A Love of Learning

geralt via Pixabay

I love to learn. Makes sense, I guess, since I'm an educator and, to do my job well, I have to stay current in the things I teach about. But, as it turns out, those aren't the only things I like to learn about. 

Here are a few things I've been working on lately.

Languages. Unlike math and science, languages come easily to me and I've always regretted not working harder to become fluent in French. So last summer, when I discovered Duolingo, I jumped back into the French and German I'd taken in high school and started getting serious about Spanish, a language I'd only dabbled in. Eight months later, I'm still at it on an almost-daily basis. 

Sketchnoting/Lettering. I have zero artistic talent when it comes to drawing, but making my words look pretty on the page is fun and relaxing (and a sort of natural extension of my love of language). I became fascinated with this when I saw some of Bruce Van Patter's gorgeous Live Capture work but it wasn't until I found Doug Neill's website that it felt at all accessible. I started sharing sketchnoting with my students and, between Pinterest and a book or two, I began playing on the page. 

Self-publishing. I shared the ups and downs of this project in Monday's post. Not every project is a hit :-)

Marketing. Letting people know about my books is part of the writing life (and a part I enjoy). If I don't want to turn my blogs and social media feeds into one big advertisement (and I definitely don't), having a plan and working knowledge of the best ways to spread the word is key. So, in January, I took an online course from Coursera. I took notes :-)

I don't know when I'll ever use some of this stuff, but that's the thing about folks who love to learn -- it doesn't matter. 

Because the fun is in the learning itself.