Adjacent Knowledge

Adjacent Knowledge

Always nice to see actual research about things you strongly suspect, but for which you have no evidence beyond personal anecdote.

I find myself exploring a lot of topics that are adjacent to things I already know, in part because such things just tend to be interesting, but also because there's typically some value to be gained from having that adjacent knowledge.

Knowing how to write prose isn't the same thing as knowing how to write poetry, but there are some advantages to having previous writing experience when you pursue new writing-related hobbies or educational paths.

Knowing how to paint in many ways prepares you to learn how to make prints, take photographs, and create collages, because you already understand the basics of composition, color, visual hierarchy, etc.

This piece links to some research showing this tendency to dabble in "different, but close" realms of inquiry is probably a real thing (not just a me-thing) and explains a bit about why adjacent knowledge might desirable and valuable.

Link: https://www.newthingsunderthesun.com/pub/w2dpii85/release/13

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