How To Learn Any Skill
“Life can be so much broader, once you discover one simple fact, and that is that everything around you that you call 'life' was made up by people who were no smarter than you.”
~ Steve Jobs
I believe everyone is ‘smart’ in their own way. Surely there is a level of intelligence you are born with, but being smart is different. Being smart is an accumulation of all the things you add to your mind as you live and learn. Some people choose to focus on different areas of their life, naturally making them better at those areas than others - that’s what makes us unique and interesting. I don’t think you’re limited to what you know now. There’s always an opportunity to gain new skills and experience as you grow older.
I’ve taught myself a lot of different skills over the years. In the last 6 years, I’ve taught myself video production, editing, VFX, graphic design, drawing, and 3D animation to name a few. I’m not mentioning this to brag in any way! Rather, I am writing this guide from a place of good intentions, to share with you the system that I’ve developed over the years for learning all these skills. While this process will likely be refined further as I age, I’ve tried my best to organize my thoughts systematically. If only I knew how to do this a decade ago, I feel that I would be in an even better place, assuming I would be receptive to the message…
So consider this a guide for the younger version of myself.
Here’s how to learn any skill quickly:
(1) Set A Baseline
Everyone starts somewhere. If you’re learning a new skill for the first time, you will likely start from the bottom. Do some homework before you dive in head first.
Researching Pioneers: Check out the journeys of those who have mastered your desired skill. Their challenges and solutions are a treasure trove of insights.
Engage With The Community: Reach out to experts, if possible, and ask them about their starting points and strategies. Online forums, social media groups, and networking events are great places to connect with professionals.
Defining Efficiency: While mastery takes time, you can achieve a high degree of skill with focused effort. For instance, becoming proficient in a complex skill like 3D animation can start with as little as 20 hours of dedicated practice.
Develop a ‘Why’: Ask yourself why you want to learn this skill! Develop a strong reason for why you’re going through the process of learning this in the first place. Do you want to create a career out of it? Do you just want a creative outlet? Have you always dreamed of having this skill? Maybe it’s to communicate with other cultures or just flat-out make more money. Develop YOUR why.
NOTE: I’ll be using ‘learning the skill of 3D animation’ as a model for this article, but you can apply these principles to any skill. Its complexity provides a robust framework for my learning strategy and my ongoing experience in mastering this skill offers a practical and relatable case-study.
(2) The Four Pillar Approach
I’ve developed a framework that I’ve coined the ‘Four Pillar Approach’. This is how I break down how to learn new skills as quickly as possible. Let’s start from the bottom and work our way up.
Reminder: I will be applying these pillars by using my experience of learning 3D animation. The explanation of the pillars will reflect this.
I. Fundamentals (Theory)
First start by teaching yourself the primary rules and/or principles on which the skill is based on.
From the perspective of learning 3D animation, these are some basics I would be asking/researching:
How does motion work?
How do images combine to create a moving picture?
What is the history of animation over the years - how has it changed?
What are the core principles of animation?
Why animate in the first place? Why are moving pictures better than still ones?
These questions will lead you in the right direction. They can be summed up as the following…
Understanding the basics: motion mechanics, the evolution of animation, core principles, storytelling through animation, and the choice between drawing and digital animation.
Explore software options: Learn about industry-standard tools and accessible programs for beginners.
Style decisions: Decide whether you want to focus on realistic or stylized animations.
Drawing skills: Evaluate if drawing skills are necessary for your chosen style.
II. Technical (Acquiring Micro Skills)
Break down the skill into micro-skills: In 3D animation, this includes modeling, texturing, animation curves, lighting, rendering, rigging, physics simulations, particle systems, and sound incorporation.
Start With ‘Just Enough’: Learn just enough of these micro-skills to begin a project. For example, understanding basic modeling and texturing can already enable you to start simple animation projects.
Use Your Resources: Utilize online resources like YouTube tutorials and community forums. Don’t be allergic to books either - entire lifetimes of experience and knowledge can be downloaded into your mind by sitting down and reading a few pages of paper. No formal degree is needed to start. Anyone who tells you otherwise is snobbish.
Here are some examples of micro-skills that you need to acquire to learn digital 3D animation:
Modeling: How to create objects from simple shapes by manipulating their size, shape, and color.
[Modeling topics to explore]: hard surface modeling, box modeling, kitbashing, photogrammetry, and sculpting.
Texturing: Creating textures (from photos or scratch) and applying textures to 3D objects
[Texturing techniques to explore]: unwrapping UVs, texture mapping, editing textures in Photoshop, and using the node-based shader editor.
Animation: Moving three-dimensional objects in space
[Animating topics to explore]: animating keyframes, creating bones/armatures (rigging mechanics), inverse kinematics / forward kinematics, easing in and out, stretching time, and interpolating frames
Lighting and Rendering: Manipulating light sources to draw attention, set overall mood, or represent natural properties.
[Lighting and Rendering topics to explore]: HDRIs, different light sources (point lights, spot lights, area lights), ray tracing vs rasterization, volumetric lighting, flat shading, creating realistic shadows, 3 point light setup, and the pros/cons of different render engines.
Physics Simulations: Enabling objects to interact with the environment in a realistic way
[Physics Simulation topics to explore]: simulating gravity, creating collisions between objects, applying force fields, creating fluids, creating smoke, and generating a large number of objects in a scene (building, trees, grass, water).
I don't want to overwhelm you… but understand that most skills can be broken down into dozens (if not hundreds) of micro-skills. The rabbit hole is often much deeper than you first imagined! Rather than being overwhelmed by this, I try to see it as an opportunity to explore a vastly intricate and rewarding field with lots of fun opportunities waiting for me down the line - I encourage you to frame your thinking in this way as well.
