Knowledge as a Mosaic

Just had a great conversation with the parent of a profoundly gifted child; his observation that knowledge is like a mosaic. You add pieces at a time, and maybe they don't make sense at the time in the whole picture, but eventually, with time, experience and perspective, you can step back and see how they connect to the whole.

In my mind I immediately pictured those mosaics that are actually collections of photographs that make a whole picture, like this:

 (picture made up of photographs from baby's first year)

Our final picture of knowledge is actually a collection of  pictures, loaded with meaning. From the outside, anyone can understand the superficial image, but we are the only ones that really know what it all means, as the "photographer" and artist that put it all together. Love that this means we don't necessarily have to know why everything is in our minds at the moment it enters.

(if you want to try your hand, here is a little online tool, and here is a tutorial. Good stuff.)