Intellectual curiosity, or finding out about stuff


I like finding out about stuff. Technically, I've heard it described as "intellectual curiosity", but really I just like learning about something, and then finding out more. And I was pleased to find out, when I started teaching Computer Graphics, that I'm not the only one who likes that way of learning.

I dislike easy answers, rote memorization, or "Cliff Notes", so that I can take a test of a series of things that make no sense to me, and then promptly forget it all. I would rather be introduced to something cool and then find out more for myself. I started this as an inquisitive kid, and my parents very quickly introduced me to a place called a Library.

Nowadays I'm enjoying learning more about the history of my two favorite cities, Phoenix and Los Angeles. And everything I learn introduces me to something new, which introduces me to something new, and it never ends. Nor would I want it to.

When I taught software programs, like Photoshop, my goal was to just hit the most interesting stuff. Since I've been using it since the early '90s, and am still learning, there was just no way to talk about everything. So I would watch my best students grasp the main concepts, and then take off. And at that point all I had to do was to stand back.

Every once in a while someone tells me that I'm some kind of expert, or wizard, on Photoshop, or Phoenix. But no, that's not me, I'm a student, and I've only just started.

Thank you for history adventuring with me.

Image above: Phoenix street in 1895.

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