The Root of All Things
Fundamentals.
A single word which holds significant meaning, no matter the subject or field of work.
An architect must have an understanding of math and geometry in order to draft buildings, a pharmacist must have an understanding of basic chemistry, and a football player must have an understanding of the rules of the game.
When we learn the fundamentals of a given subject (no matter what it is), we are building the foundation of understanding, which then in turn allows us the ability to deepen our knowledge of the subject. The common analogy of this is the idea of building blocks. In grade school, you don’t begin learning math by practicing long division (yuck) - you first begin by learning numbers, and then number lines, and then simple addition, subtraction, then multiplication and times tables, and THEN long division. (Assuming “New Math” hasn’t funked this up - teacher friends, call me out if this has changed.)
The building block analogy works when you are first learning or trying something new - a new recipe that’s more advanced than the previous you made, or a new workout regimen - but once you have a confident grasp on the activity, the analogy (ironically) doesn’t hold up as well. At least not for me anyway, and maybe you feel the same way: as though the building blocks become a kind of Caste System of Knowledge™.
“I’ve graduated from the fundamentals! I don’t need them anymore!”
Um. Ackchyually.
Um. Ackchyually. We still need the fundamentals.
We still need the fundamentals.
I tend to think of understanding not as a set of building blocks, but as a cycle (or a spectrum, if you’re so inclined). It just feels more fluid, more organic this way. I’m not climbing down the Knowledge Building™, I’m circling back to previous concepts. Ya know, like we’re allowed to do in life.
A pattern that I often experience is an ebb and flow between simplicity and complexity. I may begin in simplicity - with the fundamentals - and, over time, wander into complexity. Every single time, I always reach a point in which I need to simplify and decompress from whatever complexity I had been experiencing.
At one point, I had about 20 unfinished canvas paintings laying around. I knew I would likely never finish them and I needed to free up the clutter. So I threw them out.
There was a time, too, when I bought several used/broken GameBoys with the intent of using them for mods (backlit screens, USB charging, etc.), but I never had time or a decent workspace to do so and they were sitting around collecting dust and taking up space. So I sold them.
Right now I’m at a point in which I need to circle back to simplicity. In the past year, I’ve made significant progress with my creativity - not just in the act of doing so, but in understanding my own unique process of being creative. I’ve made about 100 pieces of artwork in the past year. I’ve developed my process of writing music and have been exploring its use as well as what style of music I want to write. I’ve explored my early abilities as a video game developer and a game designer.
And it’s because of these milestones that I feel a pull to return to simplicity - the fundamentals.
To my surprise, it’s actually a welcome breath of fresh air. A reset, so to speak. It’s an opportunity to reflect on what I’ve been doing and the ways in which I’ve grown, while also looking ahead at my next steps.
That’s really the point of returning to the fundamentals, I think: to see what new information you can find hidden in the basics that you may have missed before.
I’ve only just begun revisiting the basics, and I have to say: the possibilities are endless.
