Skill Learning & Mastery

Exploratory perception

   Exploration gives the sense of knowing through detailed observations based on our prior experiences and present feelings, as the more we understand our guiding emotions, the better our observations will become.

   An action can be repeated. The ability to repeat that action with similar skill requires, first, an observation, as a witness. It must happen through various senses of perception – visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, and scent/ taste when necessary. Only after the nature of the action has been carefully perceived, thinking can occur without having to figure out missing links.

   Another inquiry, which creates the binding between perception and cognitive processes, is “where & when” did it happen. Answering it requires prior knowledge, which goes beyond momentary perceptions, into our past experiences related to that moment. If our memory lacks the required information, studying those aspects is necessary.

Reflective cognition

   Cognitive thinking answers mostly “How something works”, as this helps us create understanding regarding the interactions between present observation & knowledge of the object or situation. Objects can be easily perceived, but only through visualization can we understand how they interact to work together in that particular way – we use short-term memory to create a mental projection, which becomes a more recallable memory as we add complexity to it.

   Mental projection of our initial perceptions happens, as it plays the role of planning for our future actions, after which we can practice the action in its complete form. We can create every step of the process in mind using our initial perceptions, using the cognitive parts of visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, and scent/ taste senses. When we act based on the imaginary process, we experiment with what we understand, while through the practice of the action, we improve the imaginary process; therefore, the quality of the action, the skill. We can imagine in more detail based on the observation we make, and even take it further when we understand how the process works based on the fundamental principles.

   The role of emotions depends on the nature of the cognitive process. If creativity is the goal, emotions are helpful, the more the better, as the core of our manifestation comes from our souls. Complementary, if we need to create a structure for knowledge, a mental map, a new way of thinking, the focus is on thought formation, and emotions play a minor role. There isn’t a clear line between the two, as during a cognitive process, occurrences of creativity and structuring can intertwine. Problems will appear only if a person performs only one way of thinking for prolonged periods, creating a zone of comfort from which thinking differently becomes too demanding. 

Contemplative memory

   For this moment, inquiring “Why does it work this specific way?” will come as the insight on top of our understanding, as it requires answering all prior questions. During this moment, we can have a sense of realization, creating a profound emotion which will remain with us through our lifetime, making our interaction more skillfully intuitive.

   To improve a skill, we can practice consciously regarding the set of actions required. Guided by emotions, we can feel which parts of the action lacked awareness and give more thought to the imaginary process, then practice efficiently to bring the overall quality to a balanced level. Memory is static, and we can build around it, as every time we bring one to the present, we can change its quality or quantity, on a certain timeline. This improves our present behaviour, therefore the skill of our actions. The memory of our skill has an emotional and sensorial aspect,  what we feel about it and what we perceive connect through the nervous system, the mind, through cognitive processes. Therefore, changes can occur anytime we feel or observe related novelties.

   Lastly, asking ourselves “Why should we learn this skill?” or “Why should we improve?” will either come naturally to answer before the whole process, if we feel an attraction to it instinctively. But, if we do not, then we can only understand the meaning of the inquiry after we go through the whole process, as uncomfortable as it will be, if it doesn’t hurt us, it will make us more intelligent. 

Emotionality

   The most important aspect is to connect emotionally with the skill or skill set we want to develop and improve. When we choose to do something we enjoy, such as drawing, we have a constant decision – whether we create something we are familiar with, using the same techniques we used for years, the same subjects we observed, and this will result in a predictable and beautiful piece, or we can try something new.

   Novelty can happen in small doses, which will improve our skill gradually, as for a faithful leap, we need to go straight into the most uncomfortable terrain, until we explore and discover every method, technique, and try everything that we see other people doing regarding visual representation. This is what great artists have done. Artistic manifestation comes from insightfulness, then is represented (visually in this case), and here, techniques and methods help expand the complexity of the insights. A complex sketch can represent more than a wall-high painting, because the technique reflects the way of thinking & feeling of the artist.

   Therefore, continuous exploration & discoveries, learning & understanding continuously, create a more refined introspection of our emotionality. If we observe long enough what we hate or enjoy less, it will feel more familiar after a while, as we become more comfortable with it. 

