5:00PM
I often will say that I’m not a computer programmer, that I don’t understand this stuff, and really, I’m just a beginner or amateur. And that may be true. Perhaps it’s because I don’t want people to think they could hire me to do something for them, because I really don’t like writing code for other people—especially people who don’t know what they want. Perhaps it’s that coding often frustrates me, with its attention to detail and desire to change the environment on what seems a rolling basis. I’m not sure.
I do think that while sometimes I say that I don’t like it, I actually enjoy a lot of it. I enjoy the challenge of trying to take an idea and not only see it visible on the screen, but to have it work appropriately. I love the scalability, being able to see the work that I create replicate and function across the world, often for free, on many devices. I do sometimes step back and feel proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish with only a few courses in computers and coding throughout my life.
I think I enjoy it more when I see it less as work and more as art. As a medium through which I can express what I see in my dreams, what I feel in my heart. While many media have existed throughout history for artistic expression, I wonder if digital media are some of the most powerful and functional. If I draw a painting, yes, people may revel in its ability to evoke universal human experience—however, the interaction may be limited to merely looking, or maybe touching. With a sculpture, similar. With a poem or a book, people may read it and recite it, interpreting it through their own means and bringing it to life.
These seem to pale in comparison to digital art forms. Through typing words and characters, I am able to transform a screen into visual and audio art, while also enabling the user to interact in a multitude of ways—adding info, rearranging things, looking at things from multiple perspectives, communicating with others, and all while doing this with someone in the same physical space or even across the globe.
I guess coding has mostly been described to me as a scientific thing, or a technical endeavor. Perhaps one could look at a famous painting in the same lens: the technique one used to create it. Coding, as in painting, can also be seen for its artistic potential—its ability to tap into the core of humanity and spread those messages and feelings throughout time.
I’m grateful I took that java class back in the day.
5:10PM
