That's very interesting, thank you for sharing that
My own learning experience has been very solitary - but for the company of a few youtube videos and some friends willing to sit for me - though I have had no formal teaching.
I approached Lenormand methodically, as I do most tasks, and started from the most logical place - the beginning
Lots of memorising and note-taking. I admit, I still haven't navigated or even drawn a Grand Tableau yet, and before I do I intend to try a Moreau spread; I am now more confident with 9 cards, and the Moreau requires 24 (I think, perhaps 25 including a significator...yep.) I can interpret a mean pair, though
I get lots from 2 cards, and my 'burn' card - very unorthodox, but a habit (due to the taboo) I borrowed from Texas Hold 'Em. The card is acknowledged but not included in the combination. I do burn for every reading I do, also with Tarot, where the habit actually originated.
Once I knew the basic method of blending, the rest began to flow. Intuition plays a huge role, so for me personally, Lenormand and intuition are synonymous and always have been.
Sometimes I 'unlock' a Tarot card, and a wash of information comes from it, even associations I had otherwise not 'consciously logged' for the card, for want of a better term.
Because Lenormand's beauty lies in its simplicity with respect to Tarot, I find this 'unlocking' process is more regular with Lenormand. Regards first impressions (and during the initial stages of learning), the 'traditional' messages arise first, then the intuition begins to blend everything. For me, that's when a story emerges - something I can describe with more than a few keywords or combinations. Don't get me wrong, I still rely on my notes, but my style takes me in new directions all the time, thanks to intuition, and that leap of faith!
These are my experiences, but my journey has been lonely (until I joined AT!) and without formal guidance. Many of my methods are unorthodox (some of my personal spreads might curl teeth) but they work for me, and I have so much fun.