OwO what's this

As a former music teacher, I can also say that "learn the fundamentals first" is the death knell for a vast percentage of beginners, especially adult learners.

I've run into this with drawing several times, where some well-meaning artist has lectured me on needing to study anatomy properly or not use shortcuts like CSP brushes. And oh, believe me, I know. I know exactly how to learn an artistic discipline in a structured way. I just...don't want to!

The thing is, I'm not aiming to be a professional artist. I want to draw my gay little anime guys. I would undoubtedly improve at art much faster if I approached every gay little anime guy drawing as a study exercise. But I would also have quit drawing a decade ago if I couldn't just let myself enjoy drawing imperfect fucked-up little guys with whatever shortcuts I needed to body myself across the finish line.

With my adult piano students, my approach was always "What's your goal?" If their goal was to learn exactly one Elton John songbook to play at parties, then...that's what we did. We'd put tape on the keys to label the notes, and just fuckin go for it. Learning exactly one Elton John songbook is a good and noble musical goal, full stop.

Some of my students needed and enjoyed a more structured approach to learning; if they wanted to be able to play classical music, then yes, scales were going to have to enter the equation at some point. And yet others would learn the Elton John songbook, catch their white whale, and realize they wanted to explore more of the ocean. The scales were still there for them to learn!

Often the choice isn't between "learn art well" and "learn art imperfectly" - the choice is between "learn art imperfectly" and "don't do art at all." To which I say, learn imperfectly! Or, what the hell, don't 'learn' art. Just do, and enjoy the doing of it.

She was quite large for a local paper wasp ! And incredibly cute, I love her little mlem mlem mlem mlem. Also, not featured in the video but was present for a fleeting stressful moment during the recording, a Vespula vulgaris.

She was pretty aggressively diving at the paper wasp and I had to seperate them quickly so neither them nor I would get hurt. They're both chill on their own but don't get along with eachother, at least not in our garden.

Here is the paper wasp grooming to destress right after the confrontation.

are u guys hearing this

African Giant Shrew Crocidura olivieri

It has a wide distribution in sub-Saharan Africa as well as the Nile Valley. This species was first described from mummified specimens, found at Sakkara in Ancient Egyptian tombs. To the ancient Egyptians, the shrew represented the nocturnal side of Horus.