Week 1 Questions and Discussion -- Fall 2018

[michaelmusick]

Questions about Creative Technology

Please respond to this issue, discussing at least three of these questions. As your classmates respond, you should come back, at least one more time, and respond directly to them!

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1. What is "creative technology" or "creative coding"?

2. Is Creative Technology or Creative Coding an 'art form'?

3. What is a Media Artist? And, what is the difference, if any, between a media artist and creative technologist?

4. How do you see Creative Technology fitting into the larger trends and flows of art?

5. What is the relationship today between science and art?

6. What is the historical relationship between science and art?

[RyanMiskiv]

@MorganLong26 I fully agree with you that creative coding is an art form. No matter the tools or the method, what goes into it mentally and what comes out of it at the end of the process is the same: Art. I hadn't thought about the role social media plays in the growth, but that makes quite a bit of sense.

[RyanMiskiv]

@hdishman I agree with you. It can definitely be a method of self expression, which is critical for art. I liked your comments on VR, I'm sure there's plenty of interesting ways to create art as a VR experience, and creative coding plays a huge role in that.

[ElijahDGarcia]

@AOkes Creative Coding certainly is like another tool in an artist's toolbox. A hammer is used for construction, but that construction can be of a building or of a statue. A pencil can be used to draft architecture or used to draw a cat. Coding can be used to create a database of accounts for a bank or create an interactive novel that allows immersion only dreamed about by classic paperback books.

[ElijahDGarcia]

@FriedmanM In regards to your comment about holographic depictions of the universe giving us a deeper understanding; Art is definitely the way for science to get its point across to the common people. Sort of back-end compared to front-end; The scientist makes the discovery, and the artist displays that discovery to the world. There are some rare people who can do both, make knowledge and science palatable to the masses while also discovering it themselves, but for the most part it's a two-profession thing. The combination of technology and art isn't new, but as it's being displayed now, it's certainly closer than ever before. Science making it easier for art to make it easy for science to be understood!

[kobydotweb]

@daylinscott Interesting point about how coding allows you to "create art that the majority of the world would not know how to make". Do you think that scarcity of proficiency makes digital art more valuable in the grand scheme? Or is it simply another medium that is to be learned by those whom it interests, like painting, sculpture, music... Or is art to be valued at all?

[kobydotweb]

@ElijahDGarcia Another very eloquent and interesting point about the relation of art to science! 'I have never considered science being the discovery or organization of natural information and art being the way to package and present the information to the public, but with some thought about my experiences, (especially with public art) this is clear to me! Brilliant!

[chloeortega]

2. Is Creative Technology or Creative Coding an 'art form'? I believe that creative technology/creative coding is an art form that can be used to create beautiful pieces of expression, and that’s what any type of art form is supposed to do, to get the audience to feel something. These have ushered in artists that now can create something to immerse their audience into their imagination using such things as virtual reality and augmented reality. I think that any type of art form will constantly evolve.

3. What is a Media Artist? And, what is the difference, if any, between a media artist and creative technologist? A media artist is an artist that takes advantage of the expanding technologies to create their work using applications such as Photoshop and Illustrator. A creative technologist seems to be more involved in the technical designing of their ideas using codes/algorithms. Maybe there is a small difference between the two but they both use technology to create their expressions of art.

5. What is the relationship today between science and art? In today’s world I believe that the relationship of science and art is perceived to be more intertwined than it has been before especially with the advancements in technology. They both are exploring some aspect and want to reach their audience with their expression of a conclusion, whether that be data collected on a survey represented through a pie chart or a piece of art created from information. They are not the same nor are they completely different, I think now we are more aware that they can complement each other.

[chloeortega]

@mprimeau1 I agree with your idea that creative technology will continue to expand in areas like Virtual Reality and the expansion leading to creative solutions to problems. Let’s say for instance a language that is slowing being lost, instead of writing books we could make an avatar that is programmed with the language and is able to be used generations from now to teach.

[chloeortega]

@AOkes I agree that creative technology will help artists reach a wider audience, interact with them and help convey their expressions in a different way. Instead of a flat painting, using virtual or augmented reality will bring the object to life whether that be a dancer or a school of fish, it could be a means of entertainment and education.

[Schrielle360]

What is "creative technology" or "creative coding"?

