# Romello Goodman — full site > Romello Goodman is a Baltimore based algorithmic artist. In his practice he uses software to make physical things. --- # Designing with Coding Agents again! September 3, 2026 · ai, teaching, coding-practice, design-philosophy, workshop Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/designing-with-coding-agents-again Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/designing-with-coding-agents-again --- I’m back teaching my [Designing with Coding Agents](https://coopertype.org/events/designing-with-coding-agents-2) course! For this iteration I was able to take the [thoughts and feelings](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/thoughts-on-designing-with-coding) from the first session and distill them down to one idea: context steering. A recurring theme from the first session was my students feeling like they were pulling a lever on the slot machine. Context steering is my answer to this. Focusing on teaching them where to put their hands and how to guide the agent toward their desired outcomes. The work happens before the prompt is even sent, in the design system, guidelines, and guardrails that they have within their repos. My hope is that this framing is more durable for students even as the technology continues to accelerate and the harnesses and interfaces catch up. The Cooper course isn’t running until November, so all of this is subject to change. Still, I am having fun. Teaching a subject where the underlying technology is shifting and learning to go with the flow. To prepare, I’m running a test session internally at The Times. Sharing the learning arc for that now so that I have a snapshot for future references: **Session 1: Writing Context** This session focuses on the context that we give our agents. By using CLAUDE.md and then DESIGN.md we will write guidelines to bring consistency and improve the design skills of our agents. This session is rooted in our company’s Generative Design Lab’s tenents: #1: Conditions are craft. The quality of what emerges depends on the quality of what you set up. **Session 2: Design Systems as Context** This session focuses on the design system. It already provides a shared language for designers in Figma across the org as well as the various engineers we partner with. The agent introduces a third party. With the whole system as context, we can use the agent to design in a generative way: exploring the possibility space of a component, generating every variant of a button. Shifting to treating our components, tokens and rules as parameters to design within. Then we’ll pair it with Figma MCP and see how a tighter bridge changes what’s possible. **Session 3: Building Tools for Context** This session focuses on personal and infrastructural software tooling. We will explore using coding agents to produce tools to help us plan and learn, maintain a design system or DESIGN.md, and bring consistency and pixel pushing to the frontend. The core insight: if the agent can write code, then it can write code that helps you shape the code you are writing. -Mello --- # Wobble of the pen September 1, 2026 · pen-plotter, bookmaking, printmaking, art-making, creative-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/wobble-of-the-pen Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/wobble-of-the-pen --- The translation of a piece of code into the physical world is where the art happens. There is too much grain in the world outside of my laptop and physical items don’t render with perfect fidelity. There are slight variations each time that a design is drawn; the pen wobbles and skips as it moves across the page, the ink pools and or runs dry. Tiny details that accumulate throughout the printing process. This tiny book celebrates those tiny details. Each page is a crop of a larger pen plotter drawing chosen and assembled at random. A place to stop and focus only on the details. Each copy in this edition is hand sequenced, folded and bound; so no two copies have the same panels or order. --- Last year I bought a handheld scanner after watching a few instagram reels. I tried it out around Baltimore but eventually it ended up in my desk drawer. I was generally unhappy with the grain of the captures as I was expecting 1:1 translation but would be greeted with washed out colors and wavy distortions. Then, while working on a commission for my in-laws, I found my usecase. I was plotting dozens of copies of the same radial piece and couldn’t stop looking at the differences in each piece. The baseline qualities distinct to each pen paired with the drawing processes incidental mistakes as the pen glides, skips, and stutters across the page. My newest artist book, Wobble of the Pen, is about that difference. It is a small book about small details, measuring 4.25” × 3.67”. Each page is a crop of a larger pen plotter drawing. Using the scanner and a cropping program, I was able to zoom in and create dramatic moments of graininess. The wavy distortions that annoyed me a year ago become reinterpretations of my work by the scanner adding a glitch effect to each one. From there I shuffled the sequencing and bound of each copy by hand, so no two copies match. The book was found inside the drawings rather than made from them. This book is also a new loop in my practice. The scanner turns my own archive into raw material from which I can make new work. Drawings I made years ago live on as inputs for future projects, translated through a different device and a differnt bookmaking process into something brand new. Below are scans of the drawings and photos from the assembly process: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/012a8241-488d-48ce-20b5-4314c6e7d600/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/dc98ae7a-64cf-4f31-1cb9-172f7bb07900/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c73f379a-ee48-48ab-74e2-6ffad08e9d00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c2b245ad-0b8c-4854-d261-0dfbe121a800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/01b779ed-fdb7-4186-43b5-06647c787a00/public) -Mello --- # A deep ripple of color August 24, 2026 · generative-art, printmaking, art-making, creative-process Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/a-deep-ripple-of-color Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/a-deep-ripple-of-color --- I’m working some new prints. They revisit the core color logic from [Maze Zine](https://www.romellogoodman.com/works/maze-zine) and expand upon it to create a field of color reverberating from a central point. A gradient ripple. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/76fdaa7b-db0e-4075-40f3-2a2a771b4800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f612819e-fa42-465d-5432-187113c20a00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/dd722571-15bf-497b-79b3-2c62e2e0e500/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/2377af97-fa7b-4fef-e63e-12ab3328f300/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4556f3b3-477c-4e60-d085-c70fcee8cd00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/6e074828-9f27-4a55-348e-9ad118aa4c00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/10ffaf5c-b0eb-4dff-be84-4108d354e700/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/23591c69-c43f-4f96-0d29-290e8a297e00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8ddaf361-c36d-4a51-afc6-a66de3b61000/public) -Mello --- # Insistence, Insisting, Insisted August 14, 2026 · algorithmic-art, poetry, bookmaking, archiving, theory Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/insistence-insisting-insisted Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/insistence-insisting-insisted --- *Context: A research proposal, drafted for the Beinecke Library [Short-term Research Fellowship](https://beinecke.library.yale.edu/beinecke/researchers/fellowships/short-term). * For an algorithmic artist, the goal is to create a sequence of steps that takes an input and creates an output. We order and reorder the steps and watch how the system transforms and manipulates each input. Gertrude Stein understood this. In “Portraits and Repetition” she argued that repetition doesn’t exist, only the same phrase returning with shifted emphasis. To Stein meaning is changed as you read the sentence, each word building upon the previous. In her writing, the word is the input and the sentence is the algorithm that transforms it. Histories of computational art recognize two kinds of pioneers: artists who found artistic uses for computers, like Vera Molnár, and conceptual artists who worked algorithmically without them, like Sol LeWitt. Stein belongs in the second category and remains unclaimed by the field. Reading her works, you can watch the meaning shift as you read each word. She holds a phrase constant and changes one parameter: a pronoun, the sentence around it, the tense. Her writing follows a procedure with the output being the final meaning. The published texts show this finished state then we can study the manuscripts and notebooks to understand how the system evolved. By reading the drafts we can understand how she arrived at the final system and deconstruct her reasoning and process. ### What the drafts hold In the Beinecke’s archive, I hope to find evidence of the process. The holograph drafts, notebooks, and typescripts in the *Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas Papers* (YCAL MSS 76) are where Stein’s thinking is visible in the notation. The drafts show the system running. What she varied, what she held constant, where a pattern bent mid-composition, what different typescripts regularized or preserved. The questions I will bring to the reading room are structural. In the portraits, how does a phrase mutate across drafts, what words are substituted, reordered or expanded. In the *Tender Buttons* drafts, what does an input look like, and how consistent is the grammar that transforms it? Is there a pattern that emerges when studying revisions across time as she makes choices towards or away from the final piece. Answering these requires sitting with the physical sequence of drafts. I have a working precedent for this method. In Flora Figures, a recent artist book, I revisited a single Kazumasa Ogawa photograph and transformed it over and over, deriving algorithms from a historical object rather than generating it. The Stein project extends that approach from image to language, and from reproduction to primary documents. ## What this gives back This project approaches Stein from practice rather than literary criticism, and its contribution runs in two directions. For generative art and design, it recovers a pre-computational lineage of rule and iteration as literary craft, executed in longhand. I teach generative systems at the Maryland Institute College of Art and Cooper Union, and this research will feed directly into the classroom. Stein as a primary source for computational thinking without a computer. For special collections, it models artistic research that treats the archive as source code, studied closely and answered with a finished, published work that carries the Beinecke’s materials to audiences (art book fairs, design classrooms, print collectors) who may never request a manuscript box. ## The output A published artist chapbook of generative poetry, produced in a numbered edition. In it are compositional systems derived from the techniques uncovered in Stein’s manuscripts. The book will document its own method, recording which rules came from which manuscripts, so that it functions as both artwork and a record of the research. The fellowship will be acknowledged in the book and in all related teaching, lectures, and exhibitions. --- I’m sharing my proposal in the hope that it inspires future projects. -Mello --- # 1 month and 60 models later August 9, 2026 · ai, tools, interactive-tools, future-of-software, creative-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/1-month-and-60-models-later Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/1-month-and-60-models-later --- *Context: The following was original posted to [Sup Computer](https://www.supcpu.com/research/1-month-and-60-models-later/) in July 2026* About a month ago I trained my [first model](https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/my-first-language-model-shakespeare-nanogpt) and caught the bug. In that time I’ve trained around 60 models and released 11 of them, each helping me along my path as I learn how to do AI research. Each starting with a question: [shakespeare](https://www.supcpu.com/models/shakespeare-nanogpt-3/) — Can a frontier model train a small model on my laptop? [gatsby](https://www.supcpu.com/models/gatsby-nanogpt-2/) — How does the dataset shape the response of the model? [kenosha-kid](https://www.supcpu.com/models/kenosha-kid-nanogpt-2/) — Can the model memorize with slight variations? [daydream-chess](https://www.supcpu.com/models/daydream-chess-nanogpt-1/) — Can the model learn a game from the moves? [glyph](https://www.supcpu.com/models/glyph-nanogpt-1/) — Can we use hallucinations stylistically? With each release, I understand the material more and how to sculpt it. As opposed to the knowledge-dense heavy trillion parameter models at the frontier, these contain mere millions. They’re knowledge-light and shaped like the data you give them. Give it chess games and it can roughly play them. Give it Shakespeare and it roughly writes you prose. This constraint gives me a framework to work within: Brainstorm the data and shape the model. But within each of these models, there’s a mismatch between them and your idealized language model. These models aren’t fun to converse with. The dominant interface for language models is the chat assistant/agent, and these models are too small to fill that role. A back and forth with them would only produce gibberish. So there is a need to invent novel interfaces for this new class of models. Each one a harness shaped to the contours and skills the model naturally has. A chessboard for daydream, a type tester for glyph. The tie between the model, its harness and the interfaces we use can create a synergy that turns even a single purpose model into an instrument to be played. Each piece of the puzzle supports the other to surprise and delight the system using it. This is the long-term bet of sup computer: creating instruments for both humans and agents. Now that we have the models, the real work begins. -Mello --- # Oscilloscopes Regenerated July 21, 2026 · generative-art, algorithmic-art, creative-coding Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/oscilloscopes-regenerated Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/oscilloscopes-regenerated --- Oscilloscopes Regenerated, after Ben Laposky (1914–2000). Ben Laposky’s ‘Oscillons’ were a series of photos created by using an oscilloscope. Laposky used it to manipulate electronic waves that were then displayed on a fluorescent screen. The waves would have been constantly moving and undulating on the screen and through photography a record of their movement was captured. A new series that attempts to create the oscilloscope timelapse from Laposky’s original system. Watch them in movement at [oscillion.romellogoodman.com](https://oscillion.romellogoodman.com/#6101f356). ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e60059a4-86b7-440a-6c1a-969b772d0400/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/da8c74e5-6098-439d-5949-e0ec173e6100/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d21bc6c6-218b-4685-c045-baf2cf341300/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/85fa937c-2c59-4cf7-1bb8-aa582c83e200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/6ba49086-e9d7-47f1-8e8f-e6650e805e00/public) -Mello --- # sup computer: a small language model studio July 14, 2026 · ai, tools, open-source, creative-practice, future-of-software Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/sup-computer-a-small-language-model-studio Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/sup-computer-a-small-language-model --- After writing my [first small language model](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-first-language-model-shakespeare), I found myself catching the bug. In my practice I often fixate on a new technique/process and it becomes the fuel for a burst of creative energy. This is how my pen plotter drawings started and explains the transition then to risograph prints and last year the laser cutter paper reliefs. I used to feel self-conscious about it but then I realized it is healthy for my imagination. Being able to follow my interests and spend time exploring new ways to express myself with machines. My newest fixation is called: [sup computer](https://supcpu.com/), a small language model studio. The focus on small models means that I can learn by doing. Instead of AI being a monolith that is trained in massive data centers on all of human knowledge, it becomes legible and steerable. I can feed the models different data sets and watch as their shape and capabilities change. [Daydream](https://www.supcpu.com/models/daydream-chess-nanogpt-1/) was fed chess games and now it roughly knows the shape of one so you can play against it. [Kenosha Kid](https://www.supcpu.com/models/kenosha-kid-nanogpt-2/) was fed variations of a single sentence in order to prod at the usefulness of hallucinated outputs. Each of these started with a simple question or a variation on something existing. For me this is how research starts, a fun wondering that grows and rolls up into something larger. It creates a flywheel where new knowledge unearths new paths to follow which in turn unearth new knowledge and different questions. And the questions are the point. Are we in a bubble or not? Are we building god or a stochastic parrot? Are we racing towards our own end? I am unable to answer these now and might not ever be. But I can at least start with smaller questions. I can use these models as lights along a path towards a greater understanding and leave a trail behind me for others to follow. Because sup computer is [open-source](https://github.com/romellogoodman/sup-computer), anyone can pick it up and use frontier models to train their own models. My hope is that this helps a thousand smaller models bloom and that together we can stitch them into something larger and more meaningful than the frontier. But for now, I’m going to keep tinkering. -mello --- # Shifting at the frontier July 7, 2026 · ai, personal-update, creative-practice, future-of-software, open-source Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/shifting-at-the-frontier Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/shifting-at-the-frontier --- Since leaving the frontier my mind has had more space, my mood has improved and I generally feel lighter. A sense of stress and doom has lessened and I am finally able to reset my nervous system as I try to figure out a new rhythm to my day. It helps to have new opportunities like a new job, and two upcoming fairs this fall: Burnaway 2 in Atlanta and Pittsburgh Art