Into the Awkward.
We are now several Latte Art 101s in. I have worked with three very different and unique groups of people, taking them from having little to no knowledge of milk steaming and latte art, to having a solid baseline to grow from. What constantly amazes me is both how uncomfortable every participant is, as well as how uncomfortable I am. There’s always the twinge of nerves before we start. The worry that I won’t convey the lessons, that I won’t be able to articulate my points and that every person will walk away wondering why they wasted their money. While, as I’ve heard, most people participating as just afraid of being the worst person in the class. The truth is, everyone is pretty much equally terrible when we begin. Their hearts look hilariously inappropriate but, it’s through those mistakes that everyone forms this kind of “hey, we’re all pretty bad but we’re going to get better” bond. It’s in those places that I become more comfortable too.
Learning something new is awkward. It’s especially when it’s something as hands-on as latte art, that involves heat, steam, and precision. In those awkward places though, your brain comes alive. Your brain fires up new neural pathways and it comes alive when it’s doing something it’s never done before. After you get past the initial awkward worry, it becomes fun, exciting and something you want to dive back into again and again. Every participant in my classes improves exponentially over the 2 hours they’re there. More than half of them can form solid hearts, but all of them can provide well-steamed and delicious milk. I am constantly impressed by the men and women (and Brin) who show up, get uncomfortable and get better. It provides an environment for me to grow as a teacher as well. That’s the big secret of teaching. It’s not one person showing others how to grow. It’s all of us growing together.
Teaching will probably always be awkward for me at first. Latte Art will probably always be awkward for every participant at first. Together, through our collective failures, trials, successes and triumphs, we grow. Get uncomfortable. Get into the awkward zone. Learn something difficult. You are capable of unimaginable growth and whether it be latte art, teaching, martial arts, finally learning to ride a bike or everything in between, you can grow to unimaginable heights.