Creative coding is using code to design or create new material that other people can see. As show in the introduction videos when people use it to create pictures of people standing in front of the coder, or the one that was dancing with the basics of coding and a simple movement tracking device.

Is Creative Technology or Creative Coding an 'art form'?

I believe that, yes, it can be an art form. Art comes in many shapes and sizes and as an artist myself I feel like this is one of the coolest art forms yet. It combines tech with science and I really love that.

What is a Media Artist? And, what is the difference, if any, between a media artist and creative technologist?

A media artist is someone who creates art that is created with technology. Such as graphic design, coding and so on. Such art is not drawn traditionally and is instead shown off digitally as well as created digitally. That is Media art.

[Dylan-McClean]

What is "creative technology" or "creative coding"?

Creative coding to me sounds like the use of implementing the techniques and functions of computer code for creative purposes. Specifically the types of purposes for what I would believe to be as a creation of something visual or sonic as well. Visually Involving imagery of movement, colors and maybe a dynamic of both. For example using code to make circles grow in size and color. And perhaps a web link or button on a webpage to play a sound. For artists to approach this type of design in a less physical manner such as drawing, painting or sculpting. Utilizing all the various tasks and types of code that can be generated in a mathematical or scientific manner to reach the final outcome which a visual artist is striving for.

Is Creative Technology or Creative Coding an 'art form'?

I very much believe that coding is definitely an art form. The term form is something to which must be mastered in a proper way. For example a gymnast or a track runner can execute perfect form in such an activity. And art can be nonetheless exactly this way. But I believe the art derives from imagination which can ideally have limitless possibilities. To which an artist striving to be digitally creative can implement the use of certain form by executing written code properly in order to reach the outcome of what they would want done. For example someone coming up with a creative idea to have visuals move or act in a certain way by using code and mastering the form of how it would be written out properly in the command user interface to get this done. Solving the problem using logic in a sense to create something that was thought out in an imaginative way is how I would see the use of code being artistic.

[Dylan-McClean]

@ ElijahDGarcia I really feel you have some very interesting points in your response to how the relationship is between science and art. Specifically how you state that ‘science has given us the tools to create ever more immersive art, and art has given us the reason to make those advancements in science in the first place.’ As I completely agree and was given insight into this when I saw an interview and head john Lasseter the former CEO of Pixar animation say the exact same thing. How the progress of what their animation programs can do such as new features and functions help inspire what they may use those for in their movies.

[Dylan-McClean]

@MorganLong26 I find your example interesting of using the Japanese artist famous for ‘melding traditional Japanese art with modern digital art’. As I would see how in the past that visual art was revered as something done physically by hand such as painting or sculpting. And how the trend of modern art today is done digitally and as the same qualities or artistic characteristics such as shape, color and lines that make the visual art revered would be translated into a digital format. I see this becoming perhaps very mainstream medium of how many artists would make their art and view it as well.

[kyleeckoch01]

@FriedmanM I enjoy the story and examples your provided to help back up your answers to the questions.

[kyleeckoch01]

@MorganLong26 I like the way that you explained the differences between creative coding and just regular coding. Your examples of the differences of things you can achieve using each separate methods were relevant and great examples.

[Codykrull]

A media artist is an artist that uses technology (mostly programs) to augment their art, or to use as a main platform. A creative technologists however uses coding, contraptions, and technology to augment their art. These definitions are more at face value and they definitely have a lot in common. I'd say that the development of our technology today is the product of a hand in hand relationship with art and technology (much like art and expression affect all facets of life). Technology is very appealing to the art world as it allows for more diversity in creating a look, but it also adds random values that aren't possible for a human to create, especially in interactive art pieces. As technology becomes more involved in our everyday lives the integration in our creative expressions will only continue to grow and become more complex.

As time goes on I think the recreation of AI and behaviors that are more complicated than we've previously seen will bring a wave of new art and technology studies that will enthuse technologists and artists alike. We are currently in a big boom of such pieces, but as previously mentioned this relationship will only grow form here, cementing creative technology as an art form more so than it already is. Considering the huge popularity of video games (definitely an art) I'd already say that creative technology / coding is an art in terms of the physics and AI being showcased; isn't recreation or interpretation of real life not art?

