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I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you're not an artist? My mom paints. She doesn't do it because she has a point to make with her art or because s
by alex_c 18y ago
I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you're not an artist?
My mom paints. She doesn't do it because she has a point to make with her art or because she wants to radically change society. She does it because she enjoys it: it's relaxing, mentally stimulating, and ultimately satisfying.
Which incidentally are the exact reasons why I program. Sure, there's the whole money and career and changing the world thing, but when you get to the bottom of it I do it because it's fun.
I don't seem to be the only one who thinks so (http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html)
- unalone 18y agoI'm a writer. When I write, I try to avoid things that have already been done for precisely that reason. I would hate to show somebody something that wasn't new and stimulating for THEM. For me, a part of the fun of making art is creating things that other people truly, honestly enjoy. I think the same would occur with programming.
- alex_c 18y agoI definitely agree that creating something that other people enjoy is the most rewarding. I'm not a writer, so I don't presume to tell you about your own craft, but there might be a difference between writing and programming/painting: I can definitely enjoy programs I've written (not reading my own source code, but actually using the programs), and if I were more talented, I could see myself enjoying looking at my own paintings, but I find it hard to see myself reading my own writings for enjoyment. Perhaps making something that other people enjoy is more necessary for a writer than for a programmer or painter?