==== books ====

I learned a lot about the world that I applied to the way that I make things and live my life from these books.
They'll probably help you too! ---------- Music ------------
Theory of Harmony, Arnold Schoenberg
teaches basic principles of harmony and also rants a lot about schoenberg's opinions on how people ought to understand
theory from a more general perspective rather than view rules of harmony as strict. interesting to learn his thoughts, but
not a straightforward textbook. I still think about music in the way that he did to this day
Harmony and Voice Leading, Edward Aldwell
teaches basic harmonic principles in a bit more of a straightforward way. ---------- Learning ----------

Make it Stick, Peter C. Brown
teaches basic principles of applied cognitive science to inform efficient learning practices resulting in lasting knowledge.
was useful to me in school and in pretty much anything I've tried to learn ever. I think about and use the learning techniques from this
book every day, I really believe that you can learn anything at least twice as quickly as before if you apply the techniques properly

The Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu
one of the fundamental texts of the Taoist religion. contains core philosophical beliefs of that religion, speaks a lot about
fundamental truth and how best to pursue it through different ways of thinking. a lot of the advice are simple things, but they
make a bigger difference than you would expect. packs a punch for a collection of 81 short poems.

-------- Sociology --------
Society, The Basics, John C. Macionis
A introductory textbook on sociology. describes societal constructs, how they formed, how we use them, and how best to navigate them.
especially critical given how disconnected and dependent on the net the world has become.