This section discusses the importance of consistent practice and balancing enjoyment with effort in learning art. It emphasizes the need to allocate proper time to each study and vary activities to prevent boredom. The text also highlights the adaptability of young minds in acquiring multiple disciplines simultaneously.
Method for Learning
Do not avoid work just because you do not feel like working every time; often, people start enjoying their work after a period of study, finding it more pleasant than at the beginning. However, you should set aside regulated time daily to study, during which you may produce good or bad work. Feel free to exceed your usual study time if you find more enjoyment in it than usual. Although skill is only attained through effort and fatigue, it is essential that this exertion is mixed with pleasure. The internal satisfaction experienced while drawing should make this pursuit preferable to others.
The first thing to consider in acquiring an art you wish to practice throughout your life is to allocate your time well, giving each study its proper duration. For young people, whose reasoning is still developing and who lack timely reflections, leverage the brain's flexibility and organ purity to instill the knowledge and habits they should acquire (a). It is important to avoid discouraging them by keeping them attached too long to the same study or tiring them with tedious repetitions. Revitalize the study of drawing by varying it with other occupations, such as offering some exposure to geometry, architecture, and perspective. As Quintilian observes, youth is capable of learning several disciplines at once, but
As Horace notes, what's once learned retains its novelty. Epist. 1. 2.
(a) "Young people": In historical contexts, refers to students or apprentices.