You Can Learn ANYTHING!

I know the kinds of thoughts that go through your head. 

"I don't know how to draw."

"I can't cook."

"I could never sew my own clothes."

"I wish I could bake bread."

And I am here to remind you that those skills are something you can learn, today easier than ever.

Sure, it's way nicer if you can to sew from your mom and grandma like I did. But if you don't have people like that in your life, you can still learn.

Books, videos, articles, forums- there are thousands of these things out there. And thanks to the internet and your local library, most of them can be accessed for free.

If you can read and follow instructions, you can learn basically anything. Cooking. Baking. Sewing. Embroidery. Spinning. Model making. Book binding. Chainmail. If you can think of it, there's probably a book or video out there showing you how to do it.

But I have a feeling you already know that. So what's holding you back?

If you're anything like me, I'm going to guess it's fear.

Fear of looking silly. Of not being "good" at it. Of messing up. Of realizing you don't like it.

But all of those things are okay. A big problem with our modern, social media driven culture is that we forget that it's okay to just try something. It's okay to do something, be bad at it, and still enjoy it. It's okay to be a beginner. It's okay to try a new hobby and realize it's not for you. It's okay to do something that's not for social media or making money, just for the process of doing it.

That's why I want to encourage you to get out there and learn stuff. Stop saying "oh, I can't cook" and go find a simple recipe to make. If you mess up, you can try again.

For example, here are a few of the things I've taught myself:

• Embroidery. I had a bag, I wanted to embroider flowers on it, so I found tutorials to do that on YouTube. I did a bit of practicing on scrap fabric, and now I have a beautiful embroidered bag.
• French seams. I don't like sergers, but I still want nicely finished seams on my handmade garments, so I taught myself to make French seams.
• Drawing and painting. Yes, I have had semi-formal art classes with my grandmother when I was young. But most of the techniques I've learned I've taught myself through YouTube tutorials and practice.
• Jewelry making. I'm not spectacular at making jewelry, but putting together simple bracelets, necklaces, and earrings brings me great joy.
• Darning. I wanted to make my socks last longer, so I found a darning tutorial online. Later, I taught my sister how to do it.

You can do these things, too. It's really not as hard as you think. Most of the time, it just requires a little patience and following directions.

You can do it! I believe in you, and you should too! Go forth and learn!