I'm Starting a Blog! (Hi Mom)
It’s astonishing just how many things can stay floating around in one’s mind for years. Little tidbits, anecdotes. Nuggets of wisdom dispensed by elders and mentors. Personal case studies on how some little discovery helped you communicate better, reduced the mental load of some task, or simply made everything click.
This is a blog about software development. Programming, terminals, code editors, servers, databases, networking, containers, cloud, CI/CD, open source, web browsers, web frameworks, auth, AI tools, design tools, user interfaces. All of it.
This is also a journal of sorts, in which I’ll try to untangle and re-thread some of the tidbits, anecdotes, and insights that have been brewing over my twenty-six years. Topics that hold my interest include music, dance, creativity, flow, and the habits of high-impact individuals.
Math, Mountains, Music
Around the age of six, I showed a natural talent for numbers. I could perform arithmetic in my head more than most kids my age. But it wasn’t just arithmetic that came naturally—it was the relations among numbers, geometric proportions, the beauty of equations. It was pattern recognition that truly captivated me. In fact, one of my favorite little hobbies involved arranging the vegetables on my plate into patterns at dinner time, which amused my mother.
From the same period, I have my first memories of the Canadian Rocky Mountains around my hometown of Calgary. To say that those mountains are foundational to the person I am is not far off. Since the age of six, I have had countless formative experiences in the Canadian Rockies. I have hiked, climbed, scrambled, camped, and paddled for over a year in total in the Canadian wilderness. These experiences helped me develop resilience, leadership, and reverence and respect for nature.
By the age of ten, I was fascinated with both of these things, patterns and nature. Then I got into music, which is arguably the most human way of combining the two. Repeating patterns of sound that represent nature in a human way, that’s what music is to me. At least, that’s one story of what music is to me. Music, like any complex phenomenon, contains many narratives, some of which may even be contradictory, that all contribute to the rich and beautiful whole. It is multi-faceted, as is much of life.
Creativity and Practice
It was while studying for my undergrad in music that I learned about the nature of creativity, and the vital importance of practice. Getting to spend those years surrounded by mentors and other passionate young musicians was very enriching for me.
The greatest musical improvisers are both stunning virtuosos on their instruments, and composers who have gained an incredibly profound sense for how music develops. They practice all sorts of different material, sometimes without an obvious connection to future music-making. They practice melodic patterns, rhythms, musical ideas of all kinds, experimenting, combining and recombining these ideas to find the patterns that feel just right. They build a musical palette that sits right inside their nervous system, embodied possibility waiting to be unleashed.
Eventually, movements in music of truly infinite possibility flow out of great improvising musicians, both individually and in groups. If you’ve ever been in the presence of a band that just seem to be jamming on another level, this is what’s behind all that.
What I began to understand is that there are levels to creativity. Creativity can only be achieved once a practitioner acquires deep domain knowledge. While deep knowledge can enable rich creation in a narrow domain, the amount of novel combinations only skyrockets when knowledge is both deep and broad. This is no easy feat.
Still Practicing
In any domain, mastery requires dedicated practice. Day in and day out. For years.
Today I’m still hard at work, practicing the art of spotting patterns and creating natural experiences for people. I’m pursuing this by being the best software developer I can be.
I practice the fundamentals, right down to how I operate my keyboard. I work toward having deep domain knowledge on compute, memory, storage, and network. I take what’s been computed, stored, and transmitted, and present people with user interfaces that have been designed thoughtfully. I practice combining and recombining to create rich, purpose-built software that truly adds value to the life of someone in some way.
And when it all comes together, it’s (almost) as beautiful as a great symphony. Almost.
Let’s Connect
If my story or ideas appeal to you, then please connect on LinkedIn or GitHub.