One of the Beatles (I think it was George) used to tell the story of the day they got to meet Elvis Presley. He said when they got to Graceland Elvis was listening to a song that he let play over and over. When they asked why, he said it was the song of the moment. Elvis would listen to the same same song over and over, until he had internalized it to the point where it became a part of him. It represented where he was at that point in time, and became a touchstone.

As an artist (Particularly in my Theatre days), I would often latch on to themes and mechanism which I would replay over and over. As a technical architect in the software industry, I do something similar when learning a new technology or experimenting with a new technique. I’ll find I’ve emerged myself entirely in that technology, design pattern or methodology. I particularly do this on personal projects where can truly experiment and push the boundaries, sometimes beyond practical purposes.

As developers and software artists I think it’s important to sometimes do these types of things. Only by practicing, pushing and challenging our art can we find new paths. With that in mind I’d like to propose the “Technique of the Moment.”

Technique of the Moment

If you want to learn a new technique, and learn it thoroughly, why not fire up a personal project or 5 and use that technique over and over until you not only understand what you can and can’t do with it, but keep working with it until you have internalizes it. Push your understanding to the point of being able to quickly pull it out when needed, and know without a doubt that it is the right tool, for the right job, at the right time.

Okay, this one is a bit out there, but it’s late, and this notion of the song of the moment has been running through my mind all day.