THE ARTIST OF LIFE

Different terrains. One traveler.

Some see a Principal Engineer.
Others see a Woodworker.
A Martial Artist.
A Writer.
A Co-Founder.

I see one discipline, expressed through many forms.

In Japanese tradition, there is a concept called Geidō "The Way of Art". It teaches that the sword, the brush, the chisel, the pen, and the forge are not separate paths, but different gateways into the same practice.

When you understand the structure beneath one, you begin to recognize the structure beneath them all.

THT Systems is the architecture of that practice.

My work is not to add. It is to remove what is unnecessary so the essential can be seen.

In engineering, I reveal the system beneath complexity.
In woodworking, the form hidden inside raw material.
In upcycling, a second lineage for forgotten objects.
In writing, thought distilled into clarity.
In martial arts, principles that survive pressure.

I do not chase variety. I cultivate unity.

I do not build branches. I build roots.

THE LINEAGE & THE LAB

Thomas Harvey
Principal Integration Engineer • Martial Arts Instructor • Artist • Writer
Co-Founder, Bootleg & Sweet Tea

Engineering
30+ years working with systems thinking, complexity, and high-reliability networks.

Martial Arts
Senior Instructor, Jeet Kune Do (Ted Wong lineage)
5th Dan, Kajukenbo (Tony Lasit lineage)
Inductee, United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame

Craft & Creative Work
Woodworking, upcycling, painting, metalwork (in development)
Poetry, essays, and thought experiments

Bootleg & Sweet Tea
A studio blending craft, philosophy, and reclaimed materials.

THT Systems is the container for the intellectual, creative, and physical disciplines of Thomas Harvey; a unified practice across every terrain.

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THT Systems

Different terrains. One traveler. Where systems reveal structure, craft reveals form, and lineage reveals the Way.

THT Systems

Systems Thinking Trumps Linear Thinking | Thomas Harvey posted on the topic | LinkedIn

Linear thinking is a comfort. Systems thinking is a discipline. I pulled Albert Rutherford’s The Systems Thinker off the shelf for yet another read this week. I didn’t return to it to learn something new. I returned to it to clean my lens. Most people view the world as a series of snapshots, isolated events with simple causes. A happens, so B happens. But whether I’m architecting a network, turning a complex piece of timber, or sparring in the dojo, the reality is never linear. It is circular. It is a web of feedback loops, delays, and unintended consequences. Rutherford reminds us that we cannot just fix the “event.” We must understand the structure that caused it. My forged takeaways from the reread: • Structure Dictates Behavior: If you want to change the outcome, don’t just push harder. Change the system. A bad system will beat a good person every time. • The Delay Factor: In complex systems, the effect of an action is rarely immediate. Patience is not just a virtue; it is a necessity of engineering. • Today’s Problems Come from Yesterday’s Solutions: The quick fix you implemented last year is often the root cause of the crisis you face today. If you find yourself solving the same problems over and over again, you aren’t dealing with a problem. You are trapped in a loop. Stop looking at the events. Start looking at the system. #SystemsThinking #Engineering #Leadership #ProblemSolving #AlbertRutherford #ContinuousLearning #GrandmasterMindset | 188 comments on LinkedIn

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