Computational Media Midterm Review
LINK TO ICM/PCOMP PROJECT “ZOMBIE BOOT CAMP”
(note, this is an updated version from the ICM midterm that was altered to fit with the theme of the PCOMP midterm)
Overall, I feel that I’ve learned a tremendous amount about computation in this first half. In struggling with p5 in different ways every week, I feel that I’m beginning to develop a sense of how to break ideas down into component steps that then makes the process of writing code a little more efficient. In the first few weeks, I relied heavily on other skills that I had (photoshop, after effects) to lay out my thoughts and hopefully be able to transfer that into code. In the past few weeks, I haven’t had to go to those steps and am finding it more effective to just go from my notes to coding as I begin to understand more.
I think that combining my PCOMP midterm with my ICM midterm helped me understand both classes a lot more. I still feel like I’m barely treading water in both, but the process of having to figure things out, ask for help, and then figure out new problems that arise after that help, forced me to figure out how I learn things. Demonstrations and reverse engineering seem to be most helpful to me, especially when my brain energy is starting to dwindle.
With my understanding on computation at this point, it feels like another took to add to my kit as a creator. Like all other tools, they have the ability to hurt, heal, or help, depending on how they are used. As far as how it relates to my creative process, computation forces me to slow down and consider the base components of everything that I’m doing. It may not be the most helpful if I’m running on a tight deadline, especially when I have tools that I’ve used for longer that I know how to produce work more quickly. I do value the idea of knowing my work on the level that computation forces me to be familiar.