Two things come to mind for me. Flash 6 was how I learned programming. I realized I could create visual patterns and animations through code that I could never

Two things come to mind for me. Flash 6 was how I learned programming. I realized I could create visual patterns and animations through code that I could never do by hand. The visuals were my goal, coding was what I had to learn on the way. Copying and stealing is the best way to learn for me. Whatever I need to do, somebody has done something similar. So before I start, I find a code example or tutorial. First thing is to get it to run, then I make small changes until it does what I need it to. This second approach works great for other things than coding, too. Taking apart and imitating successful designs, for example, is a great learning experience.