The Art of Learning: Self-Taught and Master

On August 3, 2025, at the New York Qin Society Yaji, I gave a brief presentation on the topic "The Art of Learning: Self-Taught and Master."

The New York Qin Society has hosted several online yaji in recent years, focusing on the theme of guqin learning. I shared my own learning experience on July 18, 2021. If you visit the NYQS website and look up the events from 2021, you’ll find our discussion from that time. https://newyorkqin.com/events-in-2021/

Here I’d like to share a few personal reflections on The Art of Learning: Self-Taught and Master. Although the NYQS yaji theme this time was to talk about learning the guqin, I’d like to draw on my experience in another art form, seal carving, to illuminate the same principles. And I’d like to start by showing you an image of some seal carvings.

On the image above: The top three seals were carved by renowned masters; the bottom three were carved by someone who has been self-learning for four years. I'm sure that as soon as you see it, you can immediately sense the difference. Even without knowledge of seal carving, one can still notice the contrast in line quality. The seals by the masters are delicate, the lines are as fine as iron wire, consistent in thickness, and the black-and-white spatial balance is steady and harmonious. In contrast, the lower three clearly have lines that are not yet as fine or steady, and the overall composition still has room for improvement.

That “someone” is actually me. The three seals above were carved by the masters Wáng Zhuàng-wèi 王壯為(1909-1998) and Chiāng Chào-shēn 江兆申 (1925-1996). Both were highly respected figures in painting, calligraphy, and seal carving. 江兆申 even served as the Deputy Director of the National Palace Museum in Taipei. From a young age, both received guidance from their families, along with mentorship from accomplished teachers, in addition to self-study.

In contrast, my journey into seal carving began purely out of personal interest. I started at the age of 53, and have been entirely self-taught. I chose seal carving as an example primarily because it is the only artistic skill I have pursued without the guidance of a teacher. Through this personal experience, I hope to reflect on the differences I have felt between learning an art form with a teacher and learning one without.

Before I go into the main subject, I’d like to share an interesting side story.

Seal carving is relatively easy to get started with. As the Chinese saying about it goes: “a minor skill of carving insects, unworthy of a strong man” (雕蟲小技，壯夫所不為 Diāo chóng xiǎo jì, zhuàng fū suǒ bù wéi ).

This is a dismissive saying, suggesting that certain refined skills, such as intricate carving, may be clever but are ultimately trivial, and therefore unworthy of someone with great ambition or lofty purpose. In fact, Wang Zhuangwei was so moved by this sentiment that he changed his given name from Yuán-lǐ (沅禮) to Zhuàng-wéi (壯為), as a way to affirm that Chinese seal carving is indeed a noble art worthy of lifelong dedication.

Now, Let me highlight a few positive aspects of my self-learning experience:

1. Freedom to Explore, Unbound by Tradition

Being self-taught allowed me to experiment freely, trying out different scripts, layouts, and compositional styles.

鐵如意齋(江兆申)       安寧(江兆申)

無用之用(江兆申)  雙菩提樹龕(江兆申)

Although master 江兆申 initially learned seal carving from his family, he was largely self-taught in his later years. As a result, his style departed from traditional schools and developed a distinctive character of its own.

2. Hands-on Experience and Intuitive Learning

Over the past four years, I’ve carved dozens of seals by hand. Every failure, every revision has been a direct and invaluable learning experience. This kind of trial-and-error builds a kind of sensitivity and instinct that no textbook can teach. It is connected with the sense of touch, an intuitive path to knowledge.

自學的優點

1. 自由探索、不拘流派

自學讓我沒有包袱，也不怕試錯，我可以任意嘗試不同字體、不同布局。江兆申當年的篆刻雖啟蒙於家學, 但後來也都是自學, 風格也因此跳脫傳統門戶，走出自己的風貌。

2. 累積獨特的感受力與實作經驗
四年來我親手刻過數十顆印，每一次的失敗與修正，都是寶貴的經驗累積，也是創作直覺的養成過程

But with all that said, I also want to share some honest reflections, about the limits of self-learning.

1. Technical Bottlenecks  I often find myself asking: How can I carve finer lines? How can I compose more harmoniously? How do I preserve the spirit of the characters while sharpening the details? Without guidance, these questions linger. Trial and error alone can be discouraging and even drain one's passion.

2. Lack of Feedback and Evaluation Without a mentor, it’s hard to know if I’m truly improving. I might be repeating the same mistakes over and over without realizing it.

3. Time Becomes More Precious with Age Since I started seal caring in my fifties, I feel especially aware of how precious time is. A capable teacher could save me years of missteps, helping me focus, prioritize, and grow more efficiently.

