Learning To Learn. Jon And His New Tripod

“I never feel age…If you have creative work, you don’t have age or time” Lousie Nevelson

One of the things that I love about Jon is that he’s always evolving, always learning something new.  Today he was outside taking pictures using his new tripod.  He’s been taking online classes with Donald, a teacher at the Lieca Academy.  And he’s finding out how to use his black and white Leica camera in a way he’s never used a camera before.

It was just a few days ago, while we were cooking dinner that we realized that for the first time in our lives we are both able to learn in a way we weren’t open to learning before.  I think it has to do with being able to trust the people teaching us, but also with our being confident enough to admit what we don’t know.  Then there is the desire to “know” that trumps all other feelings.

I’m doing this in my Bellydancing classes and Jon’s doing it in his classes with Donald.

Jon traded in all his cameras and lenses to get the Lecia.  I saw that as an indication of how serious he was about getting the camera and learning to use it correctly.

He was nervous about getting the tripod, worried he would have a hard time figuring out how to put it together and attach the camera. But when I came home from a walk he was in the pasture, his camera on the tripod taking pictures.

And what a delight it is to see how much better his pictures keep getting with every new thing he learns.  They have more detail, depth, contrast, and “color” than ever before.

My walk-about in the woods with wilderness guide  Zack Fisher was postponed till April 15th.  Jon gave it to me as a gift, knowing it was something I’d love to do.  And in May I’m giving Jon the gift of an in-person class with his teacher Donald in Boston.

I think Jon and I are both learning how to be mature without being old and how to stay young while aging.