March 14, 2013: Senongo Akpem
March 14, 2013: Senongo Akpem
What a difference a bit of planning makes. I’ve been at it for days, modifying this website code, trying to make it work, but it’s slow going. I’m of half a mind to begin again, to start from scratch. Before I’ve even had a cup of coffee at my desk, my mind wanders back to my original plans, trying to figure out where I went wrong.
My morning is spent walking between the coffee machine and the computer, analyzing code, testing and retesting, refreshing and deleting. Nothing is working the way I need it to, and the project gets more complex by the hour.
I spend hours dreaming about how to simplify the process of rebuilding a website. The time ticks past, while I mentally construct, deconstruct, rewrite, and check. Will 20 lines of code do? I challenge myself to get it down to 10. Then I consider all the other bits and pieces that go into it, the images, different browsers, and the website becomes a maze again.
There’s a certain beauty in simplicity. My life seems so hectic- I run to and from intense situations, important events, conversations about design and the web. Writing clean code lets me create a little Zen oasis inside the computer, a spot of peace just for me. Sure, no one will actually see it, but the simplicity is there. On the web, the beauty of code comes through, even when you are not looking.
The rest of my day follows the same pattern. I’m distracted by pop-ups, notifications, warnings, ads. I live much of my life on the Internet, and while I try to write HTML and CSS that is as simple as possible, the sheer weight of information means my life is ever more complex and frazzled.
Maybe I need to write a program that forces my brain to rest (I know- it’s called sleep, and it comes pre-installed).
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About Senongo Akpem: I’m an interactive designer and illustrator in New York. I love sci-fi, so if I’m not drawing or designing, I’m probably watching movies about aliens. In 2011, I started Pixel Fable (pixel-fable.com), a collection of digital African fables.