Charles Tarlton

Learning Your Way

"Thus with the virtue of strategy I practise many arts and abilities—all things with no teacher."
                                                                —Musashi

I call this the method of the early stages. Once I was creating moldings for the exposed ends of stairs on a long staircase. I started at the bottom and worked my way up—measuring, sawing, sanding, fitting, and fastening. By the time I had reached the sixth or seventh molding, I got the hang of it. All the rest of the way to the top each molding was easy, perfect, and quick. When I reached the top, I went back to the bottom and made the first six or seven again—easily, perfectly, and quickly.

watching crows
lift heavily and slowly
from tree limbs
then catching a wind
sail like an angels

by trial and error
genius feels the way
attentive
auto didact
learning as he goes

long practice
carves complex patterns
in your mind
hand follows thought
a marble in a groove