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Are you actually learning how to be a woodworker by watching YouTube

Are you actually learning how to be a woodworker by watching YouTube

Probably not.  When watching YouTube to learn something such as woodworking, I think it is important to ask yourself.  Is this person a professional YouTuber talking about woodworking or an experienced woodworker sharing their knowledge on YouTube.

The reality is that not all information is good information.   The professional YouTuber is driven by views, an algorithm, and pressure to perform as an entertainer.  These things have very little to do with woodworking. Thus when they speak, they are either parroting what someone else says, speaking in generalities, or giving you bad information because they are not speaking from experience.

So if you are watching YouTube to learn anything, not just woodworking, ask yourself, is this person a professional YouTuber speaking from little experience, or is this person a professional in the field they represent, speaking from actual experience.  Look at their portfolio; what have they built, was it good quality, did they have to deliver it to a client?

It is easy to turn the best face towards the camera and touch up a lousy joint in photoshop.  But if they have to deliver it to a client and ask them to accept their craftsmanship level to get paid.  That is the ultimate judge and jury of whether or not this person has the experience to speak from authority on a topic.

If you want to learn woodworking, you will learn far more if you go out in your shop and build something instead of watching YouTube.

 

 


I’m the owner of Benham Design Concepts, a mixed media art studio where I design and build custom furniture and other works of art using wood, glass, stone, and various metals.
In this blog, I talk about the art I create, my journey, and the things I learn along the way.

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