I've been writing code for nearly 20 years, but it has never been my primary pursuit.
I fit code into my life through fits and starts between work and social commitments.
I taught a lot of code too, which often took time away from my own practice.
I recently left my full time teaching position of nearly 17 years and started a Masters program at NYU IMA Low Res.
I moved across the Atlantic Ocean, trading New Amsterdam for Old.
With considerably more time now, I decided to start a new practice — writing a p5.js sketch every day.
Live sketches can be found at https://awdriggs.github.io/sketchaday/.
I'm sharing all of my source code on GitHub for anyone to reference.
Background
By no means am I the first or only person doing this, proved by a quick web search.
I tried to find who was the first person to have a practice of a daily code sketch, but my search was fruitless.
I figure it is a natural outgrowth of the practice that some artists keep of creating a daily drawing.
And it was surely no accident that Processing called programs sketches.
ITP at NYU has a class entitled 100 Days of Making for students to develop this practice.
I have been inspired by the daily practice of Zach Lieberman who shares a daily animation on Instagram.
He posted about his daily sketches here.
My Goals / Structure
- Be Consistent. Create a sketch everyday, posted to the web and GitHub.
- Iterate. Keep daily sketches small and quick. Build on sketches from previous days.
- Don't be too clever. Resist the urge to optimize immediately.
- Be gentle with myself. Play catch-up when needed. Know when to stop for the day.
- Prioritize Exploration. Use daily sketches as a way to explore and solve problems for other projects.
How It's Going
So far it has been good to have a daily routine and a way to be creative even in small ways.
I plan to keep this practice going as long as it doesn't feel like a drag, or taking away from other creative work.