The path to Mastery

I believe that we all have our own creative process. Our own unique way of producing our work. Be it getting inspiration, putting in the hours or through skill and discipline. The way we do something is ours and ours alone. But we all go through the same hurdles towards becoming a master of our craft. Novice, Student, Expert, Master.

As a Novice you want to learn, in this step, you have enthusiasm, drive, a willingness to learn and take in everything. As a Novice, you feel like you can achieve anything. The next stage is the Student. Here begins the long pathway of learning. In this stage, you begin to find a direction you wish to take and strive towards your chosen path. When you reach the stage of Expert you have gained experience, you have reached some form of success through constant practice. The flow state comes easily to you. However, in this stage, you lack true freedom because you still follow the rules you learned as a student. Additionally, you still have your eyes on the path created by your mentors. The Master is someone that has the knowledge, they become an authority on their craft. A masters work is highly individualised, from years of self-exploration, research and discovery. They do not see a path or direction they must follow, they create their own way. This stage can take a lifetime, but that is easily achieved when it's their ikigai (a reason for being).

We all go through these stages, some of us are in two at once. And many of us give up before the final stage of Mastery. So what is the road, how do we get there? Are there shortcuts, classes or workshops about this. The real answer is I don't know. I believe that we can all reach each stage depending on who we are and our motivation, discipline and the time we put into our craft. Some of us will be fine just as Novices. Some will forever be Students being in love with knowledge or the fear to fail on your own. Me personally I would love to reach the level of Mastery. But I have no idea how to get there or how long it will take. The only thing I can do is keep walking the path until I don't need it anymore. I need to keep putting in the time, producing the work. And I hope you do the same as well. Keep following the path until you realise, you have already been making your own.