanded as their skills and curiosity grew.
The important part was having the essentials. For me to learn Procraete I needed the app and the right teacher. Etsy can
wait.
how much is too much?
Corollary: you don't need to learn everything to do what you want. I don't need to know how to animate or do other advanced things with Procreate. What I now know will carry me far and is exactly why I bought the app to begin with.
What do you really need to start that thing you dream
of?
How much do you really need to know before you begin?
3.
When you are having fun, continue.
That is all. Let what is fun guide you. Let the energy enjoyment and play carry you though the harder parts of the journey.
Creating pallets from favorite pictures, trying different brushes and color combinations, creating rich textures, for no other reason than it is fun to do has brought me so much joy this past week. Delight is a powerful ally.
having fun in learning
What if you didn't put a limit on how much fun you allowed yourself?
4.
Trying things and then trying again is where the gold is found.
learning doesn't mean good, but it doesn't, doesn't mean mean that either
Success tells you learned something, but don't mistake it for the learning.
What is worth trying and learning and then trying some more?
5.
A blessing for your week:
(The Illustrated Herbary by Maia Toll, art by Kate O'Hara)
May you always find light (and some fun) even in the darkest of times.
