Momentum Truths
Updates
We're fully into the swing of the semester now and let me tell you, it's busy. With three classes and part-time work - all of which are going well - I'm finding myself with much less free time than I did a month ago, which is to be expected in grad school. The line between steady busyness and too much busyness is quite fine, but school, and I suppose life, is all about balance where you can get it.
This semester in particular is most likely going to be the most classwork, due to several group projects along with individual work, and regular scientific research papers - the first of which is due in a couple weeks about perceptual processing systems. The material is fascinating, but incredibly dense.
The more time I spend staring at a screen writing papers and doing homework, the less time I want to spend writing outside of that. I still am making an effort, but it's not as fast as I would like just because of everything going on right now. I'm trying to not beat myself up about it, so I'll stick to making small steps towards finishing my personal writing and other hobbies for now.
Momentum Truths
Building momentum is typically a good thing. Naturally, if you want to get better at something you will need to keep practicing regularly. If you keep a pretty consistent routine, you'll eventually build momentum, which will allow you to keep pushing through to each milestone in your journey. The thing about momentum, though, is that when it stops, it can be more difficult to get going again than it was to start in the first place. An object in motion stays in motion and all that.
You don't have to be a polymath-to-be to see that there's certainly a lot of pressure on us to keep momentum in the things we want to do, both internally and externally. Momentum can reveal the truth of how we feel about doing these things, as well. If you get into a slump of momentum where maybe you don't do the thing you want to for a bit, it's hard to get started again, sure, but also it might be telling you something about your practice.
I'm all about introspection and reflecting on what we do, almost to a fault at times. Using the sometimes natural slumps in our momentum to give us more insight into how and why we're doing things can be a nice way to not get too bummed out about not making physical progress, but still make progress mentally and emotionally.
I'm not really sure if that makes sense, but it's a nice idea and if I'm going to run into periods of time where momentum is either nonexistent or just hard to come by, I can still reflect on how and why I'm doing things which may even improve my practice for the future.
Practice in small doses can also help alleviate the negative effects from missing "full" practice days. In fact, it's better to set smaller goals for yourself so it's harder to miss a day in the first place, like a little guardrail.
Interesting Things
I recently discovered the late astounding award winning Chinese photographer, Fan Ho. He was one of Asia’s most beloved street photographers capturing Hong Kong in the 50’s and 60’s. He was patient, and waited for the decisive moment where the right amount of drama, atmosphere, and light came together to create stunning works.
I also like that his work highlights parts of the city that would otherwise be overlooked. Places tourists wouldn't necessarily be, but the truth of the city lives in these alleys and pathways.
I think I like his work so much because it highlights such specific moments in time, something photos are really the only art that can capture. After looking at a bunch of Fan Ho's work, he's secured a spot in my personal photography hall of fame.
As always, if you've got ideas, suggestions, or feedback, feel free to reply to this email or reach out on Twitter.
Until next time,
Z