Hunting The Muse

Thinking styles

Being a programmer and also a musician, I come across a lot of different thinking styles. Not just thinking styles, but creating styles. I'm one that loves the idea of creating and can occasionally do so, but I think first. Think first, then create. I am continually envious of the people that skip the thinking step and just create.

One of my clients is also a programmer and has hired me to help him out. It's a bit odd because he is actually a much faster code producer than I am. But I help him design the code and clean it up, and a lot of the code I've been cleaning up the code is the stream-of-consciousness code that he originally produced. So yes, maybe my code is cleaner, more elegant, easier to maintain. But he's used his creative style to form a very successful company, by emphasizing the doing over the thinking.

In music, I plan, analyze, and direct. But there are tons of people that write wonderful music without even knowing how to read it. I consistently got the highest grades in my classes for music theory and ear training, but I've written less than a cd's worth of music in my life. I think so much, and I don't do much... at least, not much compared to how much I think.

I know that my thinking isn't a flaw. I know it's a really great strength. So it isn't that I want to de-emphasize my thinking. But I really do want to find more ways to free up my DOing. If anyone has ideas... I'll think about them. And then, I think wryly, maybe I'll do them. Posted by Curt at February 3, 2003 09:05 PM