Years ago a very successful east coast metro photographer gave an interview for a podcast. When asked how he produced such gorgeous journalism-style wedding photos with no prior photography experience, he (somewhat arrogantly?) said he was entirely self-taught, and just got a good camera and that it really was wasn't that hard...
Step One: Childhood on farm in Minnesota. Advantage: endless subject matter - the dragonfly on a grass blade. A leaf on the snow. Cattails in the wind. Disadvantage: no camera...
Step Two: Formative teenage years on farm in Minnesota. Advantage: bedroom wallpapered with pages from discarded National Geographic magazines. Disadvantage: Kodak disc camera. Resultant photos did not look like National Geographic magazine pages. Quit.