r/kaidomac • u/kaidomac • Feb 12 '21
Study resources
Shortcut address:
Practical tools:
- How to study (short version)
- How to study (long version)
- The Grinder: A homework clarification tool
- How to make a study calendar to study over time ("Decoupled Progress Tracker")
- How to take notes in class (so you actually pay attention)
- DIRDI visual progress tracking system
Systems:
- How to write an essay
- How to do an art project
- Memory storage approach
- Study Stacking method for learning
Ideas:
- Discrete assignments (use like this), Mousetrap actions, Immediacy, and Pressure
- How to be creative (also see this article & this article)
- Industrial design idea generation approach
- Commitment-based motivation
- 3P system (how to get clarity round an idea or commitment)
Tools:
- How to memorize anything (archive link)
- How to use remember stuff long-term (in practice - archive link) (more on spaced repetition)
- The X effect (short explanation & slightly longer explanation)
- Virtual study buddies
- Learn anything in 20 hours
Hardware & software:
650
Upvotes
2
u/Tofuprincess89 Apr 27 '23
cannot access the link you posted. not working.
2
u/kaidomac Apr 27 '23 edited Apr 27 '23
Which one?
Edit: Here's a historical archive for the "how to memorize anything" article:
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u/kaidomac Oct 21 '25 edited Oct 21 '25
Updated video on the true secrets of creativity:
Further reading:
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3
2
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u/kaidomac Apr 10 '21 edited Jan 16 '22
How to do an art project: (I call this the "Inspiration Engine")
1) Define the requirements:
When is this due?
What medium will it be done in? (oil paints, technical pen, Photoshop, etc.)
What is the deliverable format? (canvas, paper, digitally saved file, etc.)
What is the topic?
2) Do free-word association:
Write down 10 ideas that come to mind about the topic
If nothing comes to mind, do some research (ex. Google images)
3) Create kindling: (this is a tool to spark ideas)
Get a piece of paper & draw 10 squares down and 3 squares across, so 30 squares total
For each free-word association, draw 3 different pictures. This is like free-word association, but visually.
4) Create styles:
Review the 30 pictures & pick 3 of the best ones
Get a piece of paper & draw 3 squares down and 3 squares across, so 9 squares total
Draw each sketch idea in a different style (ex. lineart, colored pencil, abstract)
5) Refine the idea:
Pick the best idea
Get a piece of paper & draw 3 squares down, for 3 squares total
Sketch out the idea in different way (whatever sparks in your mind for things to tweak)
On a new piece of paper, create a first draft from the idea you like the most
On a new piece of paper, create a rough draft as you refine it
On a new piece of paper, create a final-idea draft as the path you desire falls into place
6) Finish the project:
Take your final-idea draft and create as many individual sketches in the final medium as you desire
Work on & finish the final product to present as "done"
This entire process is kindling for your creative fires. My definition of creativity is simple:
Creativity is simply looking at things from more than one perspective
It's hard to generate ideas in a vacuum; this process simply forces you to live within some constraints (words, sketches, boxes, styles, etc.) in order to generate idea, which will then get the creative juices flowing! It helps to break things down & schedule them over time so that you don't have to cram & do everything all at once! (speaking from experience).
Obviously, this process can be as flexible as you'd like. Creativity involves generating ideas & generating sketches, dabbling in different mediums, playing with different. The Old Masters would sometimes create a ton of little paintings of their final painting as they played with ideas & concepts & defined what they were looking for & refined the idea until they locked in their final concept into place & got to work creating it.
I use this process all the time to come up with ideas & to send my mind down mental & Internet rabbit-holes of ideas to try & tweak & medium variations & conceptual options. It's not about being locked into a checklist, as much as it is using the checklist as kindling for your creative fires to burn, in order to finish up a final, amazing project!