You’re probably wondering, “So what do I do once I’ve identified microskills?”
Pick one of these topics and begin learning.
You can read books on the topics, watch YouTube tutorials, or use Google.
We live in an age of infinite information available to us at any time of the day.
*Note: You don’t need to be an expert in every aspect of the skill. Most professionals choose one thing that they dedicate their career to and do that one thing really well. If you don’t know what you want to specialize in, then start with developing a general understanding of everything (the industry calls these guys ‘generalists’).
Once you’ve learned just enough micro-skills to get your hands dirty, move on to the next pillar.
III. Create Projects (Applying These Micro-Skills)
This phase is where most of your progress will be made. You may have read all the books, watched all the videos, and gathered all the information in your head, but until you apply what you’ve learned, these concepts will never truly stick!
Begin creating your animations in the form of mini-projects by applying the micro-skills you’ve acquired. You are essentially testing what you’ve learned in the last phase.
When you get stuck or don’t know how to move forward, use the internet! Endless resources are floating around. Push through problems you don’t know how to solve and eventually, there will be a breakthrough in your understanding. We learn the most when we fail. And trust me, you’re going to fail a lot. Cold world, no snuggie. Get used to it.
Choose project goals that are just slightly out of reach (or at least slightly above what you think you can achieve). If things are too easy, you won’t learn anything. If the project is too difficult you’ll get stuck and quit. Start easy to gain confidence and then challenge yourself!
Keep things fresh by having more than one project going at a time, but make sure you finish your projects eventually!
You may realize that the project you have attempted to create was too ambitious for your skillset at this moment in time. That’s okay, save it for later when you’ve acquired more micro-skills.
Here’s an example of 3D project I created while applying the micro-skills of lighting, texturing, and animation:
You’ll notice that the environment is quite simple, it’s just a flat plane! The animation is just a looping running cycle, and they all have the same animation - it’s nothing advanced here. But I used lighting to cast shadows of the men onto the floor, with a reflective texture on the ground to make it look like the characters were running on ice. This was a point in my journey where I didn’t know that much about modeling or physics simulation, but that didn’t stop me from creating something! I knew just enough to make something and I learned a lot from applying the few micro-skills I had acquired up until that point.
Depending on how serious you are about learning the skill, try to learn at least one new thing each day. As you learn the tools necessary to perform at your best, your process will naturally refine itself - you will become quicker along the way.
If you’re interested, you can check out some more of the projects I’ve made here.
IV. Niche (Exploring Your Unique Interests)
Once you’ve achieved a level of proficiency and have a few solid projects under your belt, you’re probably looking to make your mark in some way. Begin searching for ways to tap into your genuine curiosities. Use your personal experiences and external influences to structure your learning moving forward. Focus on exploring what interests you. For example, don’t focus all of your time on animating characters if you’re more interested in creating realistic game environments.
Explore your unique interests with intention.
Here’s an example of a project I created during the ‘niche’ pillar of my 3D animation journey:
I’ve always been a fan of the Studio Ghibli animation style. I love the pastel colors, subtle glow, and serene environments. So I set out to create a project inspired by this style. I downloaded still frames from the works of Studio Ghibli as a reference for this animation of a train crossing an open field. There were no specific tutorials for “how to create a train crossing a field in the style of Studio Ghibli”, but there were tutorials on the micro-skills needed to achieve this.
For example:
I watched a YouTube tutorial on how to model a train. Then I created the train.
I watched a YouTube tutorial on how to create ropes which I leveraged to create the powerlines in this scene.
I modeled some windmills and read an online pdf about ‘circular motion’ to animate the spinning of the blades.
I drew from my experience with video editing to color the scene with a soft glow, vibrant colors, and low contrast.
What I’m getting at here, is that I didn’t know how to make this animation when I started, but I had the tools and knowledge available to make it happen. I leaned on the micro-skills I had acquired in the past and experience from creating other projects to create this animation. I used resources online to fill in the gaps in my knowledge.
You will get to a level of proficiency where you will know just enough to make your next project. It then becomes a matter of taking your skills to the next level. Here are some of the questions I asked myself during the ‘niche’ phase:
How can I elevate my projects to showcase my flair?
How can I tell better stories within my animations?
How can I create chaos or conflict?
How do I show the change of a character over time?
What is my unique approach to character design?
Do my characters have a distinct hairstyle, color scheme, or clothing accessories that make them distinguishable?
Do I enjoy low poly or more realistic modeling?
What kind of shading styles or linework can I add to make my projects unique?
What are procedural textures?
How do I use the grease pencil tool to create a digitally drawn look?
How can I incorporate other seemingly unrelated skills that I already have into my workflow?
My video editing and graphic design background can help me make better animations!
What tools do I find myself using over and over again?
Can I build a library of assets that is unique to my workflow?
Do I gravitate towards certain tools over others when animating?
Are there add-ons/plugins to make my life easier?
Is there a community of others that are learning the same skill? What do I like about their projects?
How can I steal nuggets of information/techniques from those that inspire me?
Has anyone created a breakdown of the style I am looking to achieve?
You’ll notice that some of these questions aren’t technical at all. Some involve gaining a more holistic understanding of the skill. Some of these questions focus on learning a certain software better, but others focus on more intangible ideas like storytelling and character development.
The key here is to begin tailoring your projects towards things that interest you specifically while gaining more niche micro-skills along the way.
(3) Repeat The Learning Cycle
Once you’ve set a baseline and gone through the four pillars, all that is left to do is to repeat the cycle.
You are a lifetime learner! The learning never ends.
Keep creating. Fail. Learn from your mistakes.
Get better.
The joy is in the process!
After reading this guide, I hope you are well on your way to learning any skill you desire.
As always, keep creating.
-P