# The Magic of Creation: Unlocking Fulfillment Through Understanding

# A Magical Beginning

“It felt like magic—like I was casting spells with every line of code.”

Picture a young coder in the early 1980s, hunched over a computer hooked to a TV, a tape drive whirring as it saves lines of BASIC code. That was me—writing my first accounting software for my dad’s small advertising business.

I watched numbers on a grainy screen transform into insight, helping him track client expenses. It felt like I was conjuring something real out of nothing. A kind of magic.

Later, I launched my professional career coding on the Wang 2200—a minicomputer with a custom CPU and a BASIC interpreter burned into ROM. I didn’t just love the technology—I loved understanding how everything worked. That clarity became my north star.

From code to chords, therapy to theory, I’ve chased that clarity across every discipline I love.

# Losing My Magic

“In Python, I understood every spell I cast. But in web development, it felt like I was mouthing incantations I didn’t understand.”

After writing over a hundred Python console apps—scrapers, automations, tools for a group therapy practice—I dove into web development. I had built a confident world in Vim (and even ed! briefly), and now Neovim was my daily driver.

But the web felt disjointed. I copied snippets without understanding them. I hopped between Wordpress, Jekyll, Hugo, all in progress, none complete. Every shortcut I took around confusion became a bug I couldn’t trace.

The clarity I once felt on the Wang 2200 had vanished. I was stuck—and worse—I felt like an imposter in a world built on tools I didn’t fully grasp.

# Rediscovering Clarity

Then I found Eleventy and the Jamstack.

Simple, static site generation. Nunjucks, Markdown, no bloat. I understood it.

The fog began to lift. Django—with its Python foundation—felt like coming home. I picked up TWINE^[1] and INK again, this time using them to craft interactive stories where narrative meets logic.

Whether I was composing, coding, or crafting a story, the joy was in the same place: understanding the system well enough to create something new.

# Why Understanding Fuels Creativity

“Understanding activates the brain’s insight centers, releasing dopamine—literally making us feel good when something clicks.”

Neuroscience backs this up. When we truly grasp a concept, we ignite our brain’s problem-solving and insight systems. That clarity feels good because it’s biologically wired to.

It’s why:

I thrived on the Wang 2200.
I obsessed over music theory.
I felt stuck with frameworks I didn’t understand.

And it’s why things finally clicked when I returned to clarity and comprehension in my tools.

# Spell Casting Everywhere

“Creation is spell casting. And understanding is what gives the spell its power.”

This principle transcends disciplines.

In therapy, I try to cast spells of emotional clarity.
In music, each note chosen draws on structure and emotion.
In writing, I try to build experiences with INK and TWINE, letting others navigate the worlds I imagined.

But this isn't limited to coders, musicians, or therapists:

A gardener learning soil chemistry to coax blooms: spell casting.
A teacher mastering digital tools to re-engage students: spell casting.
A mechanic diagnosing a car’s purr: spell casting.
A retiree learning woodworking.
A nurse adapting care techniques.
A teen understanding algebra for the first time.

Where there’s deep understanding paired with intention, there’s magic.

# Embracing the Unknown

“My desire for clarity once made me hesitate. But now, it helps me go deeper.”

I used to resist tools I couldn’t fully grasp. Now, I see learning as an invitation—not a trap.

Eleventy. Django. Music composition. I dive deep, but I also give myself permission to explore before I master. That balance brings growth.

Lean into the mystery. Trust the process. Make something new. That’s magic.

# Cast Your Own Spells

From the first BASIC program I wrote for my dad’s business to today’s work across coding, music, and therapy, my journey has always been about understanding the spells I cast.

“The drive to understand has guided me for decades. It still does.”

So go out there.

Learn something. Build something. Cast your own spells—whatever form they take.

Because the fulfillment you’ll find is real. And it’s a magic worth chasing.

I still wrestle with an unease with TWINE because it does so much that I can't see and touch. But it's great for quick prototyping. ↩︎