[Codykrull]

@Dani-Briggs I like the difference you brought up between media artists using more software created by companies rather than creating their own programs and allowing for more free range creatively. A creative technologist really would be creating their own tools to make art and that's a nice thought to keep while progressing through this class. I completely agree!

[brandoncoryell]

1. What is creative coding? I have to admit that I am not experienced in any type of coding, and from my knowledge alone I would never have been able to answer this question sufficiently. But after some furious googling and reading my classmates' responses I think I have a basic idea. Creative coding by definition is a type of computer programming that is used as a means of expression instead of as a means to create something functional. I'm not sure if somebody already used this analogy - but what I immediately compared creative coding to in my mind was creative writing. Humans have used words and writing for functional purposes throughout history, but people also use words and writing just to express themselves. This happens in the form of poems, novels, lyrics, etc... Coding definitely has a functional purpose, but that is not the aim of creative coding.

2. Is creative coding an art form? I think creative coding is as much of an art form as anything. The possibilities of expression through creative coding seem to me to be limitless. I watched part of one of Daniel Shiffman's videos and he used a large video wall to create a piece of art using many different scenes from a movie. It looked like a large abstract moving mural. That is something that can appeal to the senses as much as anything.

3. How do you see Creative Technology fitting into the larger trends and flows of art? People have been using technology to create things for a short time now and that trend is continuing to grow. Not long ago Toy Story was the first fully computer animated film. The use of technology to make sounds and noise for music is helping musicians express themselves more than ever. Pages of examples could be written on how creative technology is not only fitting in with trends but also shaping art.

[zeemakn]

How do you see Creative Technology fitting into the larger trends and flows of art?

One of the most trendy moves a human can make these days is have a bunch of friends, followers and likes on social media. The more people we reach, the more impact we can have to share our forms of art. Creative Technology is an extremely important outlet because it can be extremely interactive. The more real art feels, the emotions pulled, the more interesting art is. Creative technology immerses us. Standing and walking through Virtual Reality painting is an expierence that is extremely difficult to pull off in traditional artforms. Outlets such as Virtual Reality will allow untraind artist express what they might not be able otherwise.

What is the relationship today between science and art?

Science is suppose to be a theory that can be tested as tried and trued. Art isn't necessarily that, except trained artists can tell you what happens when you mix certain colors or show techniques how to draw something perceived visually. Therefore, techniques do lay in paintings and drawings, printmaking, creative coding, etc., in similar ways science uses techniques for testing if something is really how we perceive it.

[phearsomm]

Is Creative Technology or Creative Coding an 'art form'?

Creative Technology is an art tool I would think and not an art itself. Technology would be something we use to create art. Oppositely Creative Coding is an art form due to having a direct effect on the art. Creative Coding is the art that is made using the tool, Creative Technology.

How do you see Creative Technology fitting into the larger trends and flows of art?

Like all art, Creative Coding will evolve and supplement itself while simultaneously becoming more engrained in the backbone of modern and future artistis styles and artistic realms of expression. It will and can be used as an outlet, to create its own art. Additionally it can be used as a lense or addition to other forms of art to create multimedia installations or living projects.

What is "creative technology" or "creative coding"?

Creative Technology is a the advanced toolset that we can use for digital artistic endeavours. An example of this could be adobe photoshop or a shell program for coding. Creative Coding itself is the use of specific coding languages to create a digital, visual, or audible effect. You can create a lot using code.

[phearsomm]

@zeemakn I like that you brought up virtual reality, i think its a fantastic creative technology that can grow with the development of art. Its interested me for a while.

@brandoncoryell I agree with your answer on it being an art form, it is limitless and can only grow. large digital coding murals are very awesome! cool examples.

[Codykrull]

@ElijahDGarcia I appreciate your bit about science enabling art, but I am curious about art always giving a reason for science. I suppose upon thinking about it, it would make sense that if art pushes the boundary of what's possible in technology (movies, video games) then it would push that technology to strive for more than just what's efficient and necessary; such as creating more realistic cgi for films, or programs to create entire songs just from a laptop.

[brandoncoryell]

@ElijahDGarcia I read the question "What is the historical relationship between science and art?" and was interested to see answers. You gave us some great examples. As you pointed out, it seems that science and art have always been connected and probably always will be.

[zeemakn]

@Codykrull I didn't know how to answer the difference between a creative technologist and a media artist; thank you for that. What you say about media artists not coding, usually stands true to what I normally see but how threatening would it be if more skilled media artists knew how to code?

