Almost entirely self taught. I've got a few other practitioners I've asked for advice over the years but no one who really had guidance over my learning the way

Almost entirely self taught. I've got a few other practitioners I've asked for advice over the years but no one who really had guidance over my learning the way a mentor would. Early on I got most of my info from the newberry library. It had a collection of illustrations and manuals donated from a defunct lacquerworks museum in japan, for some reason. They had someone around who even helped with a lot of translation for free which was a major help. All this stuff is available and better explained on youtube now though.