The art of learning: A brush with humility in Florence
Those of you who know me, know I often talk about the beginner’s mindset - being courageous enough to fail, open to the fact you don’t know everything, and willing to make the mistakes that everyone else also made as you learn. This is the story of my brush with the beginner’s mindset :-).
The week after I left a 9,5 years career at Booking, I went for a watercolour painting course in Florence, Italy. In the last weeks of my tenure, I set myself the goal to really master watercolours before I started! This led me to watch hour upon hour of video tutorials - all by myself - watching the masters of the field do their magic. And I felt very prepared going into the week….
Day one in Florence was my moment of reckoning. There I was, surrounded by the remnants of the Renaissance, ready to unleash my newly acquired virtual expertise onto the unsuspecting canvas. The reality? A humbling confrontation with my own overconfidence. It turns out, watching (advanced) techniques without grasping the basics is akin to trying to run before you can walk—or in my case, attempting to execute a perfect wash without knowing how to hold a brush properly. The irony was not lost on me; despite knowing the importance of a beginner's mindset, my ratio of watching to doing was laughably skewed.
The Joke's on Me: Lessons in Practical Learning
Trying my hand at the beginner’s mindset in Florence
At a plein-air sketching session in Florence I created 6-7 sketches of the same subject. These sketches helped me make the translation between what I saw, and how I wanted to put it on paper.
Each mistake I made helped me make the next iteration better.
This misadventure in learning was a stark reminder of a simple truth: mastery requires practice, not just theory. Alfred Adler once said, "To be a human being means to feel oneself inferior." Adler wasn't suggesting we wallow in self-doubt; instead, he saw feelings of inferiority as the starting point for growth, driving us towards mastery and self-improvement. In Florence, faced with my inadequacies and the unpredictable nature of watercolour, Adler's words echoed louder. It wasn't the feeling of inferiority that was the problem; it was my approach to overcoming it. I had mistaken theoretical knowledge for genuine skill, bypassing the very essence of learning—embracing mistakes and learning from them.
A Splash of Reality: Embracing Mistakes and Moving Forward
The humour in my predicament was clear. Here I was, a staunch advocate for the beginner's mindset, caught in the trap of skipping the basics in favour of more advanced, yet unattainable, techniques. This experience served as a powerful lesson in humility and the importance of starting at the beginning, no matter how basic it may seem.
And still, a year after this experience, I notice my struggles with the concepts are still there. How often do I find myself wanting to paint or draw, but shy away from the experience because I want to avoid making mistakes? My drive to make the perfect picture stops me from doing anything at all. And when do I manage to break out of this cycle?
Vulnerability and Connection
When I paint together with other people, I never have issues with experimenting or failing. I just feel joy in doing this activity together - even when it is frustrating!
Sharing my initial attempts at painting—and the fears that came with them—opened up conversations with others who felt the same way. This mutual vulnerability fostered a sense of community and learning, reinforcing the idea that growth often happens collaboratively, not in isolation.
My Own Practical Steps Towards a Beginner's Mindset
Reach out to others: when your own story stays in your head it is easy for it to become a fairy tale. Only by sharing my fears and excitements with those around me do I succeed in doing things.
Embrace Uncertainty and Mistakes: Regularly remind yourself of the value found in saying, "I don't know." It's the next step towards new knowledge and skills.
Take Action: Aristotle said: "For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” So go out and do them!
From Canvas to Life: Broader Implications of a Beginner's Mindset
In reflecting on the moments of connection and shared vulnerability, I'm reminded of the broader principles found in social learning theory and even in the natural world. In the natural world collective intelligence is, well… natural. It is the way ants discover a new food source. This underscores the profound impact of community on learning and growth. Albert Bandura's insights on learning through observation and modelling within social contexts echo my experiences with painting alongside others.
The act of shared creation and mutual support not only diminishes the fear of making mistakes but also embodies the essence of overcoming the beginner's mindset together. It’s a testament to the idea that, just as ants communicate and learn from each other to find sustenance, we too find strength and wisdom in our communal endeavours, reinforcing the belief that growth often flourishes in the company of others
In my interaction with startup founders I see exactly this attitude. These founders all manage to scale the first hurdle (to actually do something!). After which they realised to be successful they had to first reach out to others! Then make mistakes and embrace uncertainty. And all of that while continuously taking action. More on this in later posts!
The results of me playing around with watercolours! I am very happy with the progress I am making. One thing I still find challenging; I still need to convince myself to create every single time, striving for perfection is getting me nowhere!
A Call to Arms (and Brushes)
So, to those standing at the precipice of a new skill or challenge, remember: the path to mastery is littered with mistakes, but each one is a stepping stone towards improvement. Let's not shy away from starting at the very beginning, always taking the next step, embracing the messiness of learning, and perhaps most importantly, maintaining a healthy sense of humour about our endeavours.
I invite you to share your own tales of learning, mistakes, and growth. How have you navigated the balance between theory and practice? And, did having a beginner’s mindset ever get in your way? Join the conversation (either on LinkedIn or by messaging me) and let's inspire each other to embrace the joy and humility of learning anew.
