There are many things I just don’t know about, even though I’ve done them plenty of times. On the surface this might sound ridiculous.
But this is not unusual at all. When we learn how to do things as children we may emulate as best we can, or learn by trial and error. But sometimes we don’t evolve our skills past that point, if we were never taught what to do or not taught by a real expert.
An example is throwing a ball. Kids instinctively throw things when they are toddlers, as we probably have all experienced. Cleanup on aisle four! But throwing effectively comes when a person is taught, or when their curiosity is great enough for them to observe carefully and emulate, experiment, refine, and repeat.
I remember coaching a co-ed corporate softball team where several adults, both men and women, had never learned how to throw. They had almost the same techniques as a toddler. Their chests were facing forward, toward the target, and their throwing arms awkwardly sort of pushed the ball, or launched it in the air like a catapult. But with a bit of training they all were able to transform their motions and throw the ball with accuracy and authority.
From a young age I’ve loved to play games involving a ball: Football, baseball, and later basketball. I don’t throw quite like Timmy, but I’m capable. I remember watching and emulating good players when I was little, watching and practicing, and I kept learning more even as an adult.
But enough about throwing things. Let’s talk windows.
Until recently I’ve never thought much about washing windows. I definitely did not “observe carefully and emulate, experiment, refine, and repeat.”
And until I hired John Duty I’d never met a person who performed this craft exclusively. What John does with windows vs. what I had done… well, let’s just say I’ve been cleaning like a toddler.
John’s tools don’t look like mine. His techniques don’t look like mine. You wouldn’t even know we were performing the same activity, if you watched us both.
For example, I’d never seen soap patterns like these on a window before:
My mom showed me her techniques as a kid, and I’ve had housekeepers clean windows at times over the years. They’ve been a little bit better than me but they were not experts, either. I just haven’t known what to look for.
As a result, windows I’ve cleaned never looked like this. They certainly didn’t with just one pass at washing and wiping.
What this means is, John can get up on a ladder and do an upstairs window and get it right the first time. Unlike me. The over-under on how many times I would have to climb that ladder to fix my own work, before a window would be sort of clean-ish enough for me to give up trying, would be 2.5 climbs. Or 3. Check Vegas for the latest odds.
But last week 40 windows, inside and out, were complete in just over three hours, including an advertising pose.
Here’s to learning things, and to great craftspeople, everywhere. And thank you, John!
Until next time,
Limited Edition Prints for Sale
Another channel of my photography. Oof. But as promised, I’ve got this new set of Limited Edition prints available for purchase. Any unsold African wildlife images from last fall, as promised, have been retired from circulation.
Each edition consists of ten Numbered Prints and two Artists Prints, 16x24” silver halide, with certificate of authentication. As before, these are limited both by number and duration of the offer. If you’d like one or more for that special person, don’t hesitate. You wouldn't want to become he who is lost!
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I need a John in my life ☺️