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If you Google “learning styles,” it’ll come up with a handful of articles about the “four,” “seven,” or “eight” learning styles that exist. One of them said three, but that seems REALLY wrong to me, so we’re going to ignore it.
For our purposes, we’ll stick with the 8 styles of learning — with the caveat that there are probably more that we don’t even know about yet. Learning isn’t linear. It changes with new technologies and discoveries, and can change from person-to-person, too. Learning can be a combination of these styles, some of one, some of another — but it all depends on the individual. However you learn best is what’s truly right for you — no matter what anybody says.
The Linguistic Learner
The Naturalist
The Musical or Rhythmic Learner
The Kinesthetic Learner
The Visual or Spatial Learner
The Logical or Mathematical Learner
The Interpersonal Learner
The Intrapersonal Learner
Part of my experience with imposter syndrome early on was not knowing what kind of learning worked for me. For a long time, I would simply reread information in a book, and then be frustrated and discouraged when I still didn’t understand it. I am absolutely a visual learner, and more than that: I learn by doing. If I don’t get to doodle it out and play with it and create it, my brain is not well set up to understand it.
The American education system is not well set up at all to incorporate different kinds of learners (at least certainly not at the schools I went to). Imagine having a math class that was taught in song, if that’s what works for you? It would be so lovely to live in a world where everything was presented in the exact right way we understood best.
While that’s not how it always is, there are options for us “non-traditional” learners.
For me: So much of what I currently love doing is self-taught. I have never taken a formal class in design or graphics or animation — but it’s what I am doing as a career. I either taught myself (as is the case with graphic design) or I learned from people online (see below).
There is a crazy amount of information out there — which is a great way for people who struggle with imposter syndrome to feel like they have more control over the information they don’t know.
One of the people I learned from is Jake Bartlett, who has these totally awesome Skillshare classes where he talks about motion graphics and AfterEffects. His style of teaching is gentle and kind, and it’s easy to learn even if you have no idea what all the buttons in AfterEffects do (a.k.a: me).
I reached out to him to ask him about how he approaches those classes and his life of learning and teaching:
Katie: What kind of learner are you? How has your style of learning influenced the way you've found knowledge in your life?
Jake: I'm absolutely a visual learner, and I think I retain what I learn best after putting into practice. So just watching educational material isn't nearly as helpful as actually making something based on what I learned. This has definitely pointed me towards very actionable styles of educational material and fits in perfectly with my own teaching through Skillshare since their classes are all project-based.
K: How did you find out that you were good at visual learning?
J: Just through experience, really. Before I was an adult and in full control of my own education sources, I was forced into the learning style that was presented to me. It wasn't until I really started learning motion design online that I found my preferred style of education.
K: What was your path to motion graphic design? How did you learn?
J: I'm completely self-taught. In high school I watched a lot of online tutorials to learn how to use After Effects but never had any education in motion design even in college. By the time I graduated I would say that I was "good at After Effects", but not really a motion designer. I got a job as a motion designer but never had any true education in animation principles until about 5 years after I graduated. That's when I found School of Motion's Animation Bootcamp course which was specifically designed for people like me; a motion designer with no background in motion design. Since then I've taken in every School of Motion resource I possibly could as well as any other educational material online that teaches animation.
K: Tell me a little bit about the development of your Skillshare classes. How did you start to create those? Where do you plan to take them?
J: I owe it all to my wife! She's the one who encouraged me to participate in a teach challenge Skillshare was hosting. I ended up winning and the rest is history. I've continued to make courses as often as I can since then and have accumulated a pretty large following there. At this point, I'm teaching full-time, so I have no plans on slowing down the production of my Skillshare classes.
K: What's your advice for smaller/younger artists/designers who want to learn, but they don't know where to start?
J: For anyone who thinks they might be interested in motion design, but isn't really sure what that means, check out School of Motion's free course The Path to Mograph. It gives a fantastic overview of what being a Motion Designer can look like and is a great introduction to School of Motion. If you want to pursue Motion Design, I can't recommend School of Motion's other courses enough. Their courses are how I learned. And of course, check out my Skillshare classes too.
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