自學的侷限與困惑

1. 技巧上的瓶頸
像是如何刻出更細緻的線條、如何讓章法佈局更平衡、或如何掌握筆意與刀法之間的關係，這些都難以僅靠自己琢磨得出明確的方向。試錯的時間代價可能會扼殺了興趣。

2. 缺乏回饋與評價
我常常不知道自己刻出的印章究竟是好還是不好。缺少老師或前輩的指點，進步速度變得緩慢，也容易陷入盲點。

3. 時間的珍貴
對於像我這樣年過半百才開始學習的人來說，時間格外寶貴。若能有一位好老師在適當的時機給予提點，便可以節省許多彎路與反覆。

This brings me to the value of mentorship. Interestingly, although 江兆申 was self-taught in seal carving throughout most of his life, he later studied painting and calligraphy under the renowned master Pǔ Hsīn-yú.溥心畬. This mentorship transformed his artistic development. His ability to fully develop in the four arts of poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving was not only the result of self-study, but also thanks to the guidance of a teacher with profound cultural depth. A good teacher offers far more than just technique. They can open your eyes, sharpen your aesthetic sensibility, and share insights shaped by decades of experience, things that self-learning may never fully provide.

師承的價值

值得注意的是，江兆申雖然在篆刻方面大都是自學，但在書畫上，他卻曾拜溥心畬為師，從此脫胎換骨。他之所以能夠在詩、書、畫、印四藝之中全面開展，不僅靠自修，也得益於這樣一位深具文化底蘊的老師。良師的價值不僅在於技術傳授，更能指出盲點、提升審美、傳遞系統性的藝術觀念。這些，是自學者往往難以獲得的寶貴資源。

My Guqin and Calligraphy Teacher, Master Yuan Jung-ping袁中平 once shared a meaningful framework for understanding the deeper aim of learning traditional Chinese arts. He described it as a striving for excellence on three levels:

1. Artistic Level 藝術層次 – Mastery of technique: such as pitch and fingering in music, brushwork in painting and calligraphy, structure, and carving technique.
2. Aesthetic Savoring Level 品味層次  – The cultivation of aesthetic sensibility: understanding styles, history, and the spirit of tradition.
3. Spiritual Level 精神層次- The inner cultivation: embodying the Dao, cultivating sincerity, stillness, and depth. And To be more connected with nature—to befriend it, and to dwell in its rhythm.

學習的深層目標: 三層次的極致追求

"藝術層次"：對技藝與形式的掌握, 如音準、指法, 筆法、章法、刀法；
"品味層次"：對審美與風格的理解, 知古今、識流派、有鑑賞力；

"精神層次"：對藝術背後的思想與人格修養, 道、氣、靜、真。"跟大自然做朋友."

Advancing through these three levels is difficult through self-study alone. Especially at the Aesthetic Savoring and Spiritual levels, it’s easy to fall into superficial imitation or to develop a personal style that lacks connection to traditional lineage. That said, if one’s goal is simply to pursue a personal style, that is certainly a valid path. A good teacher, however, can guide a student toward discovering and refining their own unique voice, and help them cross into deeper artistic and spiritual territory.

In conclusion

Over these four years, my self-taught journey in seal carving has brought me valuable experience and personal growth. But more and more, I feel the need to break through, not just in terms of technique, but toward deeper artistry.

I often ask myself: Is what I’m making truly “art” in the fullest sense? A wise teacher could help me refine not only my skills, but also my perspective. So I believe the best path is this:

First, to build passion and intuition through self-learning.

Then, to deepen that foundation through the insight and guidance of a mentor.

With both, we advance with confidence and reach greater distances. Whether in guqin, seal carving, or any traditional Chinese art, learning is not merely a technical endeavor. It is a journey of aesthetic sensibility, spirit, and self-cultivation. And along that journey, to have a good teacher by your side, someone who can point the way and lift your gaze, is one of the greatest blessings of all.

總結與感想

就我自己在篆刻的學習而言，四年來的摸索，讓我累積了一些技術，也激發了創作的熱情；但我越學越覺得難以突破到更深的層次。常常懷疑自己的作品是否真的達到了藝術的境地。若有一位真正了解篆刻精神的老師能指點一二，我相信不只是技術上的提升，更能讓我的思想與品味邁入更高的領域。

因此，我認為最理想的學習方式是：以自學培養熱情與直覺，以師承提升格局與眼界。

學習古琴、篆刻，甚至任何藝術形式，其實都不只是技術的磨練，更是一場關於品味與精神的修行。而在這條路上，若能有一位真正懂得藝術精神的老師同行，引領我們走向更高的藝術境界，將會是一種無比珍貴的福分。

Image sources

Background painting and seals - Peiyou Chang

https://twfineartsarchive.ntmofa.gov.tw/QuarterlyFile/B002906.pdf?193215649  國立台灣美術館

翰逸神飛 (汪中教授書藝紀念展) Brilliant Talent (A Commemorative Exhibition of Prof. Wang Chung's Calligraphy Art) 國立國父紀念館2020年出版 yatsen.gov.tw

References

高雄市立美術館 https://collections.culture.tw/kmfa_collectionsweb/author.aspx?AID=MYMAMPME

【島嶼傳燈人】王壯為 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goMxSS8z63I

【島嶼傳燈人】江兆申 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm0ECkpj_Ac

Recommend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWKnioQHeFg&list=PLv_IUW41nxfKV-gx6WZQoO1GY0bVx2Jzx

【島嶼傳燈人】The series of "those who pass on the light on an island" produced by The General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC)  中華文化總會 in 2016.