Getting started with Creative Coding

Creative coding seems like a fun thing to do, but how can I get started?

What is creative coding?

Let’s start by defining the field. For me Creative Coding is a method of exploring code through the lens of a designer. Code becomes the fabric, the tool we work with. It opens doors to creating new generative things living outside the boundaries of the traditional designer’s toolkit.

I view it as an explorative method allowing us to playfully navigate and adapt to new technologies. An experimental playground where code becomes both tool and artistic device. It will lead you on an open journey with uncertain and unpredictable outcome. In that sense creative coders are pioneers operating at the frontier of new technologies and exploring their potential.

A few notes on mindset

First of all, learning and doing for me have always been intertwined. So find a field that interests you and simply start doing. Pick a topic or project that keeps you motivated to get through the hard parts and keep on pushing. Find ways of incorporating code into your work. Document your explorations, archive them and build up a repertoire of ideas, techniques and vantage points that you can refer back to. Embrace the iterative process.

explore new frontiers through creative coding

To AI or not to AI?

Of course, AI will be part of your learning process. I collected my in-depth take on this here. In short: use AI to help you get over barriers that would otherwise stop you from continuing. Don't trust AI fully, it always messes things up or expresses them in ways that are not useful to you. Find your own way of writing and thinking code. Find your own language. Use AI to accompany you on this journey. Take your time and cover the basics at least once on your own. Once you fully grasped a concept, you can use AI to fine-tune and speed things up for you. Find useful ways of incorporating AI into your workflow (I collected some here).

the iterative workflow as a collaborative approach towards AI

What to learn?

The things you'll find on my website and social media are mostly created with p5.js, a Javascript version of Processing. That’s simply because I am mostly interested in things running in a web browser and being interactive. There are plenty of other tools like Touchdesigner, Python and many more. But my focus is set on the web world. For me this is a world of wonder and unlimited potential. Even if some of this seems to get lost in an overly commercialised WWW.

So if you want to dive into that you should look into web languages like HTML, CSS, Javascript and make yourself familiar with them. Since p5.js is open-sourced you’ll find there’s a huge community around it and many tutorials and example codes that you can play around with. There’s also a neat online editor for editing, previewing and sharing code directly in the browser.

Resources

When you enter new territory it’s always good to have a guide for the start. Start by tracing their paths to not get lost in the field. Once you made yourself comfortable with a few basics, don’t hesitate to carve your own route into the jungle. This is where the real fun will start. Have fun on your journey and let me know how it works out!