Behold, my first attempt at conveying meaning through art! Dear reader, my ego is quite fragile at this stage, so please be gentle with any criticism of style and perspective.
In all seriousness, I plan to visualize important ideas and principles via sketches. I am sure we all hope my skill improves, but regardless of how I fare over time, I sincerely hope these sketches convey meaning in a way that mere words can never do.
This particular sketch is inspired by Sönke Ahrens and his fabulous book "How to Take Smart Notes." One of my key takeaways is the transformational idea that writing is the medium of understanding.
Writing and rephrasing arguments confronts us mercilessly with our own understanding or lack thereof. We consume content with an acuity of the mind toward understanding to better record new insights in our own words. Writing and understanding are therefore inextricably linked, feeding each other in a virtuous cycle. Writing becomes the medium of knowledge, understanding, and ultimately, learning.
After trying this myself, I am experiencing a profound difference in the value of reading. I no longer simply highlight passages in the books I read; I actually write notes in my own words about the ideas that interest and challenge me. I then compare them to my existing notes and adjust my thinking in writing. The notes I create are incredibly valuable, my understanding of what I consume is noticeably improved and I am starting to find interesting connections between ideas that challenge my mental models.
