Transitioning

    Mastering a skill requires a transition.
    For example, a girl at the Boston Common learned how to skate while clinging to a plastic seal. I never saw her skate unassisted. That’s okay. She needed more time to transition from a raw beginner to someone with a basic skill.
    Adults are no different. Education is required to learn a trade or profession. Going to school is a time consuming transition.
    My goal is to become a novelist. That means transitioning from photography to writing. I’ve spent thousands of hours learning how to write. I’m still unpublished. I’m still transitioning. I’m okay with that.
    Some people skip transitions. For example, anyone without writing experience can pen a novel. Anyone can upload such a novel to a book retailing website. But would the book find commercial success? Probably not. The writing would be subpar. The author wouldn’t have learned the craft of writing. Time wasn’t allocated for a transition.
    Ten years from now, that girl in the photo might compete at the Winter Olympics. One never knows. She might even win a gold medal. If so, her success would have begun with a plastic seal and a transition.