Anything you like, you can do.
If you like something, that means you can do it. If you have an appreciation for something, that means you have a level of understanding of that thing.
Here is an example; let’s say you love wedding gowns and tuxedos. You just love them. You can’t get enough of looking at them and comparing them and helping your friends pick them out. This affinity you have for them, in of itself, gives you not just the capacity but also the tools to design wedding gowns and tuxedos.
“What?” you’re thinking. Just because I like something doesn’t mean I can do it. Just because I like to watch people dance, or play guitar, or design woodwork doesn’t mean I can ever actually do those things. I just have an appreciation for them, no skill!
That is where you’re wrong. You already have some of the most important skill related to pretty much anything, and that is the discerning ability of what is good, and what is bad. You can tell a well written song from a poorly written one, you can tell when someone is dancing well, and when they are messing up real bad. This means that if you begin to practice such a skill, you will be able to measure your own progress. You will be able to compare your knowledge to what you’re producing and say, yeah this wood pattern doesn’t really look right. That is skill! That is knowledge! That is ability!
If you like something, anything, the more you like it, the more likely you are able to do it.
So go out and do something. Pick up the hobby you’ve been afraid to start. And remember every time you make a mistake is a demonstration of the skill you already have, the ability to judge the art of whatever it is you’re doing. Take it as a blessing that you can see your mistakes! If you start doing something you know nothing about, you’ll never be able to understand what you’re doing wrong or why.
Go do it! Failure is success!
Leo
Critical Pursuits 