Honestly, it's something I've had to relearn. I got so used to reading academic sources and theory, and then realising later I hadn't properly grokked the infor

Honestly, it's something I've had to relearn. I got so used to reading academic sources and theory, and then realising later I hadn't properly grokked the information fully. It's taken me a long time to realise I should just start by digging in and using the sources as references when need-be. The last paragraph of your comment is absolutely how it feels.