notes on an expanding framework
︎ framework (abstract): the collected understandings of myself and of my surroundings. This framework is constantly evolving and growing by way of new emotions and experiences, and also through deliberate learning. I am constantly in-process with this framework.
︎ expanding: for me, this begins with reflecting upon my own feelings and experiences (emotional and experiential knowledge) which then informs the (slippery) process of philosophizing, where I draw paths between these experiences and feelings in order to understand how they might be connected to each other, and also how they connect to a material reality. I get so excited when philosophizing leads me to some airtight framework or story of how the world works. (This is gamification-level satisfying and obviously how conspiracy can come about.) But this doesn’t include any engagement (yet) with knowledge outside of my own experience—or, with the collective—hence “slippery.” So, the process of expanding (for this definition) is rounded out with material knowledge of the collective and through conversations with others (pedagogical exchange <3).
︎ what will these notes be: I feel pressure, when writing, to be an expert on what I’m writing about. And, I feel bashful writing about things I’ve been thinking about but only recently have begun to learn (the literature/history) about. So, because I am at the very beginning of fortifying my framework through more robust and intentional learning, I will use this writing as a way to engage in this process of “expanding framework,” and not for the purpose of reaching some polished and comprehensive end. I’m going to write in snippets any (framework) thoughts I have and the questions they prompt. Mainly so that I can revisit and keep track of this process of rounding out and connecting these ideas, through learning.
4.4.24 - For the past few years, I have been exploring the potential connections between my intuitively-formed framework and material knowledge. In cases where I have some wonky-playing-god, philosophized conviction like “everyone likes to dance it’s what people need,” then this process of cross-checking my experiential knowledge will hopefully help me to let go of these weird convictions and remind me that I can just hold that conviction for myself, somewhere in the corner of my framework, instead of applying it to the masses. TL;DR people loving to and needing to dance is not a central pillar in this framework.
4.4.24 - An anology for this process of expanding framework: I have a block of wood in front of me, and I think, “ooh, this could be a bowl,” but I need to see through the process of carving out this piece of wood in order to substantiate my intuition, because, there’s also a chance that this wood actually isn’t the right wood for carving a bowl. Or, another framing of this analogy is that the wood represents a bowl, but it actually isn’t a bowl yet, but through the more methodical and deliberate process of creating a material bowl to use, the intuition of “bowl” has been clarified and demonstrated. :P
4.4.24 - I am working (still) to understand the inextricable relationship and play that exists between art and politics. I feel much more familiar with the former, and very new to the latter.