Anyone who has taught themselves a skill outside of formal education can be considered an autodidact, including some of history’s most famous writers, musicians, and artists. William Faulkner dropped out of high school, but went on to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Maya Angelou never went to college, and published her groundbreaking autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” when she was 40. Mexican artist Frida Kahlo taught herself to paint by studying the old masters while recovering from a bus accident. Joni Mitchell, Kurt Cobain, and Jimi Hendrix taught themselves to play the guitar. You are an autodidact by learning new vocabulary words.