Eskimo's and Omoplata's ....
One of my old credo's that has served me well in life .... 'Find similarities in things that are different ... And find the differences in those things that appear very similar'.
Eg: I always try to make connections between techniques that (at first glance) seem to have little or no obvious connection. By doing this, I better 'anchor' the technique or idea in my mind. Tying to find similarities between things that are very different is , for me, one of the cornerstones of 'creativity'. Ad even if the connection is highly abstract ... Eg: goldfish ... Giraffe ... Both golden in colour .. Hey, both wear the same kind of shoes ... OK , makes no sense, but it doesn't always need to, in making that crazy connection, I anchor the concept of giraffe and goldfish, in my mind.
Now to something more concrete ,,, finding the differences between things that are very similar ... Eg: orange, mandarin, tangerine ... We develop a better understanding of the nuance that each brings to the table. When I am teaching, for example, a whole stack of techniques that look very similar, if I fail to continually point out and even exaggerate the differences between each of those techniques, the student can wake up the next day and find that the techniques have become a big blurry mess in their mind ... A grey mess ... A melted penguin ....
Becoming clearer on what makes a technique 'unique' unto itself, is to develop both a clearer and deeper understanding of what that technique is all about. I guess if someone has a refined palette for 'wine' ... They have done just this ... They have developed a deeper, and clearer understanding of what makes each kind of wine unique. And so it is with an Eskimo and 'snow' ... An Eskimo has a whole lot of words to describe the subtle differences in the different types of snow ... The Eskimo has developed 'expertise'. And so should we, in those areas of our lives where we want expertise ...
JBW
Eg: I always try to make connections between techniques that (at first glance) seem to have little or no obvious connection. By doing this, I better 'anchor' the technique or idea in my mind. Tying to find similarities between things that are very different is , for me, one of the cornerstones of 'creativity'. Ad even if the connection is highly abstract ... Eg: goldfish ... Giraffe ... Both golden in colour .. Hey, both wear the same kind of shoes ... OK , makes no sense, but it doesn't always need to, in making that crazy connection, I anchor the concept of giraffe and goldfish, in my mind.
Now to something more concrete ,,, finding the differences between things that are very similar ... Eg: orange, mandarin, tangerine ... We develop a better understanding of the nuance that each brings to the table. When I am teaching, for example, a whole stack of techniques that look very similar, if I fail to continually point out and even exaggerate the differences between each of those techniques, the student can wake up the next day and find that the techniques have become a big blurry mess in their mind ... A grey mess ... A melted penguin ....
Becoming clearer on what makes a technique 'unique' unto itself, is to develop both a clearer and deeper understanding of what that technique is all about. I guess if someone has a refined palette for 'wine' ... They have done just this ... They have developed a deeper, and clearer understanding of what makes each kind of wine unique. And so it is with an Eskimo and 'snow' ... An Eskimo has a whole lot of words to describe the subtle differences in the different types of snow ... The Eskimo has developed 'expertise'. And so should we, in those areas of our lives where we want expertise ...
JBW
Comments