#but then again I've heard the polar opposite from some people so Mumbo might be fine for you who knows

[shadeswift99]

apparently you know redstone? do you have any suggestions for how one can learn redstone better? like should i just speedrun farms until i can do it without a guide or is there a better strategy here

Okay. First of all, I should probably admit that about 95% of my "knows redstone" comes knowing a little bit on a server full of builders and therefore getting the reputation of The Redstoner, and also just me being a giant nerd and being very interested in it in spite of knowing very little. That being said, there are some specific tips I have about how to learn things fast and in a way that sticks!

1. Use tutorials, don't just follow them. By that I mean: when you watch a tutorial for a farm, don't just copy it block for block. Pause after every step and make sure you know what each component does before you place it, and how they all work together to achieve a purpose in that section of the build. Focus on action and reaction, and try to divide the build into pieces to understand it! This will give you a functional farm/door/whatever at the end of the day, but at the same time, you'll be learning common combinations of components that you can put together in a different way later

(some YouTubers are better to watch for this than others. Try to find one who explains what each thing does instead of just placing it down. Once you get a good baseline knowledge, though, filling in the blanks for the ones who explain less is also helpful!)

2. Mess around. Literally just start placing stuff. Redstone is a very spatial thing and a very confusing one in terms of what powers what, so just putting down some components and answering questions about them with trial and error is a good way to get a sense for how that all works! My very first redstone experience was just shooting myself in the knees with dispenser arrows, it's a great time I promise :)

3. Prioritize learning over efficiency. Your first contraptions are (objectively) probably gonna suck. Thankfully, it's your world and your life, so "objective" can take a hike while you joyfully piece together as many spaghetti-like nightmare circuits as your little heart desires! I regularly choose to make my own farms instead of using a tutorial even when I know the output will be worse and it won't be as compact, because the important part to me is that I learn along the way and feel the satisfaction of invention for myself. It's a little bit like art, in a way. Somebody else might be able to do it "better" when you're new, but nobody can do it like you. Embrace that! You'll end up better for it in the end.

I'd apologize for being so wordy, but hey, it's me you asked. :) Now go forth, make cool stuff, and conquer!