Week 2, Summer 2023
A Study in Isolation
Alright, week 2! Let’s do this.
This week was all about finding the right footing. When you have a long, daunting list of things that you want to do, it can feel hard to start, if not overwhelming. So, I decided to forget the list entirely and take every day on a case-by-case basis. I had faith that whatever I chose to do would be aligned with my overarching goals. It was a test to see what I steered towards when I had complete freedom of choice over my actions.
Let the task come to me, instead of me choosing a task
Looking back, I am not surprised that I spent most of my time inside reading, thinking, writing, and working on projects this week. I haven’t been inside closed walls (intentionally) for such long periods since the pandemic. The only difference was that I was truly alone.
I was in complete isolation and liberty to work on what I wanted to. This simple exercise helped me understand things about myself that I wouldn't have otherwise.
It made me appreciate the simple things that I take for granted, like the trees near my apartment or the passage leading up to the quad. I am not a runner, but running outside felt nice after being inside for so long. It gave me the time to internalize and realize the important aspects of my life.
It was a study in isolation, and a version of the answer to my question, “What would I do if I had all the time in the world?”
So what did I do? Let’s get into it.
Music
This was an exciting week for music: more progress was made on ‘Project Interstellar’1, I started a new song on the piano2, and got good practice in after a long time. The highlight of this week was, by far, ‘Project Interstellar’. The song is evolving in ways I did not anticipate and every little addition is getting us closer to the end. I released another teaser this week for what’s to come:
Working across time zones can get very challenging. By being on opposite ends of the world, coordinating and collaborating raises a new level of difficulty, especially when you are working on something as personal and intimate as music.
The biggest expense comes in the form of one’s creative expression.
Even though we might be facing some challenges to finish this on time, we are determined to finish it nonetheless.
Inspiration is finite and time is not on our side. However, the promise of this song is what keeps us going. The Art of Creation is extremely powerful and I hope I can give justice to this song.
Reading
“Vision without execution is hallucination”
If there is anything that can truly define this week, it would be everything that I read.
I am currently reading two books, the biography of Leonardo da Vinci and ‘Creativity Inc.’, the story of Pixar. Both of these books have surprised me in ways that I did not expect. More on that later.
I finished reading “Education Automation” by Buckminster Fuller this week. It is a small book with a lot of important ideas. In this book, Fuller shares his vision for the future of education. He acknowledges that the education system is not perfect and lays a path built on strong reforms to adapt to changing times. Even though it has been more than half a century since these ideas were first conceptualized, they still ring true today.
I am in the process of summarizing all the takeaways and will be publishing a digestible version of the insights from the book soon.
Why did I choose to read this book?
One of the bigger goals I have for this summer is to rethink the education system. Why is the education system the way that it is? How did it come to what it is today? Why and where is it failing? What needs to be improved? How can it be improved? Where has it worked and why?
I have been thinking about this issue for the better half of a year now after an unfateful interaction with a college administrator3. I realized that once you start looking, you start seeing patterns everywhere. Regardless of who or where you are, there is something very fundamental about everyone. That is what I seek to find.
A couple months ago, I tried to share some of my initial ideas:
“Who am I to change the education system?”, “What makes me qualified to do this?”
Just a feeling inside me that knows things can be better.
I am going to try my best to work with the facts presented to me and not jump to make conclusions as I read and write more about this. I intend on talking with people from various facets of life to understand their perspectives and experiences within the system.
History will be my teacher, but the present and the future will be my guiding light.
Learning Spanish
¡Hola! Mucho Gusto.
I was granted access to “Duolingo Super” this week for a few days, which basically allowed uninterrupted learning. In simpler words, for a few days, the app became what it should be if it didn’t have to worry about making money: easy to use.
I made some good progress on the app this week. I upgraded from being a “Rookie” to becoming an “Explorer” (thanks, Duo).
At the end of two weeks, I can say that I feel comfortable reading Spanish now. If the words and sentences are familiar, I can read and understand a sentence almost as fast as I can in English. However, I do realize that it is very rudimentary and basic vocabulary.
While I can decipher a sentence, it is more challenging to form one. Listening and comprehending (without reading) has also been slightly challenging.