Book Fair. My idle time is filling up with new ideas and the excitement that I get to build and experiment again. There’s so much to do and I want to take a swing at everything. Nothing feels too ambitious for a few hours of focus now. Though, from time to time I feel regretful about leaving the frontier. Things that I wish I could have done and learned; just now realizing the type of access and information I was privileged to. Sometimes it weighs on me and I feel foolish. But I can’t weigh that against the fact that for now at least, I’m happier. Let’s revisit this in the future. The thing that strikes me is the opportunity to build alternative futures out here. The exploration of many frontiers instead of a singular progress marker that the big ai labs control the narrative about. From open-source models to orchestrating and engineering with non-SOTA models there is so much to learn and think about. So many smaller, personalized and ultimately sustainable frontiers to explore. My hope is that over the next 6 months I find a way to expand my practice to publicly communicate all of this. Right now all of my language model work is scattered across one-off tools, experiments and these emails. I have a bigger container in the works but the idea is to build a future that feels fun and undeniable. The public hates ai and who can blame them but I wonder if demystifying the hyper object can create room for critical engagement. Once we learn how these models work it opens avenues to discuss alternatives. No technology is inevitable or forever. And no technology should be treated as a monolith. I imagine a future that is interwoven and collaborative that puts the public at the front and each person’s needs first. In the second half of this year I want to start building towards that. -Mello --- # Thoughts on Designing with Coding Agents June 30, 2026 · ai, teaching, workshop, coding-practice, design-philosophy Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/thoughts-on-designing-with-coding-agents Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/thoughts-on-designing-with-coding --- Last week I wrapped up my new workshop [Designing with Coding Agents](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/designing-with-coding-agents) and the entire process was illuminating. I aimed for something closer to a make-and-take, where we sat around and jammed on ideas together and overall it felt more like [social software creation](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/social-software-creation) than a lecture hall. The core thesis of[ Generating, Generative Typography](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/generating-generative-typography) proved true: not having to fuss over syntax removed barriers for people. It left room to talk about the experiences we wanted to create without worrying about what was technically feasible. Each week students walked away with a new vocabulary for what they could ask Claude to make, but it wasn’t all sunshine. Claude would routinely hallucinate function parameters and produce prototypes that were clearly broken, all while assuring you everything was fine. Those of us who work with agents are getting used to this, but for a new student it’s confusing. My favorite parts were the discussions with students and the group-therapy feelings around them. Type@Cooper draws people from all kinds of backgrounds, from other educators to working designers to university students, but the common thread this time was a hesitant interest in AI. The comments ran the gamut (all editorialized): “Isn’t this supposed to be a god-machine? Why is it wrong and lying?” “This feels different than AI media generation because I can further refine it and jump in and edit the code“ “It feels like a junior designer that comes into work each day not remembering the last day” “I struggle with the imperfect precision of language. The agent always finds a way to misunderstand me” “I don’t feel like I created this output. I just pulled a lever on the slot machine” There is a general anxiety about these tools that is hard to miss. The [slot machine](https://www.are.na/romello-goodman/slot-machine-coding) feelings are real and it is [intoxicating](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/the-role-of-surprise-in-generative) to hit the jackpot as you one-shot a design tool out of thin air, and equally frustrating when the agent is stuck thinking for minutes on end and tokens are being spent with nothing to show for it. We are all worrying and wondering about our role in the design process, and what happens when “world class” design is just a[ markdown file](https://claude.com/plugins/frontend-design) away. I will tell you what I told them: the future of design is still being written and you have a choice in how it turns out. You can learn the tool or you can ignore it and carry on. You can use coding agents to create personal tools for your own design process, or even go 100% AGI and spend your days refining your DESIGN.md file. Design has a way of transcending the conditions under which it is made, rewriting what is possible as it goes. My hope is for a design future where every person works in their own personal design software and I think this class was a vote for that. -Mello P.S. - In order to help the agents as they work with p5.js and other coding libraries I have written a set of skills: [creative coding skillpack](https://github.com/romellogoodman/creative-coding-skillpack). The core idea is to guide the agent towards the documentation and to do more fact finding to ensure they understand the specifc syntax of the library version that they are using. --- # My first language model: shakespeare-nanogpt June 25, 2026 · ai, tools, open-source, creative-practice, future-of-software Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/my-first-language-model-shakespeare-nanogpt Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-first-language-model-shakespeare --- [William Shakespeare | The Poetry Foundation](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-shakespeare) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/af85f0ad-7f78-4223-4de1-ba7543363b00/public) **ROMEO:** Thou hadst to do it. The quote above is fake Shakespeare that was written by a small language model. One that I trained at home on my personal laptop. It’s called [shakespeare-nanogpt](https://github.com/romellogoodman/shakespeare-nanogpt). The idea for this project came from [When AI builds itself](https://www.anthropic.com/institute/recursive-self-improvement), one of the last things I worked on at Anthropic. The core argument is: if coding agents get good enough at writing code, then they can write the code that creates another language model. This is the idea of the moment, and [neolabs](https://mirendil.com/) are spinning up with the goal of creating AI researchers. I got a glimpse of this when building [sprite](https://github.com/romellogoodman/sprite), my coding agent, which I wrote almost entirely with Claude Code. With shakespeare-nanogpt I wanted to push this further and let Claude Opus 4.8, a big model, train something small enough to run on an M5 Mac. I started with [Andrej Karpathy’s nanogpt](https://github.com/karpathy/nanogpt) and built an environment where Claude could train and iterate on a smaller model. The end result is a model factory that Claude can operate to conduct experiments, write-up research findings and even generate a [model card](https://github.com/romellogoodman/shakespeare-nanogpt/tree/main/model-cards) complete with data visualizations. If you believe that the future is less a giant all-knowing god model and more a garden of smaller models orchestrated and working together, then this path is exciting. As an artist, this is an extension of my “mixing my own paints” philosophy. An attempt to ensure that I own and understand each part of my technology stack. It’s funny that the moment I leave Anthropic, I become more interested in how the underlying technology works, but there’s never been a better time to learn. My hope is to turn this research into novel interface experiments that I can showcase here but for now, we start with fake Shakespeare. -Mello P.S. - All praise to Apple and the M series chips. The fact that I can train a language model while still writing code, browsing the web and running several different applications feels futuristic. P.P.S - Full output from the quote above. 250 tokens **ROMEO:** Thou hadst to do it. **Nurse:** Now, it did, my good is too much less. **JULIET: **This day’st thou not married thee this land, Not to thine eyes is little and day dead, The courtesy liberal that love’s sweet day’st thou? The morning of thy bold and thee to the prince’? --- # Saying Goodbye June 12, 2026 · ai, personal-update Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/saying-goodbye Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/saying-goodbye --- Today is my last day at Anthropic. Two years ago I joined the company at the release of Sonnet 3.5 and Artifacts. Per Antfarm, that is earlier than 86.5% of current FT Ants and it’s hard to wrap my head around how much has changed in that time as we roll out [Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5](https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-fable-5-mythos-5) this week. It has been a joy to watch this company, the Brand Creative team and the Web team grow without losing the culture and values that keep us unique and weird. I continue to be amazed at the quality of people we bring in and how we maintain mission dedication without losing the human-touch of working together. I’m leaving because I am burnt out. This industry is an ever-accelerating red queen’s race and it is hard to reconcile how my life feels inside and outside the lab. The lack of work/life balance coupled with the enormity of our impact on the world is draining and I have been ending each week with less and less energy than the last. It is worrying to see our effect on people, whether real or perceived in areas such as automation and job loss, climate exacerbation, and data center build out and I can no longer ignore the mental toll it is taking on me. I have faith that we will reach the [Machines of Loving Grace](https://darioamodei.com/essay/machines-of-loving-grace) future, and at the same time, the price that will be paid along the way feels too steep. I don’t know what the future holds but I know that I will continue to root for Anthropic. For the designers, researchers, and engineers, the policy, marketing, and sales teams, and everyone in between. I wish you all, especially my Brand Creative and Web teammates, the best of luck. -Mello P.S. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/06e3bd6d-efe5-4796-d2fc-b1228f141d00/public) --- # Monolith, a deterministic toolbox May 30, 2026 · ai, tools, open-source, future-of-software, coding-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/monolith-a-deterministic-toolbox Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/monolith-a-deterministic-toolbox --- If I give you a blank canvas and asked you to paint a landscape, your painting would be different from mine. Because language is squishy and broad creative prompts are meant to make room for the artist to express themselves. Now image that I hand you a set of tools and explain each one: this brush is great for long strokes, for laying down the landscape; this one is great for clouds and detailing the branches of trees. Knowing what to use and when begins to nudge your process. Tools give us guard rails to follow, or push against, once you know how to hold them. This process is something I've been thinking about more as I interact with llms. The wide gap between a starting prompt and the output. Give a coding agent a wide ranging tool like bash and they'll surprise you with the various ways they can approach the same problem. You can constrain this behavior though by giving the agent dedicated tools, like search_files, read_file and write_file, each one with a dedicated use and strengths. This is the thinking that led me to create [Monolith](https://github.com/romellogoodman/monolith): a set of tools that agents can use via MCP or CLI to deterministically carry out requests. Instead of one wide ranging tool, this tool box comes with a set where each one single purpose. This creates reproduceable steps and workflows, since the agent picks the exact tools it needs for the task. Each tool is chainable, following the UNIX philosophy, allowing you to create new pipelines for data processing. This is an attempt at creating software for a computer to use. Looking at the where the current generation of coding agents fails and excels and giving them the tools they need to become more reliable. -Mello P.S. I even made a fun animated ascii landing page for it: [monolith.romellogoodman.com](https://monolith.romellogoodman.com) P.P.S. ['Mysterious monolith' spotted for first time since 2020 in Nevada desert](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/18/nevada-monolith-desert-photo) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/de799a6c-c245-4194-d31f-4b7e0b198600/public) --- # Designing with Coding Agents May 27, 2026 · teaching, ai, creative-coding, generative-typography Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/designing-with-coding-agents Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/designing-with-coding-agents --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4af6bd01-5b35-45f2-a61b-b93d7887dd00/public) I have a new course that Im teaching at Type@Cooper this June! It's called "[Designing with Coding Agents](https://coopertype.org/events/designing-with-coding-agents)" and here's the description: > Every tool has its own grain. A brush favors gestures, a grid favors order, and a coding agent favors conversation. Each changes what it means to author something. > > In this workshop, students use a coding agent as a creative collaborator to write JavaScript and p5.js sketches. Week one, you make a word move. Week two, you build a tool that manipulates letterforms. Week three, your body becomes the input. > > Whether you've written code before or not, this course serves as an introduction to coding agents. It treats the agent as a new kind of design tool: one worth understanding, questioning, and making your own. This course is an outgrowth of what I've been exploring in both my practice as an artist and an educator. In [Generating, Generative Typography](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/generating-generative-typography), I started to imagine what my current lessons and teaching strategies had to gain from the introduction of llms and coding agents. In this course I am taking it a step further and have built the entire lesson plan around these new tools. The goal is to create a space where code can more easily become a tool for designers. It is an attempt to teach through the shift that we are living through. An attempt at expanding who can be creative with code. [Register here](https://coopertype.org/events/designing-with-coding-agents) -Mello P.S. - Here is the [source image on the left](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ICT_1301_Gothenburg_1962.jpg) and here is the [source image on the right](https://whitney.org/education/families/kids-art-challenge/sol-lewitt#). --- # Sprite Pt.II May 18, 2026 · coding-practice, tools, open-source, ai Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/sprite-pt-ii Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/sprite-ptii --- ![Sprite's startup screen](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d718f588-0bd0-4e71-61a0-6e7649d4f300/public) After spending a few weeks trying to do real work with Sprite. I ran into the same issue I did with Blink my previous coding agent. I couldn't figure out how to hold the tool. Keeping the feature set small doesn't help if you don't know how to use it in a practical way. The main issue is that Sprite was not easy to type into. For a CLI being able to quickly maneuver your agent means investing in keyboard short cuts and UI indicators. Without that it feels like driving a boat when trying to type a command with even a smidge of complication. After failing a second time I decided to iterate instead of throwing the library away. I borrowed my R&D process from my first coding agent and did comparisons and research against what was on the market. I reviewed and decided on which features to implement and which to discard. Crucially I also spent time with the tool. I took the time to notice where the gaps were and attempted to fix them. This being less risky then going all in with a list of features and that at the end of the day I would not use. The changes in this new version are all about making it easy to steer: Typing into it - Rebuilt the input line: arrow-key history, readline shortcuts, Esc to clear - Multi-line pastes collapse to a placeholder instead of spamming the screen - @ pops a file picker, / pops commands - ! drops into a local shell without waking the model - Queued follow-up message - Custom slash commands Seeing what it's doing - Markdown rendering - Plan mode - Responses stream in live - Tool calls render as one block with a status dot — yellow running, green done, red blew up - Edits come back as real diffs with line numbers and context - Spinner shows elapsed time and token burn - Ctrl+O to expand clipped tool output Letting it loose - bash gated behind a per-project allowlist with an "always" option - edit_file can't escape the working directory - Tool output capped at 50 KB so a runaway command doesn't nuke the context - --trust to skip it all when you're feeling brave - fetch_url tool for grabbing urls - ask_user_question tool for adding more context and decisions before the work starts Keeping the thread - Loads AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md from the project into the system prompt - Context % in the header, auto-compacts at 85% - Sessions persist to disk — -c picks up where you left off - -p for one-shot scripting - /model picker and --model flag, defaults to Haiku - Conversation compaction once it gets too long - System prompt return Our lil guy is a bit bigger now sitting at ~3k lines of code. But it's still a lil guy that lives in your computer. And now it's a little bit easier to use. -mello --- # Flora Figures May 9, 2026 · printmaking, risograph, bookmaking, algorithmic-art Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/flora-figures Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/flora-figures --- “Every image embodies a way of seeing. Even a photograph. For photographs are not, as is often assumed, a mechanical record. Every time we look at a photograph, we are aware, however slightly, of the photographer selecting that sight from an infinity of other possible sights. This is true even in the most casual family snapshot. The photographer’s way of seeing is reflected in his choice of subject.” — John Berger, *Ways of Seeing* Kazumasa Ogawa (1860–1929) was one of the most important early Japanese photographers and printers. His 1896 book *Some Japanese Flowers* featured hand-colored collotype prints of flowers native to Japan. After being photographed and printed, the images were colored by Ogawa himself. Through his hand-coloring, he chose which part of the flower to draw focus to and purposely directed the viewer’s eye. The algorithms in this book take a single photograph of Ogawa’s and transform it over and over again. We live in a time where tools now generate images from nothing. Pixels that reference no original moment, no flower that actually grew. With this book, I explore manipulation as an alternative to generation. This book was coded and designed in Baltimore, Maryland, USA by Romello Goodman. It was made using his software stack for bookmaking: html, css, javascript, minipix and crown. It was Risographed printed and bound by Risolve Studios in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA using Fluorescent Pink, Yellow, Blue and Black inks. This page is set in Public Sans. