Learning To Learn

In the last few days I have spent a considerable time feeling being frustrated with technology. So much so that I have actually cried and felt really helpless.

In my freelancing career, I’ve realized I need to know how a lot of softwares and apps work, and let’s just say that it’s been very humbling. My latest battle is with Adobe Creative Cloud and it’s been brutal. Now I know why graphic design is an actual degree that costs a lot of money.

But, I am, if nothing else, a determined soul. And so every night I hunker down with some tutorials and by the time I stop, I feel like I want to call my mother and apologize for every time I rolled my eyes at her for asking a “stupid” tech related question. Because all I have is stupid questions when I try to replicate a project.

I’ve shared a few of these frustrating moments with Asha, and of course the kid repeats my own words of advice to me: “mama it’s okay. you just have to keep trying.” Funny how I didn’t remember it myself!

Venting aside, it’s a very good feeling to immerse myself in learning something that is brand new. Ask yourself when was the last time you did that? Truly spent hours learning something new? I feel like it’s such an important aspect of life that many of us as adults have traded in (voluntarily or involuntarily) for the comfort, sanity, and ease of everyday life.

And so, I wipe my tears, and remind myself that it’s a privilege I have to be able to spare all this time in learning something that is truly mind blowing. Adobe Creative Cloud is like a magical unicorn but real.

So anyway, I finally decided that I would design some thank-you cards to send to friends and family for Arjun’s birthday. The project which took me well over three days and several (several) hours, is an equivalent of making a phone call on your smart phone. A non-beginner would have done this in probably 15 minutes. But let’s just say that when those babies came out of my printer today, I did a little happy dance anyway! = )

Cheers to learning something new! And please offer your solidarity in the comments if you too have a new skill you’ve been battling and tackling on your own. We can do this!!