Creating a beautiful alignment
It's been a while since my last post. But first, I'd like to give a shout out to the busy people out there who have a lot to juggle on their plate. That includes people with families young or old to take care of, who find 24 hours a day to be too little.
No rush, you can take care of whatever is distracting you first.
Done? Good.
Anyways, I've been thinking a lot about design lately. There are many aspects of design, and suffice to say, I'm not sure I fully grasp it still. Sure:
- I have enough cartographic knowledge to make a map that doesn't suck.
- I am increasingly fond of coding in a way that's beautiful.
- I try to make my translations ever more rich with the nuances of language.
Certainly, there are a couple of ways to express this notion of 'good' design. You can find it in the folks talking about accessibility (a11y). Senior developers seem to value readable code over brevity and efficiency. As our attention spans get shorter and shorter, people are out to find ways to make things easier to use (no manual required).
I hesitate to lump this all together in some overarching theory. But here's the gist - it's all about empathy.
There is a definition of art I came across recently in this blog post on 'Art and Data Science':
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
In 'getting' art, there is empathy, connectivity, and networking involved. The act of reaching out to another commands a level of sophisticated coordination. An alignment of the planets if you will.
Click below to see the TED video on eclipse chasing, and/or listen to the audio interview version here.
Beauty is inherently present, you need only align yourself in order to experience it.
The click may not come easy, you may struggle for years without a total eclipse moment ever crossing your path.
It's not just about the right place at the right time. You need someone to be there too!
Be patient. Also, find someone that's patient.
It could be a friend, a mentor, or your partner. Seek someone who truly understands how good things actually take more time than they should.
There's this API quote I quite love/hate.
Quotes can be interpreted subjectively, depending on one's state of mind at the time. If you're currently under pressure, then having demands being put on you can feel unreasonable. Hence the shout out to all the busy people out there I gave at the top of this post.
But if we go back to that point on empathy, you do realize that your work doesn't exist in a vacuum right?
It is used. And when it is to be used, you need to ensure a degree of usability.
There might not be a true universal standard on usability, but there are guidelines. Realize that your work is to be appreciated, by some culture, or sub-culture. Find out what it takes to belong.
I went to a workshop on peer review two, maybe three weeks ago. It was given by Associate Professor Nick Hopwood whose blog is a goldmine for PhD students. One thing he touched on was how the paper you are trying to get published needs to 'belong'.
Especially for young people or those new to the field, it's important to acknowledge those that came before you. It doesn't just apply to academic publications either, it could be your code, some music or artistic piece you created.
Whenever your work is up for scrutiny, somehow for some reason, it needs to be placed in context. There needs to be a reference point, a tag, a genre, etc.
Only then will the 'community' welcome you with open arms, because you are playing by the rules, you are aligning yourself to them.
Another thing I've been trying to get into recently is actively contributing to Open Source software.
It's probably gotten a lot better now, with 'Code of Conduct's, 'Contributing Guidelines' and so on popping up all over the place. Still, for anything more substantial than a minor typo fix, it can feel intimidating to touch someone else's code.
But think of it this way, there's a human on the other side too, and he/she might be just as scared! This blog post articulates it well, on what it can feel on the receiving end.
Nick also showed us during the peer review workshop on what editors and reviewers have to go through when they review our paper submissions. You may think you are judged solely by the quality of your work, but no, there are personal and political decisions going on too.
We have our own needs, just as others do. If we want others to validate the text we are contributing to the discourse, then it is not enough to be simply brilliant. The words have to be formatted, rephrased and edited in such a way that conforms to the expectations of others.
This post is deliberately vague and lacking in substance. Because well, it is a very fuzzy topic.
There is something inherently human in the pursuit for connection to a greater whole. But don't go too far, don't go too deep.
There is a balance, between giving up your individuality, and submission into a community.
Stand still where you are, and you may never see a total eclipse in your lifetime.
Be swayed by the wind and drift around, and you might get a chance, if you follow the right ones.
So chase it intentionally, know where to go, find your alignment!