Do you know anyone that refuses to show you what they're working on until it's perfect? I know I do. What drives this person to polish and buff their creation before showing it to the world? I think they do it because they're scared of what people might think. They're scared that someone might ridicule their hard work. To this person I say: don't worry about what other people think. I know it sounds trite, but seriously. If you're too scared to show off your creation then why did you create it?
Putting something out in front of people isn't easy. Everything you create is a piece of art, it says something about you both personally and professionally. It's a very scary thing, but you have to get over that. If you never show people your half-finished project how will you ever know if you're on the right track? I heard an excellent analogy that sums this up very nicely: You can't steer your boat until it leaves the dock.
What's the worst thing that could happen if you show off your creation? If someone tells you what they think that's great! It doesn't matter if it's good feedback or bad. The fact that someone is taking the time to tell you what they think means they have some feelings about what you're doing. And isn't that what you're trying to do? As an artist you should be striving to make people feel something.
What, you don't think you're an artist? Do you know what the definition of artist is?
- Artist
- n. A person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination.
If you've created something from nothing that shows creativity. If it's something that's never existed before, that's imagination. And there's no doubt that a program shows sensitivity. Have you ever used a program or seen some code that you thought was beautiful? I'm sure we all have, that's sensitivity. So, believe it or not but you, a programmer, are an artist. So stop pretending to be something you're not. Create something that people will have feelings about and unleash it on the world.
