Be Kind & Rewind

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.

Red-spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus), family Bufonidae, found in the SW United States and NW Mexico

I'm not Jewish. I say that because unfortunately it feels like that needs to be clarified - and not in a "so I can't speak directly to the impact of this because it's not my story so you should listen to those who are being affected" (that's still true and you should do it) but because part of the antisemitism is dismissing Jewish people when they bring it up.

And I imagine this post will get me a lot of messages/responses about freeing Palestine - and I agree, lots of horrible things are happening to Palestinians. But this post is about the horrible things that are happening to Jewish people.

I'm Canadian. The things I read about antisemitic hate crimes have nothing to do with helping Palestinians. How does damaging property in Canada or attacking a person in Canada help?

I don't want to hear about the mental gymnastics or outright hateful logic you use to make it ok to attack a marginalized community. Instead, just go head and block me. Stop following. We don't need to interact with each other.

The harm that is being done toward Jewish communities and individuals over the world is heartbreaking. The lack of support/outrage/solidarity that is being shown to those individuals and communities is shameful for the rest of us. Call it out. Stand up. Correct information that is harmful. Listen and read and learn and try to understand instead of scratching your head and finding reasons for why this kind of aggression and discrimination is ok actually.