Improvement 

   For skillfulness to improve, we must become more conscious of our actions. A skill never improves by repetition, just like every car does not improve with millions coming through the production and assembly system. A skill improves only if we make a conscious effort to be aware of our present actions and, through conscious reflection and contemplation on the past ones, change the way it will happen. Improving the design, through variation and selection, creates a better system, and consequently, our processes of perceptions, thoughts, and emotions will interact better as a whole.

   Therefore, the quality of our action – our skill – improves through variation as explorative moments, when we try other ways, which will lead to discoveries of new information. Further, through mindful awareness of our knowledge formed during this part of the process, we can understand more about the potential and possibilities, therefore select which changes are best for our behaviour. Our skill improvement intention springs from our contemplation, in the form of insights, and requires the awareness and effort to act upon it. No hesitation required.

Optimization

   To optimize the development and improvement of our skills, we have to consider the mechanics of our mind, which is the center of awareness – the better this algorithm’s mechanism works, the better our comprehension will become. 

   We can improve our cognitive abilities with training, such as imagining the process we want to become better at, in higher details of visual, spatial, sound, temporality, movement, emotions, etc., and a synesthetic combination between them. Coagulating mental abilities improves exponentially our ability to adapt, to learn, to explore, to comprehend, to understand, to feel, etc. 

   The quality of our cognitive abilities is a direct consequence of the synergy between our perceptive senses along our emotional spectrum. The more consciously we manifest our emotions, the more consciously we experience our perceptions, and the other way around. 

   When we contemplate our emotions and perceptions with a continuous and constant effort, our cognition improves in quality, as our neural pathways, through which our mind happens, become more stable and complex.

Potentiality 

   The best way to discover the potential of a skill is to discuss mental, perception, and emotional abilities with people who have developed them to a higher complexity. Through inquiries, we can discover how they have done it, then, through mental training, we can explore their way of thinking, which increases our learning ability without any prior knowledge needed.

   For a new skill, such as reading through word visualization, it might be a vague image at first, a glimpse of a letter, or a misty shape. Neurons create connections more slowly as we age, from hours as a child to days as an elder, which means it can take from days to weeks, or even months in extreme cases, to become able to visualize words properly. Our brain, through constant learning of new skills, will optimize neuronal and synaptic creation, and once this happens, it will remain for the rest of our lives, along with the quality of the skill.

Skill sets

   When we approach a complex domain of activity, such as programming, architecture, engineering, etc., we have to create and improve a system of skills – a skill set. The best way is to go through every significant part of it until we become aware of the fundamental aspect regarding that knowledge spectrum. While doing so, we can learn how to create a specific mind map where knowledge can fit naturally and understand how to prioritize the skills needed. It is important to explore the highest variety of skills first, as this will force our minds to constantly adapt, allowing so to become more comfortable when we encounter novelty in our learning experience.

   Secondly, we can pick up two particular skills to master, one which we enjoy doing most, and one which we don’t, as this will create a balance for our learning journey. If we do only the things we enjoy, we become too comfortable, failing to adapt to surprises, while doing only things we don’t like, we will soon want to forfeit our learning experience. Mastering two skills simultaneously also takes less time than doing them one after another, and the most important aspect comes after, when approaching the rest of the skill set will become much easier to approach, as they are interconnected, making the experience of learning more comfortable.

Nonconclusions

  Learning a specific skill is easy. Understanding how skillfulness improves as a continuous journey through our perceptions, thoughts, and emotions is more difficult, as we can always explore toward perfection. We can only feel when a creation of ours, or an action performed, was at our best. We know because we have done it consciously all the way through. That is perfection, or rather, the act of perfecting. Evolution occurs in every moment we choose to act consciously, as our skills, intelligence, and behaviour towards the world will improve consequently.

    Skills, whether reading, coding, or dancing, are how you engage with the world, guided by interactions between your body’s 37 trillion cells, orchestrated by genes, cognition, and environment. Learning a skill requires perceiving actions, imagining their steps, and refining them with emotional awareness. Through conscious effort and variation, your abilities evolve, potentially tapping universal instincts encoded in your genes, like the collective unconscious. This process, blending observation, thought, and feeling, mirrors how humanity has mastered skills across cultures, from words to storytelling, from stone carving to computers, from sounds to music, etc.