spoke to mimi yin about this:
email: yes, i know (and will know more through your class) about programming techniques with a high-level language (they may translate to low-level languages too). but, yesterday, i attended a talk about bairui’s thesis and i felt the same way that i did a few years ago — i can understand & write (some) code, but when they get into the technical details of how things are processed, i’m lost. i realise that knowing how to use a tool creates limits on what i can make. p5 is still a tool (yes, it allows more possibilities, but it is still restricted by my lack of understanding about how the computer processes code).
for years, i tried to get the fundamentals (nand2tetris, the art of computer programming, design & analysis of computer algorithms, et-cetera) but couldn’t decide which one to invest time in. now, i’m here — and i’d really like to walk away with a solid understanding (so that i know how to make things, especially when i hit the limits of a tool).
long story short, it’d help if you could redirect me to a resource that could solidify this understanding. i am not technically adept, but i am relentlessly curious. if you point me in the right direction, i can grapple with it for a while & reach out for more help when i can’t figure it out myself.
we explored what i like about my work, what an audience might like, and how i’ve not yet stumbled upon the essence of code for creativity.
she also prompted me to slow down, and be more intentional with the assignments & experimentation. i’m going to do lesser things, or smaller things, or, perhaps, not-so-great-looking-things; but i’m not here to produce, i’m here to learn (changed my approach to itp).