[justmolliecate]

How do you see Creative Technology fitting into the larger trends and flows of art?

Art reflects society. What art looks like shifts drastically depending on the era of humanity. In the dark ages, paintings were much more severe and somber than the renaissance era, where more exploration of humanity and playing with light and color was common. Creative technology is, therefore, an extension of our current society

What is the relationship today between science and art?

This ties directly into the idea of AI. At one point, it seemed like creative jobs were the ones that could never be replaced by AI due to the fact that creativity and art weren't qualities that could be replicated with science and advanced technology. However, when you view creative ability as a sort of catalog of everything you have been exposed to that you can mix and match at will, then wouldn't it generally be possible, if, given enough data, an AI could replicate or even surpass a human's ability to uniquely create?

What is the historical relationship between science and art?

Historically, art and science have tried to interpret the world, but from different view points. Science tries to understand the world by creating rules that things are governed by, while art attempted to interpret the world by delving into humanity and our understanding of life and society. In the past, there have been limits to what we could create with purely programming and technology and often when these were used to create, the result would look rather rough. Now, it seems as though the sky is the limit as far as science and art are concerned.

[justmolliecate]

@chloeortega I think you did a good job explaining how science and art currently interact. It's interesting to see the relationship between the two morph and change throughout the years. It almost seems as though we are hitting a period of time where art is dependent on technology.

[zeemakn]

@ElijahDGarcia With your answer to the history of science and art, you made me think of how synonymous art and science can be. Vaguely and truly I would say science is an art and art can be science, for science is to prove our perception and art can be expressed through techniques that can be taught. Look at Bob Ross, he can show you how to make colors and trees a certain way. Bob created a recreatable way of painting. But then again, would someone be able to recreate, exactly, a Bob Ross painting?

[justmolliecate]

@erinflint You brought up an interesting point about how science influences art. When I was writing my answer I thought about how science is the basis for all life and following that train of thought, science helped create every tool we utilize for art. All of our supplies and processes are derived from science.

[wattse13]

@erinflint Thanks for sharing some art suggestions! It is interesting to see how an artist’s intuitive understanding or feel for science can influence their work. You provided many examples of how technology can make some forms of art possible, but I wonder how often it is the case that science inspires or informs artwork. Do you ever approach jewelry making from a ‘scientific’ staring point rather than an ‘artistic’ standpoint? Or maybe it is impossible to really separate the two.

[wattse13]

@DVSnell I agree, and I would say that accidents which are repeatable and applicable to other situations are probably the best parts of the creative process. I think this applies to other fields as well like the scientific process. It always amazes me how many life changing advancements, like Penicillin, were found by accident.

[HayleyGoodin]

What is Creative Coding?

I am not very familiar with creative coding, other than the start of this class I have never read or heard anything about it in depth. I think I am understanding that creative coding is used to create a visually appealing digital environment for users and consumers. Creative coding is a technical form of art, like drawing with words, numbers, and symbols.

Is Creative Coding an Art Form?

With that being said, I think its fair to say that creative coding is an artistic use of technology. You are not using traditional tools to create art but tools of the future. Any means of creation can be considered an art in its own way. Giving the artist boundless expression and freedom.

How do you see Creative Technology fitting into the larger trends and flows of art?

Most people with access to the most modern of technologies are exposed to creative technology. Marketing in businesses and animators and game designers. It is the future and it is very much present here and now. I feel like we have hit a point in technology where most people feel that there is no way we can create anything more spectacular than what we already have today. Creative technology opens doors and leaves room for growth and evolution with the experimenting and discoveries of those who use and practice with creative technology.

[HagenNathaniel]

1. I believe "creative Technology" is the software, hardware, and interfaces, that create, and allow content that is created to be viewed.

As a Child, (age 8) I was fascinated by what I saw of computers, which at that time, was Apple 2e ...(nostalgia right?), and realized early on, that THIS was the future, and my love of computers began...and it still persists today, when I am in my early 30's...this plays into what I said at the beginning of this post.

5. I see a LOT of art in science, especially in natural science....but if you're referring to "lab science," it's less "organic" looking than nature is.

The natural world is CHOCK FULL of art, from glacier-carved mountains, rock formations, and other phenomena, you don't have to go far to see it.