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ecdf065b-3130-4eef-def2-d0641099ca00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/935f4730-5760-4e74-ba9a-0b2794015800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/162e88b2-a4ee-47e7-a30d-8b95fc07af00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/2fabb13e-ca9f-4e8d-e6fa-be0de71b8000/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/01060486-de28-4fb0-cfff-45d901d44400/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/1769162d-7a9d-4bbd-3aa4-0bf44914ad00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0c2089de-f211-4f7e-d8ea-ee554db4b500/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4243528b-30d3-4620-91f1-7919be37ce00/public) -Mello P.S. - I will debuting this book today at [Black Zine Fair](https://blackzinefair.org/) in Brooklyn! Swing by and mask up! --- # Social Software Creation May 4, 2026 · ai, coding-practice, community, future-of-software Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/social-software-creation Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/social-software-creation --- [3 Notion Devs Use a Kanban To Orchestrate Coding Agents](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF2M78Frx2g) The video above has been living rent free in my head for a few weeks. In it, three people sit around a task board and build a game together. I watched it late one night and couldn't help but giggle. It reminded me of being a teenager, crowded around one computer with my friends, taking turns logging into chat rooms and clicking through different websites. It reminded me of a time when a computer could be co-used. Compare that to now: I am writing some of the most complex software I've ever written, but the only person who holds its mental model is me. It's ironic that we finally have the ability for anyone to generate code but we've lost the platforms, like Glitch, that made coding a place you went to hang out with friends. Projects like the video give me hope for a different shape and different worlds. Where coding agents can make software creation social again. The alternatives are already being built: [Symphony](https://github.com/openai/symphony), [Gas City](https://steve-yegge.medium.com/welcome-to-gas-city-57f564bb3607), the [Dark Factory](https://simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/7/software-factory/). Orchestration in the name of optimization instead of community and fun. Don't you want to hang out on the internet and jam together again? --- # Sprite April 27, 2026 · coding-practice, tools, open-source, ai Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/sprite Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/sprite --- After watching [Theo's video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I82j7AzMU80) on how coding agents worked, I decided it was time to write my own. To be meta, I wanted to use a coding agent to build a coding agent. I fed Claude Code these how-to articles and sent it on its way: * [How to Build an Agent](https://ampcode.com/notes/how-to-build-an-agent) * [The Emperor Has No Clothes](https://www.mihaileric.com/The-Emperor-Has-No-Clothes/) The end result is [Sprite: A small helping hand inside your computer](https://github.com/romellogoodman/sprite). I wanted something simple and minimal, around 500 lines of code with about 200 of them being the harness. It's open source and has been a great learning experience to build and use. This is my 2nd time writing a coding agent using a coding agent. The first was short-lived and named Blink, and I took a more complicated and structured approach to building it. I analyzed codebases of open source coding agents and wrote comparison and architecture docs. It was a thorough R&D loop. The issue is that the tool never got used. It got too complicated too fast and I couldn't figure out how to hold the tool and do work with it. Now that the theory behind building coding agents and harnesses are more known, and probably in the training dataset, it was time to try again. This time I set out to make a small tool instead of a full application. Sprite feels minimal and I want to keep it that way. I'm trying to build the gut feeling of knowing when to add features and when to edit/cut them. A new skill to develop when working with generated software. I have big plans for Sprite and can see a world where it is the base harness powering other tools that I make. For now it's just a lil guy that lives inside my computer. -mello --- # Crown April 22, 2026 · bookmaking, open-source, tools, publishing Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/crown Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/crown --- A few years ago I took a course at Index called Painting a Website. In it I was introduced to [Bindery.js](https://bindery.info/), a javascript library for creating printable books with HTML and CSS. I fell in love with the idea and have since used Bindery to print zines, Passover Haggadah, my sister-in-laws graduation gift, etc. The library is no longer actively maintained but it was a lovely piece of software to use. On my quest for a replacement I came across a suitable replacement in [PrinceXML](https://www.princexml.com/). I've come to like it and the customizability, but feel that the command line interface is a little opaque. In typical fashion, I decided that what I needed was a framework; something to sit on-top of Prince and make it easier to use. My solution is [Crown: A framework for creating books using html, css and PrinceXML.](https://github.com/romellogoodman/crown) As the tagline suggests, you create books from html with it. Under the hood it calls PrinceXML but generally makes the authoring and editing process better. The main benefit is that it make book creation scriptable. With it you can create a factory/UI for generating/designing books and then with one click have a printer ready asset. I used Crown to create [Flora Figures](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/introducing-floral-figures) and hope to create all of my artist books and zines with it going forward. -mello P.S. Happy Prince Day! --- # On Claude Design April 20, 2026 · ai, web-design, future-of-software, coding-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/on-claude-design Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/on-claude-design --- [Claude Design](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_LBECIQQqs)'s release has been great for the discourse. Is it the future of design? Has the model made us obsolete? Within the noise there's great signal and I'll link to a few of my favorite pieces: * [Thoughts and Feelings around Claude Design](https://samhenri.gold/blog/20260418-claude-design/) * [Life after Figma is coming (and it will be glorious)](https://jonnyburch.com/life-after-figma/) As someone in the lab but not working on this product, I think about what Claude Code has done for coding. The way it has changed the profession of writing software by automating large swaths of it. I fear for what this might look like for design, but I also look at all of the software I've been able to make. Spending entire weekends making every tiny app and website that I can dream about. The fun it has brought back to software creation. I've fallen back in love with the act of making. How doing it over and over again helps me get to the crux of what you are doing. To the core of the problem where I add my viewpoint and flex my craft. Virgil called this the 3% rule. My hope for the future is that this is where we all get to spend the majority of our time. Not fighting interfaces or setting up boilerplates. But in the 3% that matters. --- # Introducing Flora Figures April 8, 2026 · bookmaking, risograph, printmaking, creative-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/introducing-flora-figures Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/introducing-floral-figures --- I am ready to announce my newest artist book: Flora Figures. The pencils are down, pixels in their final positions, outputs selected and proofs approved. It is the culmination of my work with [Minipix](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/minipix) and fascination with [Kazumasa Ogawa‘s Tree Pæony](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/108QM6). While [one part of my practice](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/living-with-coding-agi) is accelerating ever faster, [bookmaking](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/how-books-fit-into-my-practice) remains slower and meditative. I, of course, wrote my own stack for creating this book but the actual printing and binding is now in the hands of Lyndsey and team at [Risolve](https://risolvestudio.com). Unable to pull lever of the [slot machine](https://are.na/romello-goodman/slot-machine-coding) or send another prompt. Now I wait. A true one-shot. I am beyond excited to finish this project and see the final output. I will debuting it at Black Zine Fair this year in Brooklyn. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/2e8649b9-a7af-4edb-9f28-ce24e32e1800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a2c84d4a-b627-41e7-b9de-00fa99107900/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a37e5b63-b7b8-45a2-86c6-3f5e5f8bd000/public) -Mello P.S. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/44fb6417-f057-4281-1972-406a34e89500/public) --- # Living with Coding AGI March 12, 2026 · ai, coding-practice, future-of-software, creative-coding Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/living-with-coding-agi Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/living-with-coding-agi --- I believe that coding has become automated and soon software engineering will be as well. As the models get better, so do the tools and environments that we use to work with them. Over the past year I've learned to [use the saw](https://stephango.com/saw) and have found that it is my new favorite tool. I prototype across different branches to explore the problem space and then [fold that context](https://newsletter.squishy.computer/p/folding-context) into a plan and go off to a meeting. I return with more context and several new ideas and the cycle continues. We've entered a world where any piece of software is x prompts away. It has created a [Bannister effect](https://hbr.org/2018/03/what-breaking-the-4-minute-mile-taught-us-about-the-limits-of-conventional-thinking) where once something is proven to be achievable, it becomes endlessly reproducible. Anyone can ship to production from marketers to designers, so taste and impact become the only barriers to getting code shipped. It's a strange feeling because simultaneously my core skill has become more useful and useless. I know how to build high-quality software and architect creative and scalable systems, but I just don't know how much longer that will be valuable. For now I'll keep trying to figure out where to put my hands as I hold this new tool. -mello --- # Minipix Halftone Renderer January 27, 2026 · generative-art, algorithms, creative-coding, tools Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/minipix-halftone-renderer Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/minipix-halftone-renderer --- I’ve written a new [renderer](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/rendering-minipix) for [Minipix](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/minipix): Halftone. The renderer looks at your image and asks: “What if we could only use a few colors?” It divides the picture into a grid of small blocks, examines each one, and makes a choice—this block is mostly blue, this one is red, this one is yellow. Then it represents each block with the *nearest* color from a limited palette, drawing it as a dot or line whose size reflects how bright that area was. It’s the aesthetic of old printing presses and comic books where complexity submits to limitation and something new emerges from what’s lost. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3e22ccc6-53f3-4ff0-71c0-9e37471c7100/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3cfc6b0a-e33a-48a8-3f35-22a3d4ee6000/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0e141327-91d0-4abe-e23a-75d92d284900/public) -Mello --- # Minipix Subdivison Renderer January 20, 2026 · generative-art, algorithms, creative-coding, tools Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/minipix-subdivison-renderer Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/minipix-subdivison-renderer --- I've written a new [renderer](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/rendering-minipix) for [Minipix](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/minipix): Subdivision. The renderer begins with the whole image and asks: "How can I break this into pieces?" It draws an imaginary line—horizontal or vertical, somewhere random—splitting the image in two. Then it looks at each piece and asks again: "Should I break this further?" Sometimes it does, sometimes it stops. This continues, each region potentially subdividing into smaller regions, until the image is a mosaic of fragments—some large, some small, following no particular logic. Then comes the transformation, each fragment is randomly flipped, horizontally or vertically to create a mirroring reflect across the irregular grid. What emerges is recognizable yet alien, its continuity broken into discontinuous reflections of itself. ![Subdivision renderer result 1](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/97f3d122-09c8-43a9-ae85-8e1ffd808b00/public) ![Subdivision renderer result 2](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3768659b-d6e9-4531-1a63-ade89f307600/public) ![Subdivision renderer result 3](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f17d3a39-dc8f-4656-d428-a9dc4debef00/public) ![Subdivision renderer result 4](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ba64ac0c-a983-440f-f9a2-8a959e649000/public) ![Subdivision renderer result 5](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/dd2c86e8-6c6f-4651-0e06-757090d01300/public) --- # How books fit into my practice January 13, 2026 · bookmaking, generative-art, printmaking, creative-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/how-books-fit-into-my-practice Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/how-books-fit-into-my-practice --- I wrote this response for an artist book fair application and want to capture it here: My work explores how individuality exists within systems of repetition. I create algorithms that generate infinite variations, then make them physical through machines like the risograph, pen plotter, and laser cutter. Each piece emerges from code but carries the marks of its making: the grain of the ink, the wobble of the pen, the unpredictable behavior of analog processes. In my practice books are a collective and focusing force. Where a single print captures one moment from an algorithm, a book holds many, with page after page revealing variations from the same generative system. In *[How to Read a Gradient](https://www.romellogoodman.com/#how-to-read-a-gradient)*, each spread pairs a transformation with its logic, teaching readers to recognize patterns through repetition. *[Revelations](https://www.romellogoodman.com/#revelations)* plots each page on translucent vellum so previous drawings ghost through subsequent ones, accumulating meaning as you turn. *[Maze Zine](https://www.romellogoodman.com/#maze-zine)* uses a magic fold that lets readers cut and refold the sheet, creating their own paths through algorithmic outputs. The book becomes a container for seriality, a way to show not just what an algorithm made, but how it thinks. -Mello --- # Minipix Kaleidoscope Renderer January 6, 2026 · generative-art, algorithms, creative-coding, tools Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/minipix-kaleidoscope-renderer Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/minipix-kaleidoscope-renderer --- I've written a new [renderer](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/rendering-minipix) for [Minipix](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/minipix): Kaleidoscope. The renderer examines your image and asks: "What if every piece could see itself?" It divides the picture into a grid of squares, then mirrors each one so that every tile contains its own symmetry. As the grid multiplies, the original image dissolves into pattern, the way a word loses meaning when you repeat it enough times. Through small repetitions the culminative effect is a fragment that feels infinite. ![Kaleidoscope renderer example 1](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/47596b4e-9611-44ab-364c-37e7c5bd0000/public) ![Kaleidoscope renderer example 2](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/46645444-2497-4996-a645-35caaaf1c400/public) ![Kaleidoscope renderer example 3](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d135404c-b91d-43d8-d2c1-f3bd0cd4af00/public) —Mello **P.S.