a framework for toolmaking
Activity types could be roughly translated into education theory speak as “genres of behavioral or cognitive objectives.” I defined and isolated five as important to the type of adult-education framework I am trying to create.
In a formal academic situations this goal is established just by having the class meet at the same time every week, having assignments every week, having the same people be there, etc. In a more out in the wild frame work having a daily journal or other routine becomes more important.
Test and quizzes serve this role in a class room, but they become meaningless when you are planning your own path and doing it only for your own satisfaction. Benchmarks and Inventories in this case are meant to help establish what skills you have and how they differ from the ones you need. They help mark progress. They also are used to determine need requirements for the tool’s design.
To make a tool, as mentioned before, you will need to have skills. You can, and should, get them in two different ways. One is the directed “I need to know X to do Y” path. The other is more exploratory and is meant to let the artist or designer run into things that they wouldn’t have otherwise known is possible.
Having a sense of community is vital to any creative process. It involves your immediate circle trading information and reaching out through readings, going to exhibits, and sometimes even applying the same benchmark criteria you are using on yourself to the works of others. The type of information being gathered could grow your philosophical perspective on the tools you are making or be an update on the latest nifty gadget to hack.
These are the emergency escape routes out of ruts. They may teach you a skill or give you a new and different context to operate from, but really they are designed to help you let go of preconceptions so you are able maintain a good and open flow. A standard genre of these is doing familiar things literally backwards or upside down.