[HagenNathaniel]

@FriedmanM, man, reading your answer took me WAAAAY back to my first visit to The Museum of the Rockies..been looking into a trip to the Smithsonian for YEARS!!

I love how you elaborated on your "Science and art" answer...I'm very brief and notoriously blunt, so my answer was shorter..But I appreciate you saying what I cannot.

[HayleyGoodin]

@brittdalton Your mention of literal science in art: pigments, and chemistry and all that just gave me a thought. That it seems that the size and growth of the digital world and all of its differences from nature basically create a world of its own. Hidden bodies of information that create life, the ability for creations to learn and grow. I have no idea what the future may hold, but I don't think we will ever stop discovering and creating . Especially with the digital expansion of our universe.

[HagenNathaniel]

@Codykrull, I LOVE your inclusion of AI into your answer...

as a gamer/computer enthusiast, I am very interested in the frontiers AI can open up, and yes...even a little concerned on some of its possible uses..

It would be interesting to see it used for the creation of art, and HOW it works to accomplish that as well.

[spkvfx]

What is 'Creative Coding' and is Creative Coding Art?

This is a strange question. It implies that "creativity" is somehow at odds with programming. I actually reject this notion, and in general the false dichotomy between science and engineering and art in general.

I define art as the synthesis of complexity into more simple terms. If you're painting something objectively, you're simplifying the objective, actual object into a simplified 2D representation using paint. Regardless of the intent, be it objective or representational, this synthesis of something complex is at it's core the artistic process, and creativity is the problem-solving method to this process.

Programming and engineering is the exact same process. A bridge engineer, for example, must synthesize everything that is intrinsically "bridge-like" into her design. Just as an artist might use paint or photography as the language to describe a "bridgeyness" an engineer may use math and material sciences.

Of course, the engineers synthesis of "bridgeyness" must be far more precise and specific, but nonetheless, the engineer must take everything he or she knows about bridges in general, and simplify it into the specifics, intrinsic qualities that make a bridge a bridge, and one that will work given the specific parameters. This is a creative process, the difference is what tools are being used.

While a computer programmer is not necessarily a 'software engineer' any more than a contractor is a 'structural ebfineer', nonetheless, programming does require engineering principles, that likewise require the same type of creative problem solving shared by the bridge engineer. For the programmer, not only the complexity of the machine itself is simplified, but also often the complexity if the task itself.

It is far less complex to press a button that says "blur" than to instruct the machine to execute a blur, and is simpler yet to program a blur function than to appreciate in depth what the blur function is actually doing inside the machine. Indeed, it is impossible to understand what the blur function is by looking at the electrons inside a computer alone, whose specific quantum properties are totally detached from the instructions provided to the hardware gates that define the blur function called.

Code optimization is another example of creative coding, while there are a multitude of ways of doing something, the least intensive method is another form of this simplification process.

So is creative coding art? Yes. Because all coding is art: coding is the means to make complex ideas and methods accessible to those who do not understand them in a way that the machine can execute. Assuming that the only way to adequately define art regardless of form is the simplification complexity, then this is an inherently artistic process.

[spkvfx]

@justmolliecate wrote "Creative technology is, therefore, an extension of our current society"

I think technology itself has reached a point that it has become a primary means of communication, it's like the paintbrush or fresco of the renaissance and 'dark' period, or the ash pigment of the stone age. They're the best tools available to us to express ideas beyond our own thoughts.

What we are communicating with this medium is the reflection, our fascination with AI, and how it's being brought into art, is definitely one example of this.

[spkvfx]

@DVSnell wrote "Historically, art and science went hand in hand partly because most pioneering scientists were artists."

This is certainly a renaissance idea, though a dichotomy began to form during Victorian Romanticism where the prevailing view was that there was a distinction between 'matters of the heart' and 'matters of the mind'. While Modernism broke this down to some extent by intellectualizing art, the pseudo-science notion of "left brain/right brain" individuals persists.

I think that creative technologies, in particular lower-level tools such as APIs like Processing and readily available and relatively easily configurable microprocessors further help to blur the lines between art and science.

[Schrielle360]

@kobydotweb You made a great point with your art thing. I totally agree. Anything can be art so long as its something you care about. Heck, people make art of nature so why Can't coding be art right? Plus, the things people do with this type of coding is totally art. From the way it paints portraits to the way it dances. Its really cool. If that is not art I don't know what is.

