It is funny how I never thought about how computation affects me until this question came up. It is easy for me to believe that computation is just the computer, laptop, or gadget I hold right now, but since this question came up, I know I grew up with so much computation happening.

The first and (primary) traumatic event happened when I was around 5 or 6; I loved playing with the elevator because it was really a wonder back then; my curious little brain wanted to know why elevator doors were closing, so I put both of my hands between the gap of the door and bam!!! My finger got clamped a bit on the door gear, and luckily, my father pulled me off, and I'm standing here today with a full finger; God Bless!!

To this day, I am fascinated by how people can make beautiful art, but I know I'm too "formal" in this art world. Then I joined ITP, and boom, I knew there was this thing called creative coding, where I could potentially use my love of colors, shadows, characters, and everything else to draw through coding.

Pic 1: As a cat lover at first I want to draw a triangle but it is quite intimidating to see on the p5js reference site, so I use circle instead 😁

Pic 1: As a cat lover at first I want to draw a triangle but it is quite intimidating to see on the p5js reference site, so I use circle instead 😁

Pic 2: Drawing the face are some of the hardest part especially the teeth where I use line and try making it precise

Pic 2: Drawing the face are some of the hardest part especially the teeth where I use line and try making it precise

After drawing the ear, I decided to draw a mix of a panda and a clown. With my limited knowledge of the P5Js, I wanted to use more complex colors, but then I knew it would take time, so a clownish + skeletonish panda would be an easier choice for me since it basically just black and white.

I wanted to create this using a rubber hose and figure drawing style, but I need to be more familiar with it. So, I hope that after finishing this class, I can do this 😝 it might be fun, and it piqued my interest.

Pic 3: Rubber hose style animation, that got re-popularized since Cuphead game release in 2017, source: Nintendo

Pic 3: Rubber hose style animation, that got re-popularized since Cuphead game release in 2017, source: Nintendo

The rest? I tried finishing the shoulder, hand, torso, and feet, but the canvas was too small. I don't think it's wise to make it bigger because it will make me want to experiment on it further (my bad and good habit at the same time), so yeah, the rest of the process is just me finishing it and hopefully making a better decision about future experiments in p5js.

Pic 4: The finished unfinished self portrait, let’s pretend the triangle is a torso and some kind of rocket 🚀

Pic 4: The finished unfinished self portrait, let’s pretend the triangle is a torso and some kind of rocket 🚀

Before we discuss the project I want to create, let me provide some context on one that opened my mind this week.

Vid 1: I really can’t believe that we can create something like this 💥💥💥💥

Vid 1: I really can’t believe that we can create something like this 💥💥💥💥

That moment was really eye-opening to what I can potentially do with computation. I still haven't figured out what I want to do for ICM this semester, but it may involve creating a rubber hose character and animation using P5JS.

Let’s make it possible, right?