A Beginner, Again.

After 10+ years of spending my free time on indie tech products, I've decided to try something new. Ironically, 2024 was the first year since 2017 that I actually created a viable, profitable business.

Lately, I've been wondering if it's worth it. Startups are stressful, time-consuming and there's always new competitors popping up. Plus, I've got two young children with a third on the way in February.

Yet, I still have an inescapable pull to create.

My introduction to pen plotting was serendipitous. I was browsing Bluesky and randomly came across Rémi Forte's profile. I'm not sure why, but I started scrolling. And there it was, this bizarre machine that was drawing with incredible precision. The art was like nothing I'd ever seen before, but it resonated deeply with me.

And so, with that, I went and bought my own plotter, a NextDraw 1117.

I'm a good programmer, but I've never created art with code. I'm a beginner again, and it honestly feels great.

I've started watching this YouTube series on generating art with Python, a language I'm familiar with. Programming won't be a challenge, but thinking mathematically might be. Modern application programmers rarely need to anything beyond very simple math.

This newsletter will be about my progress as I start a new hobby learning how to create art with a pen plotter. I'll also share resources and highlight artists I come across. Right now, I'm just soaking in as much as I can, and I'll share what I learn, and create, here.

Thanks for joining the journey.