Welcome from Tennessee...
I pretty much taught myself all I know (which may not be much) about wood turning... it's mostly practice to see what does and what does not work... I still go on You-Tube and watch others both for entertainment and to learn new techniques and methods.
I got into turning back in Houston when I made the mistake of admiring another turner's bowl work, commented to my wife that I wished I knew how to do that.... she called my son and told him I wanted a lathe for Christmas.... he bought one from Home Depot, too fast at the low speed to turn bowls, but great for pens.... he also bought some pen kits for me, so we started turning that Christmas afternoon in the garage.... that's been close to 20 years and I think I'm beginning to get the hang of it. I don't do pens much anymore, mostly bowls, pepper mills and a few hollow forms.
You may eventually need to go to a Re-Hab center, as this is a very addictive hobby.... Most fun you can have with all your clothes on.