The app has been designed in a fun way, but it can start getting monotonous after a little bit. All the units are structured in similar ways. It can start feeling like a never-ending doom scroll as you are making your way through different units.
However, it hasn’t discouraged me (yet) from coming back to it every day, which is a good sign. Having the app designed like a game helps, similar to the ‘Super Mario Effect’4
I realize that I need to engulf myself more in the language to start getting comfortable with listening and understanding it. If you have any playlists, podcasts, or movies that you recommend listening/watching, let me know!
Progress update:
Art+Engineering
What do Leonardo da Vinci, Pixar, and Sony have in common? They were all pioneers of Art+Engineering.
When I started reading Creativity Inc. - the story of Pixar - this week, I did not expect it to be so similar to the lessons I was learning from da Vinci’s book. There were some things connecting these two. I couldn’t put them down.
The reason why they are such captivating and engaging books is that behind all the glory there is a powerful story.
But what made me go on this quest for ‘Art+Engineering’ in the first place? The societal and primal need to put a tag on yourself based on your actions and interest.
I enjoy doing a lot of things and have never been able to categorize my interests. While I study engineering professionally today, I have always been very artistically inclined growing up. I never saw a distinction between the two. However, I was forced to see it when the time came to choose between the two.
“Do you want to do Arts or Engineering?”
I lived with the belief that I can only do one for the rest of my life. Whatever I chose, I would have to forfeit the other one. This created a cognitive dissonance in my mind.
It was a time when I wished that I had more clarity of mind. Doing and loving so many things made it harder to narrow down to the one thing that I was truly passionate about.
I loved both fields equally, but why did I have to choose between the two? Why couldn’t I do both?
And that’s when I realized that I was looking at it all wrong. My greatest strength lies in being able to combine the two.
Instead of seeing it as a weakness, I started seeing it as a strength.
This was my moment of epiphany for 2022.
Ever since, I have been trying to understand what that means for me. How can I find ways to create value through my work? What is the best application of my interests in today’s world? How can I apply my context to the best of human interests?
As always, I have more questions than answers. But that’s a good thing. It means I have room for growth.
Walter Isaacson says it quite beautifully for da Vinci,
“As he aged, he pursued his scientific inquiries not just to serve his art but out of joyful instinct to fathom the profound beauties of creation.
When he groped for a theory of why the sky appears blue, it was not simply to inform his paintings. His curiosity was pure, personal, and delightfully obsessive”
“His curiosity was pure, personal, and delightfully obsessive”
People often associate obsession with something negative. But I believe that it is the purest form of personal expression.
While I do not fully know what that means for me, this week was a step in the right direction to understand it. The coming weeks will be crucial in unlocking its full potential.
Photo of the Week
While I spent a lot of time working on various projects this week, I also took the time to reconnect with my friend and family. In the hustle and bustle of life, it can get easy to lose touch with the people that you care about and those who care about you. Finding some time to check in and share a few laughs can feel quite nice.
Balancing a lot of things at the same time can get challenging, but it can also be quite enjoyable. At one point, I would be coding for a Research Project5 and then reading about da Vinci, and then working on my music.
While none of these tasks have quick/short returns, I know that they are going to be important in their own ways. I have faith that everything I do is somehow connected to each other and will all make sense in the end. Only time will reveal how.
This week was learning at its best, or as I like to summarize it:
An exercise in Assimilation, Consideration, and Paceful Acceleration.
I learned a lot this week. It is time we put it into tangible action next week.
Hasta luego,
Aaryaman
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We are finding more ways to make the song better which is causing a delay in its production. But rest assured, it is coming very soon.
The beautifully composed Mia and Sebastian’s Theme from La La Land. Although it is miles beyond my current level of expertise, my will to learn it is greater.
Mark Rober on The Super Mario Effect:
Learn more about it here “The Solar Desalination Project”
“obsession is the truest form of personal expression”, agreed, also I think the most natural way to learn
Nice zoom background.
The Spanish section should be written in Spanish! Switch your phone to Spanish too come on!!! Watch the marvel movies or flash in Spanish thst will help.