Take pictures all the time. Don't worry if you take a bad photograph; you learn more by taking a bad picture than a good one. If you don't like it, study it and figure out why you don't like it. You'll learn from your mistake.
Everyone's path is completely different. I could give an aspiring artist my timeline and every phone number and contact person along the way, but their experience would be carved out in a different way. It's the diligence to keep going in the face of obstacles that is your best ally. It's also important to know why you are doing this. . . attention, money, or because you got something to say, or at least in what order those things matter.