As somebody who has a very wide range of skillsets I'd say the main key to teaching yourself anything is a high degree of interest in it, and to become very good an obsession. I skimmed the article and it didn't appear to mention the motivation which should be the no.1 point IMHO.<p>You also need to be of the belief you can learn or do anything, it just takes practice, potentially lots more than other people may require, but it is always possible with enough time and exposure.