Anyone can learn to be a developer.
Anyone can learn to be an artist.
It’s also, not for everyone.
You don’t need a special talent, special tools or special brains.
You just need yourself, a will, and some time.
Both require creative problem solving.
Both start with a blank page and create something from nothing.
No easy task.
Sometimes the first medium you try isn’t for you.
Maybe you started with paint, but now you prefer sculpture.
Maybe you don’t like JavaScript, but you do like Python.
Most will end up working in a few different mediums over time.
You’ll get better at picking the right tool for the job with each project.
It takes patience to work through problems.
It takes courage to show your work publicly.
It takes perseverance to master new skills.
It requires deep personal interest and curiosity to maintain all of those things.
To become a master takes time.
And you are never, ever done learning.
There will always be more to learn, new methods, mediums, and trends.
Along the way, you will get stuck. A lot.
You will have to start over. Often.
It can take a while to get the hang of thinking in this new way.
Sometimes you need a warm up exercise.
As always, great projects take some planning to pull off.
When you really get going, you will become obsessed.
Early mornings. Late nights. Coffee. Experience flow.
You need to take a step back to understand how your work is progressing.
Take breaks. Take a deep breath. Remove yourself and return with new perspective.
You need constructive feedback to improve.
You might feel discouraged when someone gives you more feedback than you wanted. But that’s how you grow.
Sometimes, you’re creating things for yourself.
As you get better, you’ll create things for others.
Sometimes, it’s your job. Sometimes, it’s your hobby. Sometimes, it’s both.
Either way, it’s a skill that is highly rewarding, creative, and difficult.
It isn’t something you learn overnight. It isn’t a skill you learn once.
It’s something that evolves over time and has the potential to morph in unexpected ways.
Anyone can learn to be an artist.
Anyone can learn to be a developer.