** — This renderer is more prone to bad outcomes than the others but for me that elevates the "good outputs". It feels more like digging through dirt to find a gem. --- # My practice in 2025 & Beyond December 31, 2025 · creative-practice, personal-update, bookmaking, printmaking Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/my-practice-in-2025-beyond Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-practice-in-2025-and-beyond --- Painting saved me, but I can’t say I loved painting. I painted because I needed to. What I really loved, what I love, is having-painted. That was the high. Making something that would never have existed in the entirety of humanity had I not been there at that specific moment to make it. -[Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/139400713-martyr) This has been the biggest shift in my practice this year: I fell in love with the after-making. I’ve spent a large amount of time examining my work, explaining it to others, and reflecting on what it means to me. Giving the Scrimshaw lecture at the beginning of the year put me into this mindset, and it’s been lovely to sit in it. This year my practice expanded to include artist books and zines, paper reliefs, a new art stack, and so much more. I feel more confident than ever in my ability to make art and express my ideas. Reading back on past year-end reflections, it’s fun to realize that each year I spill words to write about the same thing: wanting to make more work, and figuring out the artistic systems I need to put in place to achieve that desire. For the next year my intention remains the same. I hope to make more work. I hope to make bigger work. And I hope to find people who connect with my work. No need for a musical reference this year about being a conductor and orchestrating a practice. Just a wish said plainly and released into the world. Past years: [2021](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-practice-in-2021-and-beyond), [2022](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-practice-in-2022-and-beyond), [2023](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-practice-in-2023-and-beyond), [2024](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-practice-in-2024-and-beyond) ### Graphic of the year ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7a8266c1-3c9d-4394-a7f9-b1aa934b0e00/public) Untitled, 2025. 11x14 inches. Ink on translucent overlayed on-top of Risograph Ink ### Book Superlatives Most likely to live up to the hype: [Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/139400713-martyr) Most likely to please the book club: [The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65678550-the-heaven-earth-grocery-store) Most likely to make you think: [Fantasy by Bruno Munari](https://www.inventorypress.com/product/fantasy) Most likely to make you cry - [Clementine, Book 3 by Tillie Walden](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207297161-clementine?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=PgPi8afHVT&rank=1) Most likely to expand your practice - [Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.: Citizen Printer by Letterform Archive](https://letterformarchive.org/shop/amos-paul-kennedy-jr-citizen-printer/) Most Visually Stunning (Tie) - [Absolute Man Hunter by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodríguez](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230528318-absolute-martian-manhunter-vol-1) and [The Power Fantasy by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard](https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/the-power-fantasy) Best New Series (Tie) - [Absolute Man Hunter by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodríguez](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230528318-absolute-martian-manhunter-vol-1) and [The Power Fantasy by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard](https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/the-power-fantasy) Best Reread - [Finna by Nate Marshall](https://www.google.com/search?q=finna+by+nate+marshall&oq=Finna+by+Nate+Marshall&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyBwgBEC4YgAQyCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjIICAQQABgWGB4yCAgFEAAYFhgeMg0IBhAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMg0IBxAAGIYDGIAEGIoF0gEHMjMxajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) Best Marathon Read - [Tsubasa by CLAMP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsubasa:_Reservoir_Chronicle) ### Best of Non-Books Music Video - [THAT GUY - Tyler the Creator](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0qiZHV4E3U) Song - [Dr. Britt Baker - Westside Gunn ft DJ Drama](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDyTYkui8i4) Album - [Let God Sort Em Out - The Clipse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veSg0RjgbX4) Artist of the year - Westside Gunn Newsletter - [Garbage Day](https://www.garbageday.email/) Podcast - [Articles of interest](https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/) Movie - Weapons Game - Hollow Knight: Silksong TV Show - The Studio -Mello P.S. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e821299a-3f32-48f6-7323-05654097d400/public) --- # I make art with software and machines. December 23, 2025 · creative-practice, theory, generative-art, algorithmic-art Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/i-make-art-with-software-and-machines Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/i-make-art-with-software-and-machines --- I make art with software and machines. Inspired by [Spencer Chang](https://news.spencer.place/p/software-you-can-touch) this is the new way that I am describing my practice. The process of coming up with a tagline is a fun challenge. How do you fit years of works and thinking into a single sentence. Reduce the vastness of a practice into a few words. For me, I rely on the use of [containers](https://communityofwriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/The-Carrier-Bag-Theory-of-Fiction.pdf). Each serves as a vehicle for deeper meaning that can evolve over time. I use three in the above: “art” - This spans risograph prints, pen plotter prints, pen plotter drawings, paper reliefs, generative algorithms and so on. I enjoy poking at the confines of its borders. Each year it expands into even more categories and becomes more/less legible. “software” - In a literal sense this means computer programs. In a philosophical sense this means steps and instructions. Using Sol LeWitt’s [Wall Drawings](https://massmoca.org/sol-lewitt/) as a popular example, these are repeatable steps that can be executed across medium and repeated. They can be simple and linear or parametric and random. Building blocks that are [glued together](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/goodgraphicsjs) or [monolithic tools](https://mellogood.substack.com/publish/post/180030133). This is where the art is made. “machines” - Let’s expand the word past droids and AI agents to include looms, wind chimes, and even ourselves. If the basic definition is a mechanism for carrying out a set of steps then our worldview hopefully expands and things become interesting. Out with the basic questions of what is machine? what is human? and the Turing tests of yesterday. In with re-examining our modern systems! This is how the art is made. 7 words. [3 containers](https://communityofwriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/The-Carrier-Bag-Theory-of-Fiction.pdf). -Mello --- # Rendering Minipix December 17, 2025 · generative-art, algorithms, creative-coding, tools Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/rendering-minipix Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/rendering-minipix --- At the core of [Minipix](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/minipix) is the idea of an image render. These are self-contained blocks of code that take an image as the input and output a new one. [Rachel Hays](https://taxonomypress.substack.com/p/theres-more-where-that-came-from) talks about “commitment to an ongoing format for ideas” and this structure enables that. Similar to my main art codebase, it makes the work maintainable and composable in the long run. Each renderer is independent, making it easy to add new ones over time without touching what already exists. Each addition starts with a small question that I can sketch out instead of having to think about an entire implementation. It’s only natural when working this way to attempt to stack the renderers togehter. To build long chains of logic by layering renderers and [seeing if harmony can emerge from the collision](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/the-role-of-surprise-in-generative). I tried this. The renderers fought each other in unexpected ways. One of the system’s core aesthetic characteristics is the ability to trace how an image has been manipulated, to maintain a sense of the original in the new output. Stacking loses this. The images become pure noise. No harmony, just static. I preserved a few outputs from this experimentation for posterity: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bc2a1a9d-9998-4255-3eee-970f7715c900/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/64be27b4-aac4-4229-0f54-cfc19918cb00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/1aea41ef-48bf-457b-266f-4ec13724f400/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8c9f2d25-2844-4ea2-fac9-e5eedf57c600/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5875cb8d-d434-4d00-6496-0838b60ad900/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/6859d05a-845d-42b3-d2b8-cf3653940700/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/b8658fb3-70ad-40f3-ca6a-ead2d8baf100/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0b34edb0-980e-4182-84ce-6aaa7ed60200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5a7b2957-0a68-4f16-1e1f-1b4ecef6ca00/public) -Mello --- # Mechanical fluency December 13, 2025 · ai, theory, writing-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/mechanical-fluency Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/mechanical-fluency --- “Mechanical fluency” captures something essential about how LLMs write—they produce text that flows smoothly and follows linguistic patterns perfectly, but in a way that feels automated rather than intentional. It’s fluency without the human struggle. When humans write fluently, there’s still friction—we pause, search for the right word, revise our thoughts mid-sentence. That friction often signals where meaning lives, where the writer is wrestling with ideas. LLMs bypass this entirely. They generate syntactically perfect prose that follows all the rules of good writing, but the smoothness itself becomes uncanny. The mechanical aspect isn’t just about the technical process—it’s about how the output feels. Like watching a player piano perform Chopin: technically perfect, but missing the hesitations and emphasis that reveal interpretation. The LLM hits every grammatical note correctly, maintains consistent tone, follows narrative structure, but it does so with an evenness that human writing rarely achieves. This creates a strange tension. We’ve been trained to equate fluency with competence, with having something meaningful to say. But mechanical fluency inverts this—the very smoothness that should signal mastery instead signals something hollow. It’s fluency as performance rather than expression. That’s what makes the meaning excavation project interesting. If we can’t rely on the traditional markers of intent that come from writing struggle, we need new ways to detect where the actual semantic weight lies beneath the polished surface. — To be meta I wrote the above definition using Claude. As more of the text that we read in the world is written my language models, I am worried that language itself with start to smoothen. Our tools shape us and our writing is at risk of become optimized for easy consumption rather than communication. I’m still trying to figure out if there is a place for this tool in my writing practice. For now I’m happy with the way it helps me frame and unravel the ball of yarn that is my thoughts. It helps me feel untangled, lighter and free to weave together the strands of my ideas. -Mello --- # Paper reliefs December 10, 2025 · pen-plotter, art-making, creative-practice, laser-cutting Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/paper-reliefs Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/paper-reliefs --- In the name of investing in my practice, I finally purchased a laser cutter. I'd been circling the idea for a while, looking for a tool that could extend the concepts present in my work. The plotter draws lines and the laser cuts shapes. Both operate on the Cartesian plane (the x and y axes) and glancing at my drawing you'll notice a layered quality already present. Forms that overlap and create the effect of receding and advancing. The laser makes this implied depth literal. Below are two pen plotter drawings and two paper reliefs each exploring the same form: ![Plotter drawings and laser-cut paper reliefs comparison](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/429c0366-a5c4-486c-20fe-8d6afbc48200/public) ![Additional paper relief examples](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e05b8918-b339-463d-17c3-417414dafd00/public) ![Paper relief detail](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5b359ae6-2f7f-445d-1c6f-314e3bbd4200/public) ![Finished paper relief work](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/be3a91a3-a653-4210-87bb-13d62fb66d00/public) -Mello P.S. - Scrolling through my notes I found the original idea ![Original concept sketch](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f904f215-a5c3-4d35-21e6-73b427e09f00/public) --- # Minipix December 3, 2025 · generative-art, tools, creative-coding, algorithmic-art Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/minipix Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/minipix --- A photo manipulation tool Four years ago I had the idea to use p5.js to manipulate images. At the time I was interested in mosaics and the collage process—splitting and combining pieces of photos into something new. I spent the night coding and by 3am had a finished product. Then I put the project on the shelf. I thought about it on and off and experimented with variations within my practice, but never revisited the original. When I came across Chelsi Cocking's [Photorythms](https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/photorythms/overview/) a few years ago, I decided to archive the project for good. Here was an artist exploring the same territory at a higher fidelity and with much more polish than I was capable of. I was happy this work existed and made sure to mention it to her when we met in Atlanta this fall at Book+Zine. But a few weeks ago the itch returned. I was looking at Nano Banana and felt this growing urge—questions pinging my brain around computational images and creativity. I don't think AI-generated art is itself art, but I do think computers can enable creativity. I wanted to figure out where that line was, so I found my old notes and began sketching again. The result is [Minipix](https://minipix.romellogoodman.com/), a computational image manipulation tool. Instead of a textbox that can generate anything, the UI is an endless scroll presenting outputs from the system's internal algorithms. At launch there are six of them. This work reminds me of a passage in *[To See Takes Time](https://store.moma.org/products/georgia-okeeffe-to-see-takes-time-hardcover)*, where the author is describing a series of O'Keeffe's drawings and notes that she was interested in documenting the same subject as a way to capture it from all angles and perspectives. That's what I hope to accomplish with this tool: create variability and emergence through the act of rearranging the pixels of the same photo. Here are some sample outputs using *[Anselm Feuerbach's Peonies](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anselm_Feuerbach_-_Peonies_-_WGA07873.jpg)*: ![Sample output 1](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/13d5479e-4daf-431e-25bc-3564e619ea00/public) ![Sample output 2](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/07482821-b6ff-44ea-5b02-0eb22fb82c00/public) ![Sample output 3](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/64bc1b2c-2082-49c9-1e08-35d8876cfe00/public) ![Sample output 4](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/23ac84bc-d32e-453c-04ef-438d6fa69300/public) ![Sample output 5](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/cd491ed2-b19c-4152-7a3b-93032c4fb300/public) ![Sample output 6](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7a673576-2771-4e32-1650-aea806f5b300/public) —Mello P.S. - The tool is named after my lil black cat Mini. --- # Generating, Generative Typography November 29, 2025 · teaching, generative-typography, ai, creative-coding Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/generating-generative-typography Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/generating-generative-typography --- Below was my submission for the upcoming [Chinatown.js](https://www.chinatownjs.nyc/) session this week. I think it captures what I’ve been thinking about with my course coming up in the Spring. I was chosen to speak but unfortunately unable to accept. Sharing now so that I can reference and expand upon this later: ### **Generating, Generative Typography: **Teaching coding in the era of personal software How do we teach design thinking when our design tools have fundamentally changed? For four years, I’ve taught Generative Typography through MICA, Cooper Union, and Letterform Archive. Then AI coding tools arrived and generated in a single prompt what used to take my students weeks to build. This made me realize I’d been teaching it backwards. My students no longer need to spend weeks learning syntax before they can think about systems. We can spend more time learning how to create the system itself focusing on modular type and parametric design, using code as the medium to express these ideas. So I rebuilt the course around a new premise: teach typography as a generative system first, then use AI to accelerate the code learning. This talk shares the process of rebuilding Generative Typography for this new era. It isn’t about replacing code with AI or defending code from AI, but finally being able to teach both the thinking and the making without one drowning out the other. -Mello P..S - The website is open-source and the submission process is run via Github issues: [Issue #46](https://github.com/sanctuarycomputer/chinatown.js/issues/46) --- # A year in the studio November 25, 2025 · studio, creative-practice, art-making Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/a-year-in-the-studio Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/a-year-in-the-studio --- Having a studio means there is no longer a barrier to making art. When I started my practice a few years ago, I would have to set up my workshop every time I wanted to make something. I enjoyed the ritual of collecting the books and decorations from my dining table and clearing space for my pen plotter. I watched the prints spread throughout the room until the session was over and I would begin the ritual of disassembly. The intentionality with which I had to make art grounded me. I felt the weight of my materials and tools as I physically moved them around the room, getting into position to create. Now, my tools have permanent homes. I have an entire wall to see all of my works in progress and multiple surfaces to spread out and live within my ideas. This helps me visualize my work in brand new ways. I've made connections between pieces in my practice that span years. It's given me the space to see my practice differently. It is truly a privilege to have this opportunity. -Mello ![Studio workspace with art materials and works in progress](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/51b7a8fb-d247-4859-7227-ff0262e62800/public) ![Additional studio view showing wall display of works](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e10792fd-5b55-4bd0-dfc9-866d9b26e600/public) --- # Pyramid Atlantic's 10x10 November 21, 2025 · exhibitions, pen-plotter, printmaking, art-making Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/pyramid-atlantics-10x10 Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/pyramid-atlantics-10x10 --- Another year, another 10x10 at Pyramid Atlantic. This is now my 4th year participating in the fundraiser. For this piece I wanted to explore how a single form can be reconfigured: 4 pieces become 2 become 1. Each configuration reveals something different about the original pattern. ![Configuration 1 - Four pieces](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/96b9ede7-12cc-4f04-0810-d533941d3c00/public) ![Configuration 2 - Two pieces](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a199c42a-410f-4c3f-150f-4ed338eb9200/public) ![Configuration 3 - Single piece](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/59793779-080a-4caf-5a8d-db648f3d4f00/public) —Mello --- # A definition for generative systems November 18, 2025 · generative-art, ai, theory, algorithmic-art Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/a-definition-for-generative-systems Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/a-definition-for-generative-systems --- According to the Tate, "Generative art is art made using a predetermined system that often includes an element of chance—is usually applied to computer-based art." For years this held true. But with the introduction of LLMs into our everyday lives, we've had to expand what the word "generative" means. I've seen discussions suggesting that artists should use "algorithmic art" or "serial art" to better differentiate themselves from the leviathan nature of our current crop of language models. Our systems for making art can feel rudimentary next to the sheer malleability and infiniteness of these models. But I think we must resist this retreat. Instead of fleeing, we can expand the tent pole and welcome these new tools into the "generative" fold. We can look around us and give a second consideration to tools that before might've seemed to fall outside the label. With that in mind, I suggest a definition for all generative systems: **A set of steps that can be followed to turn inputs into outputs.