Okay, class – it is pop quiz time! Now, there will be one question, right or wrong, for all of the marbles. Ready? Okay, here it is: When does a person stop learning? I know that this sounds like a rhetorical question, but before you completely dismiss it, let me explain a little about why I ask. Learning can take a number of forms. We can read books and absorb some of the knowledge that others have imparted using pen and paper. We can work or study under someone else's guidance to learn what they have learned. We may also learn by doing, which is perhaps the most effective method of learning ever to be, well, learned.
No Substitute for Experience
Think back to your youth. There was probably a time when you accidentally touched a hot stove, which, unfortunately, resulted in a burn, but also in a very valuable lesson. After that, stoves were treated with much more respect. This is an example of experiential learning which, sadly, cannot be garnered from a book or by listening to all of the experts in the entire world. Other parents out there will have a unique appreciation for this fact. There is no substitute for experience. Every minute of every hour of every day that we go about our daily lives, we are gaining experience. And that is a good thing – it means we are still alive.
Now, when you're learning how to tie a knot, such as a bowline, a book is helpful to get the basic steps down. There is, however, no substitute for getting a piece of rope and actually attempting to make the rabbit come out of the hole, go around the tree and go back in the hole. Someone can lecture you all day about how to hang a lighting instrument, but until you pick one up and put it on a batten, you will not fully appreciate the value of the open-end, adjustable wrench.
A recent experience for me came while working as head carpenter for an opera company. The crew was made up of professional stagehands, and we were loading in a rented set of significant size. (Did I mention it was an opera?) To contend with masking issues, we had to dead hang some legs on either side of the stage. Nothing complicated: two ropes from the grid tied onto a pipe with a curtain tied to the pipe. Well, it didn't seem to be complicated until I realized that the stagehand trying to tie the rope to the pipe did not know how to tie a clove hitch. I quickly gave a lesson on the clove hitch, and we moved forward under the watchful eye of the company production manager, who was, no doubt, wondering why the labor force he was paying did not have some of the basic skills needed for the job.
The Endless Cycle
So back to the original question – "When does a person stop learning?" An answer like "Never" is gold star-worthy. But that raises a second question: "Can you teach while you are still learning?" Most certainly, the answer is a resounding "Yes!" Many of my older students take it upon themselves to teach the younger ones certain carpentry tricks or idiosyncrasies of a lighting console. This makes my job easier and much more rewarding, as it gives me a profound sense of accomplishment. At the same time, however, I do not feel like a responsible educator if I do not continue to learn new things about my field so that I can better educate my students. This is especially true in the area of lighting, where new advances in technology are seen on an almost daily basis.
So, as a recent graduate of my program, why should you continue learning? Well, it's all about making yourself more employable in a field that is rapidly changing. Technology is rapidly altering the life of the live entertainment technician and one must adapt or go work for some fast food chain. But it is not just about learning new things – it is also about remembering how to do some of the basic things like folding a curtain, or tying certain knots, or knowing what tools to bring to the work call.
In my opinion, every stagehand should know how to tie, at the very least, the clove hitch, the bowline, the bow knot and the square knot. The stagehand must also know the specific applications for each of the knots that they can tie. In addition to basic knot knowledge, the stagehand should arrive at a work call with the proper tools for the work that will be done that day. If you aren't sure what those tools are, ask the person who hired you. Also, arrive for the work call sober, early and always with a good attitude and a willingness to learn. There is that word again. With new experiences comes learning. With learning, you will have the opportunity for more new experiences that will, hopefully, be financially rewarding as well.
Learning the Right Attitude
I would be remiss here not to point out that a good attitude and the willingness to learn new things are very closely intertwined when it comes to a person getting their next job. Having all the skills in the world on paper with references to boot means nothing after the first day. Management likes to hire skilled labor that will take directions. Can an attitude be learned? Absolutely! In fact, I would say that it is a skill that is gained from experience, just like anything else. When you are working on a crew, and until your skills speak for themselves, keep your mouth shut and your ears open. I tell my students that this is the reason that they have two ears and only one mouth.
The bottom line, then, is that it is never too late to learn something new, and in our industry dedicated to entertaining others, we owe it to ourselves, and those we work with, to never stop learning. At the same time, we owe it to the future of our industry to impart relevant bits of our collective wisdom to the young hands that will someday take our places and pass this knowledge, along with their collected wisdom, onto others. And on and on it goes.
Shane K. Smith is a faculty member and technical director at Texas State University – San Marcos, and is still learning new things. He can be reached at ss42 [at] txstate.edu.
