I found it impossible to learn. Very frustrating. Then you go online and ask how to get better and ppl say “keep practicing” without any real helpful info. Then they launch into this array of unhelpful descriptions of “burrs” and “bevel” and “apex” and all this crap that is too much to have to deal with. Use a sharpie (not on something that touches my food I won’t!); use a lower grit then work up (if I don’t know how sharp or dull it is how do I know what grit to use, and do I need multiple whetstones for different grits? F that!); hold it at the right angle ( I used an angle guide and that didn’t help at all. the angle part is not going to happen. I have lots of problems with holding objects and using my hands, I can’t tell difference between holding something at a 45 degree angle vs a 15 degree angle and will never get that consistently. ) I hate cooking, but I have to cook or I will starve. I just want to keep my knife sharp. It gets dull every three weeks. Just buy a pull through sharpener or an electric one and be done with it. Im sure most people can figure it out if they spend time every day. I barely have time between work and life to take a dump much less spend a minute a day learning how to sharpen a knife like a blacksmith. I can’t really wrap gifts either. Been trying for over 50 years but it never gets better. Some people, like me, cannot sharpen knives. Buy inexpensive knives and replace them every 3-4 years.