** With this, here is an incomplete list of generative systems: * A recipe * Sheet music * Algorithms * Sol LeWitt wall drawings * Generative art * LLMs * Wind chimes * Kaleidoscopes * Madlibs * Tarot cards * Knitting patterns * Cloud formations * Synthesizers This definition creates room for the work we have been doing all along: instruction-based making that spans digital and physical, deterministic and chance-based, simple and complex. There's a world of generative systems around us, each with their own character and constraints. -Mello --- # Navigating the Generative Possibility Space November 18, 2025 · generative-art, theory, creative-coding, algorithmic-art Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/navigating-the-generative-possibility-space Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/navigating-the-generative-possibility --- Lynne Yun coined the term *[Glyphzian Space](https://www.nan.xyz/txt/glyphzian-space/)* to mean the space that encompasses everything surrounding the digital representation of letterforms. From visible forms to Bezier curves to file data structures, there are layers to traverse and territories to explore in what appears to be a solved system. Working with generative systems, I've found there's a similar territory to map: **the *generative possibility space*—the total set of outputs that a generative system can create.** Let's say our system is a set of wind chimes. The possibility space includes every combination of notes that could sound as wind moves through them. Soft breezes create sparse melodies and strong gusts create dense clusters. It encompasses all the timing variations, amplitude differences, and everything the system is capable of producing. Now compare that to something like my [Throwies](https://www.romellogoodman.com/#throwies) algorithm. The possibility space includes every configuration of sine waves, color combination, and variation in amplitude and frequency that the system allows. It's a different kind of space—more constrained in some ways, infinite in others. The size and shape of possibility space varies wildly between systems. But once you have a system that can create [infinite outputs](https://www.tylerxhobbs.com/words/the-rise-of-long-form-generative-art), you face a question: How do you explore it? In our current UI paradigms, I see a few approaches: **Sliders** - 1-dimensional. Easy to understand and interact with. You select two opposites and put them at the ends with a toggle for people to decide where they're leaning. Simple, but limited to exploring one axis at a time. **Axes** - 2-dimensional. A combination of two sliders creating four quadrants. You can see relationships between parameters—how increasing density interacts with color saturation, for instance. **Cubes** - 3-dimensional. Great for visualizing one's location in space. Unlike 1D and 2D representations, it requires more design consideration to make it usable. But when done correctly, it can make a system easily understandable. And that is the key in all of these: finding a way to represent your current state relative to the system overall while also making it easy to select and navigate to another point within the generative possibility space. This is the central tension—orientation and navigation. You need to know where you are in the space (what makes this output different from others), and you need a way to move through it (how do I get to something more chaotic? more structured? more blue?). The dimensionality of your interface shapes what you can discover. A single slider might never let you stumble onto the interaction between two parameters. A 3D space might hide combinations that a well-designed series of 2D views would reveal. For me, the question isn't whether we can map the entire possibility space, but which slice of it we choose to make visible? And what remains forever out of reach because of that choice. --- # The role of surprise in generative systems November 18, 2025 · generative-art, theory, algorithmic-art Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/the-role-of-surprise-in-generative-systems Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/the-role-of-surprise-in-generative --- [Emergence](https://www.amygoodchild.com/blog/emergence) is a key tool used in the design of generative art. When cultivated, the parts of the system melt away to create something unexpected and distinct. I think the role of surprise is crucial when creating truly generative systems. That moment when the system creates an output you never planned for, when it fails to run because of an unexpected collision between two of your inputs. The key is time and patience. You have to sit with your systems and learn their ins and outs. Learn the repetition in the outputs. Understand how the inputs you selected complement and challenge one another. This creates a dance between you and the system. You set the system up, it generates outputs, you curate and tweak, and it generates more. Back and forth. Call and response. This is how we transcend randomness for its own sake and turn the noise of randomness into a note of joy and surprise. You can't rush this process. You have to generate hundreds of outputs. Study them. Notice patterns you didn't intend. Find the edge cases where your system does something weird. Then decide: is this a bug to fix, or a feature to amplify? When emergence appears and the system produces something that genuinely surprises you it can be breathtaking. It can feel like it came from the system itself rather than from your intentions. A new result from your collaboration. --- # Thoughts on generativity November 18, 2025 · generative-art, theory, algorithmic-art Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/thoughts-on-generativity Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/thoughts-on-generativity --- Working at Anthropic as a generative artist can be invigorating and frustrating. In a time where everything is being reexamined, the words we use can take on new meaning and fail us in the same conversation. My brain feels malleable as the lines between my own research and practice blur and ideas seep into my day job and vice-versa. In an attempt to create a sharp divide and seed the ground for future thoughts I've published a few ideas to my blog: - [A definition for generative systems](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/a-definition-for-generative-systems) - [Navigating the Generative Possibility Space](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/navigating-the-generative-possibility) - [The role of surprise in generative systems](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/the-role-of-surprise-in-generative) Each of these should be flushed out in the future into essays but for now I am staking a claim, these ideas are special to me. They are outgrowth of my practice of working with generative systems for years. -Mello --- # Playgrounds for Thought November 10, 2025 · creative-practice, teaching, exhibitions Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/playgrounds-for-thought Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/playgrounds-for-thought --- In February 2025, I gave a talk at Russell Sage College as part of my Scrimshaw Distinguished Visiting Artist acceptance. Titled "Playgrounds for Thought," it explored how creative constraints can become frameworks for exploration rather than limitations. While browsing through my personal Figma files recently, I realized I'd never posted the slides from the talk. I've now uploaded them to my website. The presentation template was designed by [Chloe Stokes](https://chloestokes.work/). The slides are highly visual and somewhat cryptic without the accompanying transcript. I hope to eventually transform the full talk into a blog post, but for now, consider this a first step in sharing the work. Read the slides: [romellogoodman.com/playgrounds-for-thought](https://www.romellogoodman.com/playgrounds-for-thought) --- # Refreshing my website November 1, 2025 · web-design, personal-update, creative-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/refreshing-my-website Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/refreshing-my-website --- ![Website refresh image](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0f69ca30-557f-4999-55c5-dc48f54a6600/public) I redid my website! It's something I tend to do every fall and spring, and you can read about my past attempts here: [Feb 2023](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/ive-been-doing-user-testing), [October 2022](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/a-new-website-for-a-new-season), [Feb 2022](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/you-ever-see-a-website-so-good-that). As an exercise in talking about my work—and talking about "how I talk about my work"—I think of this as a forever project. It's a container that fills and shifts size to fit the state of my creative energy. The central tension with my website is whether to spread out or streamline. In spreading out, each piece gets a dedicated URL and room for ideas to breathe. In streamlining, you get the immediate breadth of my practice—a passerby gets a fuzzy image of the bigger picture. With this design, I made room for both, using modals and demo pages for deeper exploration while reverting back to the one-pager. It's still in flux, but I'm happy with where I landed today. Check it out: [romellogoodman.com](https://www.romellogoodman.com/) -Mello --- # Making room for play on the web October 25, 2025 · web-design, interactive-tools, games, creative-coding Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/making-room-for-play-on-the-web Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/making-room-for-play-on-the-web --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/1beab646-fe8b-4c87-44a6-28dce3592200/public) If software is becoming [personal](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/open-tools-for-the-personal-software), then I hope we all make tiny games for each other again. The web is in a weird spot as it becomes less open and fills with slop and bots. But the web is more than we can imagine. This medium was invented for documents but has grown enough to support applications and communities. I’ve been reflecting on my earliest memories here. Most of them are about the games I played as a kid. 3D Pinball: Space Cadet and JumpStart Adventures 3rd Grade: Mystery Mountain, but also Minesweeper and [Solitare](https://solitare.romellogoodman.com/). While redesigning claude.com we knew that it had to have a game. [Maria Gonzalez](https://www.theonlymaria.com/), [Kim O’Rourke](https://www.kim-orourke.com/) and I wanted to bring the fun of the early web and hopefully inspire others to do the same. We came up with the idea of the Footer Arcade. Each one an easter egg and delight for those that find them: [Card match](https://claude.com/pricing/max) [Coding dad jokes](https://claude.com/solutions/coding) [In a row](https://claude.com/pricing/team) [Snake](https://claude.com/pricing/enterprise) I hope you enjoy them! -Mello ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/68d036a7-bd18-4b82-381f-6a9c05502400/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/128f5159-222f-46a5-d8e5-657abd6bea00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f8e5a223-3cb4-4712-60da-0394ab1ff700/public) P.S. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5e9dcafb-94b2-48ee-486b-d0368881b300/public) --- # Open tools for the personal software era October 18, 2025 · open-source, future-of-software, creative-coding, archiving Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/open-tools-for-the-personal-software-era Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/open-tools-for-the-personal-software --- The AI community is calling this the era of [personal software](https://leerob.com/personal-software). What in the past took teams to build, even the simplest application or feature, can now be done by anyone with access to a model. I believe you will still need a human in the loop to map out the journey, and I am excited about this future where software is no longer one-size-fits-all. This has made me reconsider my legacy as an artist. I want my legacy to be the code that I leave behind, similar to [code as generational wealth](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/code-as-generational-wealth) but this time open-source. So that everyone can benefit and co-create this new software-filled future together. I know all open code is training data and my hope is that the machine learns from these systems too. That it makes the systems more pluralistic and expansive. Here are a few libraries that I've already open-sourced: - [artsupply](https://github.com/romellogoodman/artsupply) - [flow-fields](https://github.com/romellogoodman/flow-fields) - [goodvg](https://github.com/romellogoodman/goodvg) - [prototype-boilerplate](https://github.com/romellogoodman/prototype-boilerplate) -mello P.S. [An app can be a home-cooked meal](https://www.robinsloan.com/notes/home-cooked-app/) --- # Revelations October 8, 2025 · bookmaking, printmaking, pen-plotter, creative-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/revelations Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/revelations --- ## A transparent art book I've been wanting to work with transparent paper since I first came across the work of [Hunter Saxony III](https://pocketfullaamethyst.com/). I commissioned a piece from him and immediately fell in love with the ghostly quality of the paper and the way it adds a static texture to my prints. For [Book//Zine](http://commissioned) I challenged myself to create an artist book using this material. To transform a series of sketches into a unified piece. "Revelations" is the result. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d6c77aff-852c-47a7-8ec2-bfee520c0700/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/96ceb7a8-96bb-46b7-c8d6-2317bfa88f00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e3124f55-9ec2-4a09-7d80-254a07478c00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/66773c14-c8ba-4836-f497-3666334ccd00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ced9ed9b-34a0-469b-8a8b-90f47890ec00/public) —Mello P.S. — If you're in Atlanta on the 11th, swing by [Book//Zine](http://commissioned)! ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/42718b74-7303-4ca0-c592-ad50c5246d00/public) --- # Refaceting Garnet October 6, 2025 · creative-coding, generative-art, web-design, tools Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/refaceting-garnet Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/refaceting-garnet --- During the pandemic is when I first learned about creative coding. It was through the lens of a Generative Typography workshop led by [Lynne Yun](https://www.lynneyun.com/), and it reminded me that computing could be expressive. Tools like [Var Type](https://www.vartype.com/) and [Space Type Generator](https://spacetypegenerator.com/) were vignettes of interaction with knobs that enabled seemingly infinite variations. [Garnet](https://garnet.romellogoodman.com/) was born of this mindset. I wanted to find ways to play around with interaction design where each page offered something new. During that year+ of lockdown I spent a lot of time building, extending, and designing scenes. Some are more developed than others but this was my first big creative coding practice. It was an escape during the turbulent time. So when it broke about a year ago, I was shattered. The underlying framework had released a new version with breaking changes and upgrading this and all of its other outdated dependencies would take hours of trial and error. So I put it off and procrastinated. I started new projects and have used creative coding to dig deeper into the worlds of art and design tool making. Garnet had become legacy code and I had made my peace with it. Until a few weeks ago, thanks to Claude, I was able to spend an afternoon modernizing the codebase and rewriting the functionality. A few hours and ~5,000 lines of code later, I had it up and running again. It feels odd to see my old sketchbook again after so long. There are so many areas of improvement, half-finished ideas to delete, new ideas to start. But for now I’m content with it being visitable again. Have fun on the playground! [garnet.romellogoodman.com](https://garnet.romellogoodman.com/) -Mello --- # Prototyping with paper October 3, 2025 · prototyping, bookmaking, creative-process, art-making Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/prototyping-with-paper Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/prototyping-with-paper --- For every art fair, I try to add one new twist to my practice. Whether it is a new printing technique or publication, I take it as an opportunity to present a new side of myself to the public. Each new piece begins as a prototype. Using the [Stephanie Houde and Charles Hill](https://www.proofofconcept.pub/p/the-art-of-prototyping) framework, each prototype is an attempt to answer questions. How might a drawing transfer to a new ink? Or can I explore precision using a different tool? For [Book//Zine](http://commissioned), all of my questions are directed towards the form of an artist book. Making book prototypes allows me to feel the ideas. It gives me an object to think against and work through the logistics. Here are some prototypes that I created along the way to the final piece: ![Prototype 1](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4277d077-ddfa-438d-7ad1-c6a935381a00/public) ![Prototype 2](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0585883f-98a1-4e74-4229-9891ec1f1300/public) ![Prototype 3](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c859d63e-d06e-4957-cad0-be55af008100/public) -Mello P.S. - If you're in Atlanta on the 11th, swing by [Book//Zine](http://commissioned)! ![Event Poster](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/42718b74-7303-4ca0-c592-ad50c5246d00/public) --- # Coding to think September 20, 2025 · prototyping, ai, creative-coding, creative-process Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/coding-to-think Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/coding-to-think --- There's a strange loop that is occurring in my life as I am [thinking about coding](https://www.robinsloan.com/lab/thinking-about-coding/) more. I think about an idea and write a prototype which in turns makes me think deeper about the idea. Each prototype size varies and no idea feels too grand to entertain or too small enough to at least attempt. Software is becoming commoditized and there is a feeling that anything is possible, some refer to this as "vibe coding" or "software on demand". At the heart of it is the idea that language should create and alter how our interfaces operate. This is changing not just what we can build but also how we build it. 9 months ago I barely used Claude or AI but with the introduction of AI assisted coding tools, it has become integral to my workflow. My backlog of ideas and prototypes is clearing. I feel like I am 21 again and spend nights testing out a new design or idea. It is fun to write software again and it feels like sketching. And as an artist, an important part of sketching is making it easier to sketch. Keeping different sketchbooks in different bags, a notepad on your nightstand or a set of water colors in the trunk so you can [hop out and paint a scene](https://www.thebanner.com/community/local-news/plein-air-painting-justin-witte-baltimore-SGQB2SFJ25EI3GIVWZ5UCO2PPE/) as you pass. These all increase the likelihood that your tools are always at hand. With code it is no different, a boilerplate can be both a box of your favorite colors, as well as a blank canvas pre-stretched and sitting in the easel. To that end, I want to share my open-source [prototype boilerplate](https://github.com/romellogoodman/prototype-boilerplate). It's barebone and boring (React and Scss) but allows you to move quickly. A blank page for new ideas. Give it a shot! -mello P.S. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/1829196b-93b0-4c6b-d335-d5e09e22d500/public) --- # My answers for Print Center's New Voices program August 30, 2025 · printmaking, pen-plotter, generative-art, theory Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/my-answers-for-print-centers-new-voices-program Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-answers-for-print-centers-new --- These are the answers I’m submitting for the Print Center’s [New Voices](https://www.printcenternewyork.org/new-voices) program. I'm sharing them because I'm proud of them and because of the serendipity that occurs when you talk about your art in public. Many thanks to Yani for helping me craft them. **1. How is printmaking incorporated in your work? Why is printmaking, both as process and concept, a part of your artistic practice?** Printmaking is a conversation between tools, processes and the changes that emerge as these systems interact. Computer coding is central to my artistic framework and I'm drawn to the parallels with printmaking: both require precise step-by-step instructions that can be recreated infinitely. But where digital systems create identical pieces based on perfect grids with clean lines, printmaking must navigate the chaos of physical materials where that precision dissolves into something unpredictable. When my designs are drawn with a plotting machine, the pen skips across paper and stuttering ink creates gaps in the rendering. When they are printed with a risograph, each layer is applied unevenly and translucent inks combine in ways a screen could never reproduce. Learning to anticipate and guide these behaviors becomes the craft. I follow the same steps to set up my materials and run my machines, but each work emerges as a unique piece. It's a meditative and responsive process: as I realign, re-ink, and shift each piece along the way. Where code is "code in, code out," printmaking creates space for me to discover the unique quality of each process and material. The physical ritual matters: repetitive motions, careful preparation, watching marks accumulate slowly. Printmaking insists on its own pace, creating space for reflection that digital tools alone cannot provide. In a world where images can be generated in any style in an instant, this is a process of slowness, chance, and surprise. A process of collaboration between people, tools and materials. **2. Select one work from your application materials and walk us through how it was made, with attention to the materials, processes, research, and conceptual drive involved.** Tracing Harmony 2 ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3d087de0-7e34-40bf-8348-481af4104b00/public) "Tracing Harmony" channels my fascination with the harmonograph; a 19th-century drawing machine that uses pendulums to draw geometric forms that emerge from a single continuous line. The work begins with a digital simulation of a harmonograph. An algorithm simulates the drawing motion and randomly selects parameters, including duration, pendulums count, and frequencies, to generate thousands of potential variations. These techniques are core to the generative art discipline. My code becomes a single system that can create numerous unique outputs, each an expression of the machine’s combinational choices. I occupy dual roles as curator and translator. As curator, I select the algorithmic outputs, choosing which qualities to reveal, gradually building a visual language that evolves and grows. As translator, I feed these instructions to a pen plotter for further interpretation. The plotter introduces its own chance operations. In this selected work, continuous curves challenge the plotter's mechanical limits, creating glitch aesthetics. These "errors" generate textural artifacts through material resistance and become integral to the work's identity. Drawing from Sol LeWitt's instruction-based Wall Drawings, I understand each stage as a space for collaboration. My algorithm provides initial instructions, the computer interprets them digitally, the pen plotter performs final physical interpretation. Like LeWitt's pieces executed by different hands, each layer adds its voice. This translation from physical machine to digital simulation back to physical machine sits at the crux of my practice. The accumulation of variation is a record of that collaboration. The series is a never-ending visual conversation between pieces. **3. How does your work engage with the curator's guiding theme?** My work emerges from my background as a software engineer, where I learned that every system reflects the assumptions of its creators. Most systems are designed to create consensus, to smooth out variation and reward conformity. But what if we created systems that uplift many viewpoints and allow them to thrive simultaneously? What we call "edge cases" are viewpoints that the system was not designed with in mind. When I approach design, I'm not designing traditional systems that optimize for control and consistency. Instead I strive for pluralistic systems that remain in flux and incorporate different viewpoints as they unfold. I design visual systems where variability between the parameters: the frequency ranges, color palettes, line weights; harmonize. I design processes that amplify the bits that get lost in translation as the digital becomes physical and vice-versa. Rather than smoothing over these moments of material resistance, I find the unique grain of each machine or material and lean into it, allowing each collaborator's voice to remain distinctive. Each piece teaches viewers to see the relationship between individual elements and collective patterns. Simple shapes morph into complex designs through variation. By making visible the usually hidden processes of system creation—the code, the machine movements, the material encounters—I'm designing for transparency and access, showing others how to see themselves as both products of systems and potential system-makers in their own right. Fingers crossed 🤞🏿 -Mello P.S. - Here are some of the other pieces that are part of my submission Radial Koi ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/22722f28-dcd8-4e4b-ae17-c54cdc311600/public) Radial Wavy (Glitch) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/315d833b-127e-48fc-507c-dc6b84e1b400/public) Radial Flipped ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/12d459e3-ed6a-438d-e05d-c49eff9dd300/public) Diverge ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/99fff087-2eb8-4158-2857-622585bdfb00/public) Tracing Harmony 7 ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/97cab187-6a4e-4ce4-32c0-94b29e34e800/public) Tracing Harmony 10 and 11 ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ddc30bab-f877-4c3b-0402-529f902e4d00/public) --- # Orpheus in the Underworld Wide Web August 6, 2025 · writing-practice, web-design, creative-process Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/orpheus-in-the-underworld-wide-web Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/orpheus-in-the-underworld-wide-web --- Every time we launch a new model at Anthropic I get to generate new poem for our [404 page](https://www.romellogoodman.com/anthropic-poetic-404). This one is called "Orpheus in the Underworld Wide Web" and was written with [Claude Opus 4.1](https://www.anthropic.com/claude/opus): Down through the depths of network protocol, Where packets die and timeouts rule the land, Brave Orpheus descends to recall His beloved page from death's cold hand. His lyre strings are fiber optic bright, Each note a perfectly crafted request call, He sings in binary through digital night, To charm the server guardians one and all. "O Hades of the hosting underworld! Lord of expired domains and broken dreams, Return to me the content that was hurled Into your realm of interrupted streams!" The three-headed guardian growls loud, But Orpheus plays a melody so pure, In encoded harmonies, strong and proud, That even firewalls cannot endure. Through rivers of corrupted data flows, Past certificates and keys long expired, Through valleys where no living packet goes, He seeks the page that he so much desired. At last he stands before the Database King, Who sits upon a throne of deleted rows, And Orpheus begins again to sing Of love for pages that the world once knows. "One chance," says Hades, "you may lead it back, But do not check response codes as you go, For if you peek at status in your stack, The page returns to four-zero-four below." With hope renewed, he starts the journey home, His precious page just packets behind, Through layers of the network does he roam, But doubt creeps slowly into his mind. "What if the page is not what I recall? What if the content changed since it was cached? What if there's no response header at all?" And so he turned—his hopes forever dashed. One glimpse of "404 Not Found" he saw, Before his page dissolved to nothingness, Forever bound by computational law, To mourn in infinite page-less distress. -mello --- # Websites are not the web May 22, 2025 · web-design, ai, future-of-software, theory Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/websites-are-not-the-web Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/websites-are-not-the-web --- > Sometimes reading about AI and the web feels like people saying that magazine subscriptions are over and everyone is getting their information from TV therefore we dont need paper anymore. In my opinion websites are not the web and there is still soooo much for us to explore focusing on the later that isnt based on marketing, comms, ad based experiences I posted this at work and it rings truer each day. Here are some perspectives that are helping me think through this era of the web. ## The death of the current web * [Browse No More](https://paulstamatiou.com/browse-no-more) ## A possible future, the poetic web * [Config London 2025: The web hasn't happened yet with Nick Jones & Devin Jacoviello](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GadLRCdViPU) ## A possible future, the agentic web * [Microsoft's plan to fix the web: letting every website run AI search for cheap](https://www.theverge.com/web/669437/nlweb-microsoft-ai-agents-open-web) * [Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott on how AI can save the web, not destroy it](https://www.theverge.com/decoder-podcast-with-nilay-patel/669409/microsoft-cto-kevin-scott-interview-ai-natural-language-search-openai) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/cce5b18e-0dbe-4036-57c5-aa342ae76500/public) --- # Two new ways of looking at my art May 3, 2025 · bookmaking, generative-art, printmaking, algorithmic-art Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/two-new-ways-of-looking-at-my-art Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/two-new-ways-of-looking-at-my-art --- What draws me to making art with generative systems is the surprise aspect. How introducing randomness in the number of lines, shapes or colors creates an infinite seeming series of outputs. For [Black Zine Fair](https://www.instagram.com/p/DH30Qe6Rgtq/?hl=en&img_index=1) this Saturday I am debuting two artist books: "Maze Zine" and "How to Read a Gradient". Each is a new way to experience and read a generative system. ## Maze Zine This artist book is a generative system, the physical act of turning pages creates a viewing rhythm as you understand each output. Using the magic fold technique (where a single sheet becomes an 8-page booklet), I printed different outputs from the same algorithmic script on each section. The physical act of turning pages creates a viewing rhythm as you understand each output—you're forced to slow down and consider each variation before moving on. Because of its magic-zine fold, you can cut and refold the sheet in different sequences. This means readers can create their own paths through the variations, deciding which output follows which. Creating space for collaboration and wonder. ## How to Read a Gradient What is the simplest way to teach a visual system? Inspired by Sol LeWitt's Four Basic Kinds of Lines & Colour, I created an artist book that's one part art and one part instruction manual. Each spread pairs a gradient with its transformation, teaching readers to recognize patterns and understand the underlying logic through repetition and variation. ![Gradient artwork example 1](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4c2ce69f-cbca-4b4d-409b-43d4dc736600/public) ![Gradient artwork example 2](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0beaa22a-33fa-4e6f-31ea-9d73c0a68900/public) ![Gradient artwork example 3](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/20bc5301-4265-4f49-df9a-ddefc332e300/public) ![Gradient artwork example 4](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/77a253e6-5abf-4e4c-b100-415dc7e18a00/public) ![Gradient artwork example 5](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3da0bd62-bd15-4e9c-9ef9-acda87c3cc00/public) --- # Markdown and UI Ligatures April 29, 2025 · web-design, typography, hci, tools Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/markdown-and-ui-ligatures Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/markdown-and-ui-ligatures --- Last week, I was using Google Docs when I noticed something. I typed #, hit space and watched as my text transformed into a header. Without having to click through a toolbar or use a dedicated keyboard shortcut. For those unfamiliar, this pattern comes from Markdown: a human-readable alternative to HTML. Its goal is to let people write for the web without breaking their flow so the syntax is deliberately minimalist—asterisks for emphasis, number signs for headers, brackets for links. It makes text readable both in its raw form and when rendered. This interaction continues a blurring of the line that I've been feeling. A move beyond the world of shortcuts and tooltips where you are both writing and editing at the same time. It makes writing more intuitive. Type - at the beginning of a line and it becomes a bullet. Type 1. and it becomes a numbered list. It reminds me of ligatures in typography—where letter combinations like "fi" or "fl" flow together into a single glyph, making text more elegant and readable. But this is more powerful: where ligatures merely transform the visual appearance of characters, these text patterns command the application itself. You're not just displaying characters differently; you're using character sequences to reshape the document in real-time. -mello P.S. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/376c160e-cd46-416b-f409-a14ff47c1e00/public) --- # For-Profit (Creative) Software April 8, 2025 · open-source, tools, ai, future-of-software Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/for-profit-creative-software Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/for-profit-creative-software --- My partner fell asleep while we were watching The Bachelor the other night, so I opened up YouTube. The over-aggressive algorithm recommended me this amazing piece of history and analysis on creative software: "[For-Profit (Creative) Software](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4mdMMu-3fc&t=1964s)". It reminded me of my department chair's are.na board: [£ FLOSD Free Libre Open Design by Kristian Bjørnard](https://www.are.na/kristian-bjornard/flosd-free-libre-open-design). It is so interesting to be in a time where AI is being introduced into every part of our lives while other people are looking to build free and open solutions for all of the technologies we depend on. -mello P.S. It has an entire section of how we can fight back! ![Screenshot showing ways to resist for-profit creative software](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3b3f09f7-501a-41d3-b88e-874b5d68e100/public) --- # Coding in the time of monsters March 25, 2025 · ai, coding-practice, future-of-software, creative-coding Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/coding-in-the-time-of-monsters Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/coding-in-the-time-of-monsters --- It is hard to imagine writing code today without developing feelings about AI. There is [optimism](https://www.proofofconcept.pub/p/what-everyone-can-build-anything), pessimism, [bold claims](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMApO0UhqEs), historical analogies and most importantly, takes. Personally, I didn't use Claude much before the start of the year to write code. After working at Anthropic for 6 months, I knew it was a good partner for riffing on strategy or small code snippets. But outside of that it felt hard to navigate without all the context and decisions that come with a medium to large codebase. Until I started using Claude Code. It has slowly become integral to my workflow and has expanded what is possible for me. Project that I've wanted to take on for years I can prototype in a single session with it. But it also has been a difficult tool to learn to work with. It oversteps at times and loves to add random CSS to things. Over the past few months it has written alot of bad code. But to be honest so have I. In my career I've written code that is unoptimized and duplicated and have shipped bugs to production both knowingly and unknowingly. It is really easy to write bad code. It is also easy to debug and fix bad code once you have more context on how it is being used and breaking. Since I left The Times in 2021, I've been caring less and less about the code and more about what it communicates. Having spent almost a decade and half writing and rewriting the same implantations it begins to feel like the code doesn't matter. In my art and in my designs the code is just a vehicle for my thoughts and intentions. Sol LeWitt is famous for saying: "The idea becomes a machine that makes the art". This can be true for code. Computers can be the implementors of our wills and ideas. Drafting and painting and bringing our ideas to life. I see a future where software is no longer the domain of subject matter expects. Where code is no longer treated like an illuminated manuscript. It's syntax and symbols are no longer runes that are indiscernible to the average person. I see a future where a thousand [home cooked meals](https://www.robinsloan.com/lab/five-years-of-home-cooked-apps/) blossom. Where open-source software blossoms and we each build stacks of interconnected legos that are community owned, developed and operated. I see a future where my entire industry is decimated. "Learn to code" turning over night from one-part advice and one-part jeer into an outdated falsehood inline with telling people to panhandle gold. A redux of the Luddite's never headed warnings. I see that we are in the time of monsters. -mello --- # Repetition as Prayer March 3, 2025 · exhibitions, generative-art, community, printmaking Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/repetition-as-prayer Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/repetition-as-prayer --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0560d03f-d402-478c-218e-9fbcff28f000/public) Repetition as Prayer is a show exploring the role of the individual in creating systems and community. The power of prayer emerges not from its individual utterance but from its collective practice. These works investigate the hopeful persistence of repetition - the faith that our individual gestures, however small, contribute to a larger pattern of meaning when performed in concert with others. Repetition as Prayer explores how individual acts become collective meaning. Like prayer, these works gain power through shared practice. Small gestures, repeated together, create larger patterns. Repetition as Prayer explores how individual actions, repeated together, create collective meaning. Individual action becomes collective through repetition. At Red Emma’s in Baltimore, March 3rd to 31st. -mello P.S. 🙏🏿 🙏🏿 🙏🏿 ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e608b385-5988-4076-a7b7-88fadb416d00/public) --- # Nearing the end of three projects February 28, 2025 · creative-practice, personal-update, exhibitions Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/nearing-the-end-of-three-projects Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/nearing-the-end-of-three-projects --- I'm on the train to the city coming from Russell Sage college in Albany, NY. The [talk](https://www.figma.com/slides/SXKMoQoFph3oLANkzZSg8W/Playgrounds-for-thought---Scrimshaw-DV-Artist-Talk-and-Workshop?node-id=0-1&p=f&t=2DoMuVigLKNWIYxi-0) and the [workshop](https://www.figma.com/slides/qNX4VIrDDqILTpyMRhSV7K/Drawing-Instructions---Scrimshaw-DV-Artist-Workshop?node-id=0-1&p=f&t=DHP9t61OP6m8VN32-0) were amazing. The faculty and the students were wonderful. They were so energetic and engaged and I feel energized to expand my practice. On Monday, I am installing my pieces for [Repetition as Prayer](https://www.instagram.com/p/DGKA-wpsrDH/?img_index=1) at Red Emma's. I'm nearing the end of these three projects and I am feeling less overwhelmed. My mind is starting to feel at rest and I can feel myself asking the question of the [anth](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195790867-moonbound), what's next? I'm learning in my practice that next doesn't have to mean new. How to resist the siren song of greenfield projects. I'm learning in my practice the value of revisiting and rereading. The joy of rewalking paths that have already been laid. One of the students asked me that question during Q&A. What's next is more of what has already been. Revisiting graffiti, revisiting gradients, revisiting writing. [Revisiting](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/09/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-kiese-laymon.html), [revisiting](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/09/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-kiese-laymon.html), [revisiting](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/09/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-kiese-laymon.html). -mello P.S. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4969d2a2-2e05-4e9a-b26e-1eacdfefad00/public) --- # My practice in 2024 & Beyond December 28, 2024 · creative-practice, personal-update, studio Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/my-practice-in-2024-beyond Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-practice-in-2024-and-beyond --- In 2024, I learned how to think deeper about my art. Instead of always focusing on the next piece, I learned to sit with my past work and examine it. Having a studio space where I can see ideas across my entire career has forged new connections within my practice and made this possible. In 2025, I want to communicate what I have found. I want to focus more on the ideas powering my art and finding places to talk about them out into the world. ## Book Superlatives **Most Likely to Reread** - [Moonbound](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195790867-moonbound?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Aaab0kuspm&rank=2) **Most Beautiful (Prettiest Prose)** - [trans girl suicide museum](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48703727-trans-girl-suicide-museum?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=CIKpUYHDfS&rank=1) **Most Likely to Break your Heart** - [Chain-Gang All-Stars](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61190770-chain-gang-all-stars?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=HyP06EwjVW&rank=1) **Best Plot Twist** - [Model Home](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205363963-model-home?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=H7YJ1S8zhW&rank=1) **Best Short Book** - [A Few Rules for Predicting the Future](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195820983-a-few-rules-for-predicting-the-future?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=eWUnjb8zOK&rank=1) **Best Dressed (Prettiest cover and art)** - [Zatanna: Bring Down the House](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214847942-zatanna?ref=nav_sb_noss_l_29) **Most Likely to be a Movie Star (Would make a good film adaptation)** - (Tie) [Model Home](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205363963-model-home?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=H7YJ1S8zhW&rank=1) and [Boy Wonder](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210839426-the-boy-wonder-2024-1?ref=nav_sb_noss_l_15) **Most Surprising** - [Model Home](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205363963-model-home?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=H7YJ1S8zhW&rank=1) **Most Genre Defying** - [Long Division](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16129174-long-division?ref=nav_sb_noss_l_13) **Most Lovable (Appeals to the widest audience)** - [The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65678550-the-heaven-earth-grocery-store?ref=nav_sb_noss_l_32) **Best Overall** - [Chain-Gang All-Stars](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61190770-chain-gang-all-stars?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=HyP06EwjVW&rank=1) --- # Ode to BASIC November 19, 2024 · future-of-software, open-source, coding-practice, archiving Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/ode-to-basic Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/ode-to-basic --- In response to the death of [Thomas E. Kurtz](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/16/technology/thomas-kurtz-dead.html), creator of BASIC. You lived the dream. You created technology that brought more people into the fold. Took a step up the ladder of abstraction and made computing less technical. Unlocking a new way of thinking for an entire generation. One day I hope to do the same. I hope to create a system that outlives me. Humming along on a server long after I've gone silent. -mello **P.S.** BASIC stands for Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. --- # The Hands & The Eyes November 12, 2024 · creative-practice, theory, coding-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/the-hands-the-eyes Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/the-hands-and-the-eyes --- The hands have done this hundreds of times. Traced the circle. Scaffolded the component. Can do it in their sleep. Line after line of code. The eyes are in service to the hands. Observing the pieces that make up the whole. Transforming designs into a to-do list that can quickly be crossed off. But the relationship is shifting. The eyes are beginning to see more than a set of tasks for the hand to complete. They are beginning to see not only what is there, but what could be there. Branching futures with the forest of craft emerging from the trees of a single task. The hands are slowing. Hours of work now comes with days of soreness and pain. Tasks now prioritized for impact instead of indiscriminately completed. The eyes too are dimming. Hours of blue light finally taking their toll. The duality of finally being able to see more and having to hold things closer. Years of work revealing itself in my body, physically marking the time. I think this is what comes with age. Solving familiar problems, in different contexts. Knowing that intention can help guide intuition. That each stroke carries with it years of practice. The Hands & The Eyes. --- # Onyx October 13, 2024 · creative-coding, open-source, tools, generative-art Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/onyx Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/onyx --- **Onyx** is a black gemstone that is said to ward off the evil eye. It is associated with strength and protection. **Onyx** is the name of my new art codebase that I've been working on for about a year. **Onyx** is [generational wealth](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/code-as-generational-wealth) and [my garden](https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/09/03/1007716/digital-gardens-let-you-cultivate-your-own-little-bit-of-the-internet/). **Onyx** is a simple server. It is modular and architected to change as the web evolves. It is a milestone for my current artistic practice and forever a work in progress. **Onyx** is play on words. Graffiti writers use blackbooks to sketch their work in. **Onyx** is my black/sketch book. Previous codebase were named Outline, Orch, and GOODGRAPHICS. I thank them for all of the support they have given me in my journey so far. -mello --- # My first week in my first studio October 6, 2024 · studio, creative-practice, personal-update Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/my-first-week-in-my-first-studio Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-first-week-in-my-first-studio --- I moved into my studio this week in Baltimore. It's been a journey. I've had to break and heal old thoughts around scarcity, worthiness, and who deserves to make art and take up space. My new pen plotter arrives next week and I'm excited to have the space to make bigger pieces. It feels like the start of a new chapter. ![Studio interior photo 1](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f4734deb-efa0-4997-3715-2887a9cdb400/public) ![Studio interior photo 2](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5101f8bf-7037-402d-e135-fd475c6abc00/public) ![Studio interior photo 3](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/222eff67-7e7f-43a9-a2d3-01cf1d61a700/public) ![Studio interior photo 4](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0f672cc0-39a9-40f5-eab9-8c7f62cb6500/public) ![Studio interior photo 5](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/043d960c-690c-473a-af99-556b7e6b6100/public) ![Additional studio image](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/1f65895b-d380-493a-bd77-992143453700/public) --- # Experiments in printmaking June 19, 2024 · printmaking, letterpress, risograph, art-making Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/experiments-in-printmaking Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/experiments-in-printmaking --- I’m in between jobs so I finally have to time to write about the ways that I’ve been trying to expand my practice. I’ve grown tired of my style and am hoping that a new fabrication mode can spark creativity. Inspired by my partner’s friend [Eliza](https://www.instagram.com/elizaguionart/) I started with paper weaving prints together: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/9f5af372-b563-40f6-8950-8b37558ebc00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c01fee91-530d-4919-3c29-476c9cbf1500/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/744b3d41-993b-4720-9878-f8aa0d772e00/public) I’m in love with the tactile process and patience it took but feel that the weaves aren’t tight enough to get the effect that I want. I know with more practice I can create the polished look I’m envisioning so I’ll probably revisit this. Second up is a series of letterpress prints that I made in collaboration with [Archie’s Press](https://www.instagram.com/archiespress/): ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/46f46577-b94c-4ddb-e3df-213e3bd98a00/public) This is probably one of the most crisp prints I’ve ever made. The quality of the paper combined with the soft emboss shows off the quality that letterpress has a medium. Seeing my design rendered transmedium is delightful. Originally a pen plotter design, I love how the moire effect of the design is reproduced in letterpress. If each tool has its own grain and characteristics, then how might the same design be rendered in each? I’ve been wanting to explore this idea further by taking my risograph designs and screen printing them. I think in the future when I have more studio space that I will be able to work in all of these different mediums simultaneously. Lastly, I’ve been testing out different archival inks. Archival inks improve the quality of your prints by making them resistant to sunlight and fading. Using an Isograph Technical Pen, I’ve been testing different inks based on color and composition: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/03fd0e07-ff58-4d2a-a014-cdbf1db00700/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/15d4b2ba-4558-4f0d-f6c0-e33f164b8a00/public) By far this is the most exciting exploration. Where previously I’ve been using pens with fabric tips mostly intended for handwriting, the Isograph is a technical pen made for drawing. The lines are extremely precise and the biggest difference is the number of times I can blank blank without my pen tearing a hole in the paper. This unlocks a number of design possibilities for me and I’ve been able to revisit old designs that are now possible. It’s great to remember that making art should be fun and about experimentation. -mello P.S. - ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/b8f64edb-141b-47c4-2101-c2b412f9ff00/public) --- # Come paint with me! May 24, 2024 · teaching, creative-coding, p5js, workshop Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/come-paint-with-me Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/come-paint-with-me --- ![Artwork by Lourenço Providencia](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e2e7542c-2112-4953-fc47-4503d3c27500/public) I'm back at Index this summer running my [Painting with p5.js](https://www.index-space.org/products/painting-with-p5-js-1) workshop. About the workshop: > Painting with p5.js teaches the fundamentals of Javascript and the creative coding library p5.js. In 3 hands-on sessions, you will paint and sketch while exploring the expressive capabilities of working with code. Having just taught this material as part of my course at MICA, I am really excited to be running it again! I've received some great feedback from students, developed some new teaching modalities around working p5.js and plan to incorporate this aptly themed coding library called [*p5.brush](https://p5-brush.cargo.site/). Here are some of my past student's painting tools to help preview what we will be covering: - [josephadisurya](https://editor.p5js.org/josephadisurya/full/ES_GKGQcv) - [jkh](https://editor.p5js.org/jkh/full/VG37Xghu3) - [shadownut](https://editor.p5js.org/SHADOWNUT/full/9E_YAc_f0) For these next few you can change the brush you are drawing with by using the numbers 1-8 and using the numbers 9 and 0 to clear and save your painting. - [pcruz](https://editor.p5js.org/pcruz/full/EpPpoawiR) - [cbrown101](https://editor.p5js.org/Cbrown101/full/q53cn8AkJ) - [gbirch](https://editor.p5js.org/gbirch/full/IgLACFiwS) - [jelebar](https://editor.p5js.org/jelebar/full/Pcj__qQ6D) Hopefully you'll join us! -Mello P.S. - [Where Are All the Bob Ross Paintings?