Yoda
Mastery is a strange concept. It’s something we always strive for, but not everyone has the same definition. Even within the same field, people may see some as masters and others may see those same people as still learning. Ego comes into play a lot too. Almost like mastery is similar to perfection in that both are impossible.
Speaking of perfection, I believe that’s where some conflicts come into play. Many believe that to be a master, you need to have perfected your craft. There is nothing else to learn since you know it all. I’ve found that this comes primarily from those outside of the field in question or just starting out. For the first group, they sees masters as those who are confident and make whatever it is seem easy. For the second group, it’s not knowing the details of the path and seeing those far ahead as achieving perfection. Once you catch up, you’ll see that mastery still has space for learning and mistakes.
With perfection not being the goal, one could fear that mastery is a bigger struggle than we think. How can we know we’ve become masters if we aren’t perfect? Can’t believe our supporters since they might just be trying to keep our spirits up. Can’t believe ourselves since we might be suffering from inflated egos. Especially in the arts, there are no solid metrics to tell when you can start calling yourself a master. That might be the whole trick to it too.
Perhaps a real master is one that doesn’t realize or accept that they are one. They possess the skills to excel in their field, but are always evolving and changing. Mistakes still happen and they grow from those experiences. Due to always trying to improve, this person retains a level of humility that prevents them from announcing or acting like they are masters. They still give advice and help others, but are quick to ask for the same when they have doubts. Yes, mastery shouldn’t mean that one lacks all doubts since that’s our mind saying we might be making an oopsie.
All of this makes me feel like my own struggle for mastery is simply in my head. At least, it isn’t really about mastery. Accepting that I need to always improve, my struggle is to gain the level of skill to reduce my doubts and increase my confidence. Not eliminate my doubts completely, but to be able to keep them in check enough to make them work for me. As far as the skills, the mastery of those is to always remember that there may be something to learn in the future. To never settle for what I am now and to grow in order to nurture my stories or whatever I am working in. Sounds oddly poetic, but I’m having trouble putting it into exact words.
So, what do other people think of mastery and the struggle for it?
Legends of Windemere 