Dana in Geeksville

The Learning Curve Starts with Inspiration

In the last eight years that I've been involved in photography and programming, technology has shortened the learning curve in both areas by heaps and bounds. While software like Photoshop and Lightroom make it possible to crop, adjust white balance and exposure, bring out certain colors while down playing others, IDEs like NetBeans have made programming in Java and for web sites easier through the dragging and dropping of ready made components such as buttons, menus, HTML forms, and Ajax functionality. But these technologies still can not, and never will, create a fantastic photo or a wonderfully helpful application, because at the core there must be inspiration. 

A dictionary definition of inspiration says, "Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity," but for those who experience inspiration know there is more involved here, no matter whether it arises from a beautiful scene in nature to an idea for a software project. Behind inspiration is the creation of "seeing" of "knowing" that you have hit on something special, something that moves, something that stands out above and beyond the norm.

In software development, inspiration and creativity are downplayed in favor of the technical parts, the design, or the functionality. Yet, behind all the software projects that have made it big there was the momentum of inspiration from the developers, a creative wave that carried them through till the end.

I have always considered programming every bit as creative and inspiring as photography. I understand there is much logic in the development of software, a lot of left brained thinking and planning, but I'd like to see developers get more credit for all of the creative punch they've put into the programs we use, the inspiration that carried them through from the idea to the finished project. Game programmers often get some credit for their wonderful creative vision, but there is just as much creativity that goes into a financial application or an IDE that makes development easier.

Photography is generally considered a creative outlet, and software has helped us enhance the images we capture. But the software we use will never provide the photographer with that original moment of inspiration, the ability to see what holds magnetic potential. Software can not help us aim the camera in the right place, in the right lighting, or attach the right lens. By the same token, the software developer has to start with a similar inspiration of an idea, or vision, that carries them from the inception of a project to delivering it into the hands of those who can make use of it.

The learning curve of both photography and software development starts with inspiration and works through perspiration. But that is what makes both so satisfying and worthwhile.

Posted at 10:02AM Aug 20, 2008 by dananourie in Learning  |  Comments[1]