Gibson, for instance, is only a novice to me (3)
I believe the answer is:
mel
'gibson for instance is only a' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'novice to me' is the wordplay.
'novice' becomes 'l' (as in a learner driver with L-plates on their car).
'to' says to put letters next to each other (I've seen this in other clues).
'l' put after 'me' is 'MEL'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for mel that I've seen before include "Honey" , "- - Gibson (actor)" , "-- Brooks, film director" .)