{"id":43631,"date":"2017-03-15T11:00:55","date_gmt":"2017-03-15T18:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=43631"},"modified":"2017-03-14T22:13:52","modified_gmt":"2017-03-15T05:13:52","slug":"how-to-learn-to-do-anything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/15\/how-to-learn-to-do-anything\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Learn to Do Anything"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"43632\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/15\/how-to-learn-to-do-anything\/eric-kim-photography-black-and-white-hanoi-0009497-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/eric-kim-photography-black-and-white-hanoi-0009497-1.jpg?fit=2000%2C1325&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1325\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;GR II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1489180518&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;ERIC KIM PHOTOGRAPHY&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;18.3&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"eric kim tattoo black and white coffee arm\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/eric-kim-photography-black-and-white-hanoi-0009497-1.jpg?fit=800%2C530&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-43632\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/eric-kim-photography-black-and-white-hanoi-0009497-1-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530\" alt=\"eric kim tattoo black and white coffee arm\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/eric-kim-photography-black-and-white-hanoi-0009497-1.jpg?resize=800%2C530&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/eric-kim-photography-black-and-white-hanoi-0009497-1.jpg?resize=768%2C509&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/eric-kim-photography-black-and-white-hanoi-0009497-1.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>My buddy Chris Dillow is the most inspirational tinkerer I know. I asked him, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHow do you stay so curious?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 He told me:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Assume you can do anything.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>1. We can do anything we put our minds to<\/h2>\n<p>Which made me wonder; what if we lived a life where we assumed we could do anything?<\/p>\n<p>I think the default attitude we have in life is that we cannot do most things. We talk ourselves out of doing stuff before we even try.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m too old to program, or learn how to code.<\/li>\n<li>I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m too old to pick up an instrument, or learn a new language.<\/li>\n<li>I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not talented enough to paint, draw, or design.<\/li>\n<li>I wish I picked up photography sooner.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Why do we place these stupid restrictions on ourselves; and talk ourselves down\u00e2\u20ac\u201d before we even try?<\/p>\n<h2>2. Become a modern day Renaissance person<\/h2>\n<p>My biggest inspiration as of late is Leonardo da Vinci. He did everything. He was a painter, an engineer, an artist, and a scientist. He studied botany, the human body, and everything and anything on planet earth.<\/p>\n<p>He was the ultimate Renaissance person. He was curious about everything, and used his keen senses of observation to formulate his own theories. He drew thousands of sketches, and filled thousands of pages of his notebooks.<\/p>\n<p>He assumed he could learn anything.<\/p>\n<p>So can you.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Believe in yourself<\/h2>\n<p>Shift your thinking. Assume you can do anything, and everything.<\/p>\n<p>Experiment more. Tinker more. Take more risks. Try out more things.<\/p>\n<p>Never talk yourself down. Rather, over-estimate what you can do. Then you can push your limits, and achieve more in life.<\/p>\n<p>You can do anything.<\/p>\n<h2>4. How you can learn to do anything<\/h2>\n<p>Be an autodictat; meaning, you automatically dictate learning to yourself. You learn for your own sake, without permission from anybody.<\/p>\n<p>Some ways I teach myself to do stuff:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Google: Search \u00e2\u20ac\u02dchow to do\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 [x]<\/li>\n<li>Watch YouTube videos on how to do anything<\/li>\n<li>Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tell others what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re working on, your dreams, or plans. Just do it.<\/li>\n<li>Try to keep it as simple as possible: I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not seeking to be the best at something. Just \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgood enough.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/li>\n<li>Allow yourself to make shitty stuff: When I taught myself Garageband on the Mac to make beats\/music\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I gave myself permission to make shitty music. And it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t half-bad.<\/li>\n<li>Keep tinkering: You will never become perfect\u00e2\u20ac\u201d just keep tinkering, experimenting, and trying to be a bit better.<\/li>\n<li>Play like a kid: When a kid learns something on their own for the first time, they do it out of personal curiosity. And they do it for fun. For me, I never try to experiment and have fun on things I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like. So practically speaking, avoid what is boring to you \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and only pursue what is personally interesting to you.<\/li>\n<li>Ask an expert: Ask an expert, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWhat 10% of the features of this program do I need to know, in order to get 90% of the work done?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/li>\n<li>When searching how to do things in Google, search for \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccommon mistakes\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 or \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccommon misunderstandings.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 It is better to learn to <em>avoid<\/em> common pitfalls, mistakes, or errors\u00e2\u20ac\u201d rather than \u00e2\u20ac\u02dclearning\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 how to do it correctly.<\/li>\n<li>Seek elegant solutions: The simpler the solution to your problem or something you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re curious about, the better. If you want to learn Adobe Lightroom, keep it as simple as possible \u00e2\u20ac\u201d same goes with Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.<\/li>\n<li>Use Apple products: I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry for you non-Mac people (I know the computers are expensive) but the investment in a Mac is worth it just for the software. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve personally been creatively empowered to do anything on a Mac, because I have iBooks Author (to make ebooks super easy), I have Garageband (very easy), I have Keynote (better than Powerpoint). I also like IA Writer for writing, which is currently only available on the Mac (also on Android on the app store). If I gave anybody advice on computers, just get the cheapest 11\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 MacBook Air, or the cheapest Mac you can find \u00e2\u20ac\u201d just to use and download the free bundled Apple software.<\/li>\n<li>Go on a walk: If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to learn something and you feel frustrated or you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not making any progress, turn off your computer, or whatever tool, and just go on a walk. Often when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m walking, I find out the solution or have new ideas. Or I just recline on the couch and take a nap. Or I go to the gym, and do a few chin-ups or deadlifts. Often <em>not<\/em> working on a problem actively is the best way to achieve creative breakthroughs.<\/li>\n<li>Assume you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re smarter than you think you are: Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t talk down on yourself. Assume you are smarter than you actually are, and you will push your creative limits.<\/li>\n<li>Follow your gut: If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to learn something, and you really aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t having fun, or you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have your heart in it\u00e2\u20ac\u201d follow your gut, and know when to give up. There is no shame in giving up things you have no passion or heart for. Some people say to push past the initial discomfort, but I say screw it. Life is too short to work on things you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have your passion or soul in.<\/li>\n<li>Imagine yourself like a mad scientist: Put on your gloves, your goggles, and embrace your crazy hair. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re here to experiment, try out new things, and tinker. Enjoy the process.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Always,<br \/>\nEric<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; My buddy Chris Dillow is the most inspirational tinkerer I know. I asked him, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHow do you stay so curious?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 He told me: Assume you can do anything.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43632,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/eric-kim-photography-black-and-white-hanoi-0009497-1.jpg?fit=2000%2C1325&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}