In September, I visited Artechouse in Albuquerque, New Mexico. On exhibit was "XYZT
Abstract Landscapes," interactive work by performance artists Adrien M & Claire B. I had so much fun exploring the world they created with sensors, projectors, and screens. Coincidently, today is the last day the exhibit is open, but if the work travels to a spot near you... GO!

Starting on my own digital art journey, my first goal has been to invoke a similar sense of playfulness, where one move from a person is met by a countering move by the computer. Starting a series of push and pull that draws someone in and opens them up to learning something about themselves or the world around them.

I'm not there yet, but the sketch that I created sparked a bit of joy for me. It has a sense of a lively swarm, with lines that bloom and fade as they follow the mouse.

int c = 0; // color base
int x = 1; // color increment
int lw = 2; // line weight base
int lx = 1; // line weight increment

void setup() {
  size(400,800);
}

void draw(){
   background(255);
  
   for (int lsx = 20; lsx < width; lsx += 45) { // lsx = line start x pos
     strokeWeight(lw);
     stroke((c+lsx)/2, c, c);
     for (int lsy = 20; lsy < height; lsy += 45) { // lsy = line start y pos
     line(lsx, lsy, mouseX, mouseY); // all lines follow the mouse
     }
   }
   
   if (lw < 3) { // if line weight is 2
      lx = 1; // adding 1
   }
   if (lw > 39) { // if line weight gets to 40
     lx = -lx; // removing 1
   }
  
   lw += lx; // line width gets existing width (lw) + increment (lx)
   
   if (c < 0 || c > 240) { // if color is black or very light
      x = -x; // change direction of color increment   
   }
   
   c += x; // color gets existing color (c) + color increment (x)
 }

I've about 50% through "Make: Getting Started with Processing." I've slowed down the aggressive pace since my last post, because self care.

There. I said it.

I left out the update where I finished KhanAcademy. That happened!

I finished up with Codecademy's Intro to JS course this week. I started it in 2012! Totally normal to take six years to get through a 20 hour course.

I feel really good about getting through three "get the basics of JS" courses within a month. I found Khan Academy to be the most engaging, although Codecademy went more in-depth. Using them to reinforce each other has been great. I can tell that I have made progress, and with learning a new skill... having that sense of momentum makes all the difference.

I had to take a brief hiatus from studying, news, and screens in general. I've been so motivated that I didn't realize that I was exhausting myself. It takes time to let new concepts sink in.

During my brief break from the internerd (aside from my day job), I got to catch up on homesteading business like painting and making moss wall art. All forms of making are rewarding.

I started reading "Getting Started With Processing" last night, and have so far been pleasantly surprised by how much content the Khan Academy class covered. Competence is one of my favorite feelings, y'all. I know I have leagues more to learn, but so far I feel great about drawing shapes and making them move a wee bit.

To help with concepts and syntax, I started compiling a Processing JS Tiny.Cards deck (Duolingo, you are so cute and helpful). It's a lot of manual copy-pasta. It's inspired me to try to figure out how to make a flash cards app. We'll see. My ultimate goal is to make art, but a few helpful pieces of software here and there seem like good learning tools.