[Schrielle360]

@spkvfx I am confused by what you mean when you say you 'reject' the idea. So you do not agree that creative coding is art? Or you don't agree that coding is creative? It does not seem like it is saying anything is at odds with coding it is just using creative coding to depict a very specific type of coding where you use coding in an intended way to create nothing different then a creative purpose. HOWEVER, that is just my personal belief. I don't think its not saying that coding in its self is not inherently creative. I believe it is just stating that this specific type of coding is meant as a visual appeal aspect more than a technical use if that makes sense? Like photo's are just art until one puts a more objective use to them like making an Identification card or something. Or a painting is just a painting until someone turns it into a logo, then it becomes advertising. However, in this case Coding has an objective use before it has a creative use. So we use it to program our computers and such and make things function, however we further that by making art with it too. I think that is what they mean when they say 'creative coding'. Yes coding is by nature creative, as someone did create it, but over all this specific type of coding is beyond having an objective use and is more for fun.

[richardhurley08]

What is "creative technology" or "creative coding"? Creative coding is a form of expressive computer programing. Creative coding is like a second language that we can use in a creative way to generate something visual. Is Creative Technology or Creative Coding an 'art form'? Creative coding is absolutely an art form. I feel that anything that is created from nothing or changed in a creative way is art. What is a Media Artist? And, what is the difference, if any, between a media artist and creative technologist? A media artist creates things from images, video, and sound for advertising or television. I believe that a creative technologist engineer software, and physical prototypes.

[richardhurley08]

@mafordah I completely agree! Anything that you can used to create, alter, or express ones feelings is indeed an art. Art comes in many shapes, colors, sizes and even sounds. Not everyone can agree on art but its still art.

[hayliesunshine]

How do you see Creative Technology fitting into the larger trends and flows of art?

In recent years I have had the opportunity to travel to some large cities in which the art scene is very present. During these travels, I observed a lot of artwork that was formed through creative technology. For example, in New York City I witnessed displays that involved giant screens and quickly changing, colorful images. In Minneapolis, I saw a travelling production of the Broadway show "The Lion King," in which brilliant mechanical technology was used to create the animal bodies that the actors lived inside. In the Minneapolis airport, there were interactive art pieces that made a bunch of tiny umbrellas follow you along a screen on the wall in the shape of your body as you walked past. Also in Minneapolis, I walked up stairs that acted as piano keys. Washington DC, Paris, and London all had their own versions of art made by means of creative technology. Here in Missoula and Bigfork, MT, I have seen several plays and dance shows that used media as part of their artwork, the most meticulous of these being UM's 2018 production of "Everyman." To collect my thoughts about all of these examples I have provided, I see creative technology happening in the non-traditional art scene. Over the past few years, I have seen a trend in the art world of pieces that are not dependent upon the traditional mediums, such as paints, pencils, sculpting materials, etc. My attention is usually grabbed because of the scale of a lot of these projects, and the presentation that tends to be in unexpected places, or interactive. These are pieces made through creative technology. In the future, I foresee creative technology having a role in making art larger, louder, and increasing interactivity.

What is the historical relationship between science and art?

When I think historically about art and science, I think of the chemistry needed to create paints and dyes, the physics needed to create sculptures and mobile pieces, and breakthroughs in technology that created opportunities for new forms of art. The relationship in each of these circumstances is that science has allowed art to happen, from its most basic beginnings through the growth that the art world has seen. This is not to say that art does not reciprocate, however, by providing inspiration and provoking thought that may contribute to the furthering of science, or by creating a broader interest in the public about scientific subjects. For example, a film about a scientific topic or a cartoon statement about a scientific issue both have the ability to garner an interest in science.

[hayliesunshine]

@Schrielle360, I think that the intent behind @spkvfx 's statement was that since people feel the need to specify that creative coding is creative, it implies that all coding is not creative, or a form of art. I understand this sentiment. I also understand what you are saying, that it is helpful to specify this as the intentional purpose of the specific area of coding, to clarify that its main purpose is not necessarily for a more traditionally practical application.

