I didn't study well back then, so I repeated a year for the college entrance examination and started learning how to draw. At that time, many classmates chose to pursue art majors and enrolled in various art studios.
When I was young, I didn't like doing homework and would rather play during summer vacation. My parents were worried that I was wasting my time, so they wanted me to attend extra classes to learn something else. Piano, chess, calligraphy, or painting, choose one. Since children love watching cartoons, I chose painting because it seemed similar and I still wanted to have fun.
Just because I had some experience in drawing, I thought I knew how to draw. So, it was my own choice to study drawing again for the college entrance examination, and I dared to make that choice. However, my parents were unsure about it. Based on my father's personality and his position as a teacher, I guessed that he looked down on drawing. My mother didn't look down on it and went to ask the teacher who had taught me drawing before if this path was feasible. Without hesitation, the teacher said, "Come, it's never too late."
When I returned to the art studio, I had already had a gap of at least five years as a participant. I became a participant, but there was still a gap, which wasn't fun. Because the purpose became the exam, it wasn't as pure as playing. The teacher was willing to accept me because I was lucky, and he believed I had the potential to succeed. He also happened to have the energy to guide students in their final year of high school.
While studying, there was an aunt who probably heard from my mother that I was doing well in my studies and that the teacher was teaching me well. She asked my mother if she could let her child follow the same path. The child came and painted with me for a few days, but the teacher sent him back. The aunt was told to quickly find another path for her child because he wasn't cut out for this. Looking back now, I greatly admire this teacher for being decisive and giving clear guidance. A red light is also a guiding light, indicating a dead end. A dead end is still a path, but it's not the right one. I could tell that the child was greatly affected by this rejection, but I also knew that his luck was just as good as mine.
Later on, when I started working, I accidentally ended up in some institutions and companies where I conducted training and taught introductory animation techniques to students. I also encountered many students who were not cut out for this. However, it wasn't up to me to decide whether to keep them in the institution. What should a teacher do when they encounter a student who isn't cut out for this? Of course, many teachers may not be able to tell whether a student is cut out for it or not. In more serious cases, they may not even be able to tell if they themselves are cut out for it, let alone judge their students. If a student is not doing well, the teacher will tell them what's wrong and how to improve. I can point out a bunch of specific and detailed issues in their technique. They may listen and think it makes sense, and they'll follow the instructions. But in the end, they still won't succeed. Maybe they will succeed this time, but they won't be able to sustain it.
If you are Guo Degang, you can't imitate Tony Leung. They are not the same type. Tony Leung also can't imitate Guo Degang. The correct operational details may contain bigger mistakes, macro errors, and route errors. If Guo Degang really tried to learn from Tony Leung, the director would point out where he doesn't resemble him, listing one, two, three, four, five. In fact, what should be pointed out is that he shouldn't try to imitate anyone at all. A qualified teacher should be the first to tell the student this. They should immediately tell them that they can't handle this job, this path is not accessible, and even spending money won't help. If they only point out specific errors right from the start, the student will still hold onto the illusion that they are cut out for it, and they will be misled.
Spending money to attend a class, taking online courses, learning a skill, the biggest gain may be realizing that you are not suitable for it. Is it worth it? Many people think it's not worth it. I spent money and time, not only did I not learn well, but I also had a bucket of cold water thrown on me by the teacher. The teacher showed a red light, and he thought that this was a terrible teacher.
The student should also ask themselves first if they are cut out for it. People who have thought about this question may not even come to take this course, and even if they do, after a couple of classes, they will realize that they are not suitable for it and won't continue. Of course, most teachers still hope that they will continue.
Students who haven't thought about this question, until they end up battered and bruised, often still think that they just missed the right timing, or they didn't work hard enough, or the teacher's skills were not good enough. They only acknowledge external reasons and won't acknowledge the internal reason that they are simply not cut out for it. The ancestors won't reward them with this meal.
Therefore, when a person doesn't have the luck to encounter a mentor's guidance, what's valuable is self-awareness. When one hasn't seen the truth, it takes a great cost to gain this self-awareness. And with this little self-awareness, one can avoid paying an even greater cost.