On Self-Teaching and Learning Wood Carving
Some people buy textbooks and try to teach themselves wood carving at home, and eventually come to class to learn in person. If you’re a diligent learner, you might be tempted to try going it alone at first.
It’s great when people follow a textbook but struggle, then come to class for guidance. But it’s unfortunate when frustration leads them to quit entirely. Most often, people give up thinking, “I can’t do this because I don’t have the ability.” But honestly, it’s almost impossible to read a book, try a bit on your own, and accurately judge your own skills.
Textbooks also bear some responsibility here. Some describe wood carving as “easy” or “simple” to make it more approachable, but I think this can be misleading. Imagine getting interested in carving, trying it, and then failing—despite the book saying it’s “easy.” That gap between expectation and reality can be painful.
There’s only so much sensory experience that words can convey. For beginners especially, carving well by relying on books alone is quite difficult. If you carve randomly without a clear understanding of what you can and can’t do, you’re likely to end up with awkward, unsatisfying results—and that discouragement can be hard to overcome.
In my classes, I don’t promise it will be “easy.” At first, things might not go well, but I encourage students to “carve as they improve.” In today’s world, there’s a strong tendency to want quick results, but some skills—like wood carving—can only be developed gradually, with proper guidance and patience.
Those who understand this often find themselves carving wood for many years to come.