[spkvfx]

@Schrielle360 Yes, as @hayliesunshine clarifies, I consider all coding creative. It is the notion that there is a dichotomy between art and science that I am rejecting here. In my view, there is no way to define art and science as separate disciplines without limiting one or the other.

I do not take into consideration intent when evaluating the object, because doing so would place a higher emphasis on the creator than the audience. In my view what the artist's intent was cannot change the audience's response, any more than the response cannot negate the artists' intent.

There are also plenty of examples where an artist hadn't intended to create art, but consensus would agree that they had.

[hayliesunshine]

Great point, @spkvfx .

[JoleneTiffanyG]

Creative coding is a relatively broad and open umbrella term that can encompass anything from video games and CGI to music or sculpture. From what I've learned this past week, I've come to see creative coding as part of the natural course and current/next step that humankind is making use of in our undying pursuit of artistic expression. We all joke about getting augmentations and becoming cyborgs, but quite frankly, even if we don't literally have physical implants in our brains or superhuman extensions for arms, we do have everything we've learned and invented in the world of computing, and it is literally at our fingertips. That certainly seems close enough for me. Creative coding seems to me the next logical step in getting closer to understanding the fascinating modern tools we can now use to express ourselves and learn about ourselves. Using the software is an amazing gift, but to take even this small step in the direction of learning the actual language of the technology gets us that much closer to understanding, and that much further along the path to understanding a brand new framework of design and having a chance to explore a worldview even our very recent ancestors could not possibly have beheld.

[JoleneTiffanyG]

As far as how creative coding seems to me to be fitting into the larger trends and flows of art, I think the answer is almost limitless, given sufficient time. Watching Dan Shiffman showcase all those vastly different works of art, created by such very different types of people and approached from completely different frames of mind. It seems like literally anything you could possibly imagine can be accomplished at some level, even if it's just a blueprint for what you had in mind, or a messy version of an idea so novel that you weren't really sure how it would turn out. 3D printing for example, has been one of the more exciting recent developments in technology, as it has just begun to reach a level where it can be accessible for people who are part of increasingly varied economic tiers. Enter a basic ability to creatively code, and a person can do so much more with that technology than any one of us could possibly conceive. The more I learn about creative coding, the more my mind races with the limitless exciting prospects. I think we are going to really surprise each other with the uniqueness and ingenuity of what we can come up with given these tools. Personally I've always believed any sufficiently motivated person could be an artist, but now, with coding being accessible to literally anyone who wants to learn, I think we could blow this whole Art thing wide open.

[JoleneTiffanyG]

A creative technologist, in my view, is someone who can conceive of an original (or at least creative, we could talk forever about what is or isn't actually original) idea and then execute it using technology. That is the simplest and broadest definition. In the way a creative photographer might get a picture in their mind and then arrange a model or a series of objects in a certain position and then photograph them, or a painter might see something in their mind's eye and then start putting colors onto a canvas by means of a brush, for a creative technologist the medium is the coding and software they choose to execute their vision.
As far as the definition of a media artist is concerned, even just based purely on the words “media” and “artist” this is again an incredibly open and broad term. I imagine a media artist as a person who uses digital media (audio, video, etc) to execute their vision or express something they feel compelled to express. Technically I suppose it doesn't even have to be digital media, though I think (keeping in mind I am brand new to the field and know shockingly little) that when the term is mentioned, one tends to imagine something related to some form of digital media.
Both creative technologist and media artist I believe to be very open and welcoming labels, which as far as I can tell overlap almost entirely if not entirely. If you are expressing something, and you are using some form of media as your building blocks, you can count yourself among them. (Critique and argument More than welcome, please feel free to engage!)

*It was not my intention to post in three parts, I spent the last hour trying to post my entire response but I seem to have overdone it content-wise and the formatting was impossible to read when posting it all as one. Apologies!

[JoleneTiffanyG]

@erinflint I thought it was interesting how you said without science we wouldn't have the music that we love. Of course you may have been specifically referring to electronic music of whatever form, but it still got me thinking about how humans (and some other animals) were enjoying music long before we had any semblance of science. At least they were Making it, since almost any sound can teeeechnically be considered music, all dependent on the ears upon which it falls. All a matter of perspective. But of course you're right about the role of technology in the music that we and our more recently evolved ancestors enjoy. More and more nuanced and complex sounds, and better yet our increasing ability to appreciate the complexity.