Generative art is frequently an iterative process. I might start out with an idea of where I’m going, but that idea acts more as a direction than a destination. Moving in some direction leads to unexpected outcomes. It’s easy to develop a number of different ideas on the way to arriving at the original one. […]
One of the more interesting aspects of generative art is creating and managing randomness. We tend to have an intuitive understanding of randomness, but magnitude and type impact the nature of it. The parallels with life are notable . . . The computer is a simple thing and when you ask it to generate a […]
This week we’ll continue the historical look back at early Generative Art. 10 Print is a well known example of generative art that was first produced in 1982. It was created with a single line of BASIC code and simply displays back and forward slashes like \ or / in a random order. As the […]
Since we’re moving through a series, we’ll start at the beginning. Starting a new activity causes us to look around. We look at who has done it before, who’s doing it now, and we find ideas and inspiration to influence our own creative work. Austin Kleon would call it stealing and he talks about the […]
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about what it means to ship. Shipping is the practice of showing up on a regular basis and doing something. Even though time is arbitrary, we tend to anchor production in time. If you do some reading online, you’ll find a range of recommendations on what (arbitrary) […]
It’s hard to make decisions. Making a decision to do one thing seems like it closes the door on something else. For anyone with a long list of ideas, closing the door is scary. Even though we want to push forward in some direction, we don’t want to say no. What if the notion that […]
Occasionally I surprise myself and notice a desire to simplify. It always feels a little scary. Simplicity is scary because it feels limiting. Choosing to focus on one thing, especially a creative project, means you don’t spent time on the others. My natural tendency is to veer off course and think of how 20 other […]
I’ve been writing these weekly posts for the past year or so. Each post takes between 3 and 5 hours to complete. That time doesn’t include the internet wandering that becomes Miscellany because that’s a little more organic. If you do the math (and I have), 3 to 5 hours a week means I’ve probably […]
Sometimes I get frustrated with my creative self. I start to feel like having too many ideas, thoughts, and activities makes me scattered or crazy. Lately I’ve decided that it’s just part of the path to clarity. Occasionally I look back to my old creative outlet, building trading systems, and wish I could be more […]
If you’ve ever seen my desk, you know it looks like a mini-tornado went through. I have post-it’s everywhere, stacks of paper, an archive of little doodles, floss, and a rock to remind me to stay calm and centered (as if). At home I have a similar situation . . . post it’s, note cards, […]