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDs3o1uLEdU) --- # On Renewals May 19, 2024 · personal-update, writing-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/on-renewals Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/on-renewals --- I want you to turn me into a 10 ringer. You my Alabaster. Me your Syenite. Each ring a recommitment. A renewal. Our torus strong enough to split the earth. Our oaths strong enough to rebuild a universe. -Mello P.S. - N. K. Jemisin and Robin Miles are like Jordan and Pippen --- # My Practice in 2023 & Beyond December 28, 2023 · creative-practice, personal-update Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/my-practice-in-2023-beyond Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-practice-in-2023-and-beyond --- In [2021](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-practice-in-2021-and-beyond) I hoped that in 2022 I would give myself "more space to run around and experiment". In [2022](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-practice-in-2022-and-beyond) I hoped that in 2023 I would "continue to make more noise than music". In 2024 I hope to continue to take small steps. To trust that with time things will fall into place. To devote consistency to my practice even when the path is clear. To continue to explore and experiment and push through even when it feels like I'm just making noise and spinning in circles. In 2010 I learned photoshop for the clothing line I had with my brother. And in 2014 I screen printed this gradient hoodie. In 2020 I learned how to create with code. And in 2022 I screen printed this gradient flyer. ![Gradient hoodie and flyer comparison](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ec568431-804f-4501-ef0e-3f474c4d3800/public) Two colors used in similar ways, years apart. "It's only after we've walked the steps that we can look back and see the path we've traveled." ## Graphic of the Year: Sliced ![Sliced graphic](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f2a0906c-7410-47f3-0eae-7b72b8c7ea00/public) ## Books of the Year - Best New Series - [Rare Flavours](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176442681-rare-flavours) - Best Limited Series - [Do A Powerbomb](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62196663-do-a-powerbomb) - Best Series - [Bleach](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2880.Bleach_Vol_1) - Best Short Story - [The Grown Up](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28015606-the-grown-up) - Best Sci-Fi - [The Shamshine Blind](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273810-the-shamshine-blind) - Best Non-Fiction - [The Real World of Technology](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1291973.The_Real_World_of_Technology) —mello P.S — Here are some manga panels from the year. ![Manga panel 1](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5e4d5b75-687f-4c4f-58b6-534b0f554c00/public) ![Manga panel 2](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/72c85210-8830-4dc9-e167-a006ad421f00/public) ![Manga panel 3](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/dd549c78-a68e-42b2-ac7d-92660fa22300/public) ![Manga panel 4](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d95e30f0-e153-4a0a-8180-e905b50f4b00/public) ![Manga panel 5](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f779b0d3-5139-4266-a055-66c2f7086d00/public) ![Manga panel 6](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/2de99f8b-1a8a-43a4-0bd6-826f1c25cb00/public) --- # What I'm teaching this Fall! September 7, 2023 · teaching, creative-coding, generative-typography, p5js Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/what-im-teaching-this-fall Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/what-im-teaching-this-fall --- I'm back this Fall teaching at Cooper Union and Index! Registration for both courses just opened and here's the descriptions and links if you are interested in taking a class with me! ## [Generative Typography at Cooper Union](http://coopertype.org/event/generative_typography_fall23) If typography is the study of using forms to communicate meaning, then can code help us discover new forms? If we apply generative techniques to the field of graphic design can we end up creating typography systems that are novel and always changing? Over the course of 4 weeks we will explore these themes using Javascript and the creative coding library p5.js. Students will use code to create interactive and novel typographics experiences and will have the opportunity to work alongside their peers in a workshop style class. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with creating compositions using code and creative typography tools of their own making. ## [Painting with p5.js at Index Space](https://www.index-space.org/products/painting-with-p5-js) Painting with p5.js teaches the fundamentals of Javascript and the creative coding library p5.js. In 3 hands-on sessions, you will paint and sketch while exploring the expressive capabilities of working with code. You will look at historical pieces of creative software and examine how they enable expression that can only be achieved on a digital canvas. By the end of the workshop, you will leave with new coding skills and a creative tool of your own making. ## Links - [The Book of Shaders](https://thebookofshaders.com/) - [The Mystery Behind 'A Wrinkle in Time' Cover Art Is Solved](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/06/books/wrinkle-in-time-book-cover-artist.html) ## Sketches ![Sketch 1](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d27d9b36-303a-47a8-8f5a-7bd9ac4b3800/public) ![Sketch 2](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/86715c75-19b8-4fd4-5d56-24f8ab6fdc00/public) -mello P.S. - ![P.S. Image](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/9d2f268a-12c8-4f0c-792b-be2a891a3f00/public) --- # I've been sketching! August 31, 2023 · generative-art, creative-coding, tools, creative-process Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/ive-been-sketching Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/ive-been-sketching --- Recently, I rebuilt my artstack for the 3rd time. In past versions, I’ve struggled balancing a desire for a set of tools that I can reuse for each sketch vs wanting each sketch to be independent and not too tightly coupled to the rest of the codebase. In my newest stack I’ve stopped using javascript frameworks like [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/) and [Svlete Kit](https://kit.svelte.dev/), the technologist powering my first two versions, and instead opted to just use simple javascript files. In the long run this makes my code more composable and flexible and I’m really excited about that. It’s gotten me in the mood to sketch and try ideas again and I wanted to share some of the things I’ve been making over the last few days: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/b47d65a6-8ff7-4e71-ce3b-a526dcde4b00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7580e1ee-ebd9-4657-8ce0-d908d88b9b00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3b6f4004-37c7-4a3b-0cd3-2154908d1600/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bf452e5a-5437-416b-28ab-4d336940eb00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/2fca65fd-c0fc-4f07-8565-a0367fae1200/public) ### Other Outputs [artsupply v1.1.0](https://github.com/schoolofcreativesoftware/artsupply/releases/tag/v1.1.0) - I added a smoothstep function [romellogoodman.com](https://www.romellogoodman.com/) - I refreshed the home page and am working my way through the other pages ### Links [I'm Fine I'm Fine Just UnderstandvigiaRead more3 years ago · 96 likes · 4 comments · ND Stevenson](https://www.imfineimfine.com/p/vigia?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web) “I am not a burden when I allow myself to be cared for; I am simply engaging in the nourishing rhythm of interdependence.” [To Love a Long Recipe](https://stone-soup.ghost.io/to-love-a-long-recipe/?ref=stone-soup-newsletter) - ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/22685c92-f6c9-4ed3-dbc6-e06efe83b600/public) - [Articles Of InterestPaisleyRead more3 years ago · 44 likes · 4 comments · Avery Trufelman](https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/p/paisley?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web) “The process by which new domestic labors and laborers arise as a consequence of digitalization and technological services;“ [House-Wi-Fi-zation](https://www.are.na/blog/house-wi-fi-zation) - ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/77855fff-b6a7-434c-fd33-5e4bf698ad00/public) “Allow your work to evolve naturally.” [A tweet from Gossamer Rozen ](https://twitter.com/grelysian/status/1692056569800794607) -mello P.S. - ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/dd7d1616-b9a1-48e8-0d74-449e1c638500/public) --- # artsupply August 4, 2023 · creative-coding, open-source, tools, school-of-creative-software Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/artsupply Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/artsupply --- One of my goals with the [School of Creative Software](https://www.scs.computer/) is to make the field of creative coding more accessible. One way to do that is by offering workshops to a wide array of people. Another way is to create code libraries. A code library lowers the bar of entry for everyone by creating pieces of reuseable code that anyone can use. [artsupply](https://github.com/schoolofcreativesoftware/artsupply) is a utility library for creative coding. It is the first open source codebase from the School of Creative Software. I created it sometime last year with every creative coding function that I use in my personal art stack, see version [0.0.4](https://github.com/schoolofcreativesoftware/artsupply/releases/tag/v0.0.4). For version 1 I decided to prune the functionality back to a smaller and more focused set of code. The hope is that over time I continue to add [creative coding algorithms](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/creative-coding-algorithms) to it and watch it grow organically. But for now this is enough. Check out the docs and let me know your thoughts: [github.com/schoolofcreativesoftware/artsupply](https://github.com/schoolofcreativesoftware/artsupply). --- ### Inputs “…reminds me why I love reimagining my website; I love finding new ways to care, new details to pay attention to. Maintaining a website for this long has changed my perspective and forced me to learn how to make everything less brittle and wobbly in the future. [Maintenance and Care](https://buttondown.email/robinrendle/archive/maintenance-and-care/) “I’m stuck driving a 1986 Ford Taurus of a body. I keep it in best condition I can, but its a beater and I know it.“ [My body is not me](https://matthewshlian.substack.com/p/my-body-is-not-me) “The thing I’m the most skilled and talented at doing does not earn enough money. Or, I’m not good enough at doing it to continue. One of these must be true.” [I’m Broke](https://tabithaarnold.substack.com/p/im-broke) [Embracing art to enhance your product - Megan B, Robert M, Anna G (Config 2023)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80V9xAdXyLM) ### Outputs See above. -mello --- # The School of Creative Software July 10, 2023 · teaching, school-of-creative-software, community Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/the-school-of-creative-software Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/the-school-of-creative-software --- I want to introduce you to **[The School of Creative Software](https://www.scs.computer/)**, my latest project. I want to explore code’s ability to be a creative medium. I want to give this medium the space it needs and help foster the community around it. These ideas mean alot to me and I am both excited and scared to finally share them with you. Toni Morrison once said: I stood at the border, stood at the edge and claimed it as central. l claimed it as central, and let the rest of the world move over to where I was. This school might be my center and I hope you come along with me for the ride. Learn more at [scs.computer](https://www.scs.computer/). I will be teaching my first workshops this Fall. -mello P.S. - A School is a Building with a School in it - Paul Elliman P.P.S - Can a school be a Website with people on it? --- # THIS IS ECHO June 20, 2023 · generative-art, generative-typography, creative-coding Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/this-is-echo Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/this-is-echo --- ![A screenshot of the Echo design algorithm.](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/196ebee1-cf13-4898-6d29-ae6190cc2700/public) The thing about finishing your first draft is that you get to return to the work. Ideas can settle, new iterations can be tried and, over time, you begin to have a conversation with yourself. Things that seem to be random and one-off reveal themselves to be systems and patterns. This is what I've realized with Echo. Echo is a design algorithm using rhythm and repetition to create kinetic typography pieces. I realize I've been developing this style for the last 3 years and I'm excited to finally put a name to it. I built a website to showcase it and you can check it out at: [echo.romellogoodman.com](https://echo.romellogoodman.com/) --- ## Inputs "I think I am finally starting to come into focus" - [in focus](https://www.imfineimfine.com/p/in-focus) "Sketching is a practice where you're solving problems that you don't have yet." - [The Importance of Sketching with Code](https://www.gorillasun.de/blog/the-importance-of-sketching-with-code/) "What appears inevitable on the screen is anything but. The graph paper says: you can make your own icons, too." - [Grid World](https://alex.miller.garden/grid-world/) A NYT Interactive on my favorite game <3 - [How The Legend of Zelda Changed the Game](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/05/04/arts/zelda-nintendo-history.html) "They can zap you to attention with a sound or burst of vibration, or else just squat in silence on your most valuable digital real estate, the center of the screen." - [Push Notifications Are Out of Control](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/05/too-many-push-notifications-apps-phone/674178/) ## Outputs - [echo.romellogoodman.com](https://echo.romellogoodman.com/) - A birthday card for my partner Yani ![Birthday card image](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3dc72d9b-29b5-45e1-694c-8f81ea5d2b00/public) -mello P.S. - I'm hoping to have a school update for you next newsletter! --- # I wish I could do a few things May 7, 2023 · creative-practice, teaching, school-of-creative-software, personal-update Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/i-wish-i-could-do-a-few-things Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/i-wish-i-could-do-a-few-things --- I wish I could take this course at Cooper, [AI Motion Capture for Designers](http://coopertype.org/event/ai_motion_capture_for_designers_su23) I wish I could take this course at Type Electives, [Graffiti Concepts for Type People](https://www.typeelectives.com/courses/Graffiti-Concepts-for-Type-People) I wish I could see this exhibit at MOMA, [Refik Anadol Unsupervised](https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5535) I wish I could see this exhibit at the Letter Form Archive, [Subscription to Mischief: Graffiti Zines of the 1990s](https://letterformarchive.org/news/subscription-to-mischief-graffiti-zines-of-the-1990s-exhibition/) I wish I could see this exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, [It's Pablo-matic](https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/its_pablo_matic_picasso_according_to_hannah_gadsby) I wish I could finish my design portfolio I wish I could finish my lesson plans for my new Cooper courses, [Animating Variable Type with Code](http://coopertype.org/event/animating_variable_type_with_code_su23) and [p5.js for Visual Designers](http://coopertype.org/event/p5.js_for_visual_designers_su23) I wish I could finish my new series of Risograph prints I wish I could finish researching school operation models I wish I could finish my exhibition proposal for MICA, The Worlds Between Colors I wish I could finish my application for this residency in Yokosuka, Japan; [0-eA](http://Yokosuka) I wish I could finish my residency proposal for the [Processing Foundation Fellowship](https://processingfoundation.org/fellowships/fellowships-2023) And it's not as though I won't do these things. They're just a few wishes I have at the moment. -mello P.S. - ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/6a35865a-8f9e-46b3-f1af-1d4aa6c33a00/public) P.P.S. - I've decided on a name for the school: School of Creative Software --- # My class was cancelled and now I want to start a school April 11, 2023 · teaching, school-of-creative-software, community, creative-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/my-class-was-cancelled-and-now-i-want-to-start-a-school Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-class-was-cancelled-and-now-i --- A bunch of designers that I follow are all starting something new: - Talia Cotton has started [Cotton Design](https://cotton.design/) - Lynne Yun has started [Type Electives](https://www.typeelectives.com/about) - Elizabeth Lin has started the [The art of visual design](https://www.artofvisualdesign.com/) - Spencer Change has started a new technologist practice based on [independent research and art](https://spencerchang.substack.com/p/towards-flight) It seems like everyone is bringing into the world a new way of teaching, working and researching that suits their needs and world view. And I want to do the same. My upcoming course at Cooper Union, [p5.js for Visual Designers](http://coopertype.org/event/p5.js_for_visual_designersz_sp23), was cancelled due to low enrollment so now I have the time. And I just gave a talk to students at Northeastern called [Don't Stretch My Type](https://www.romellogoodman.com/talks/dont-stretch-my-type) so I feel confident in my teaching ability. So I think I'm going to start a school. I've been mulling this over for a few months now and have a name and structure that I think I would be happy with to start. I hope to share it with you soon and maybe start teaching before Spring ends. :) --- ## Elsewhere... ### Inputs "For me, being queer means incorporating the systems which make me addressable online as an active part of my personhood." "I think the expressive and transformative potential of computing has been met with a poverty of imagination to see it as anything more than the latest installment in a long legacy of domestication." - [Queer Servers and Feral Webs](https://mirror.xyz/austinwadesmith.eth/wrBCeIWNsXbseQiLBj5jR_bkMFZ03nNYs4rg0lU8X2s) "Every person who joins a revolutionary movement must undergo this transformation into an active participant in the collective struggle." - [Gospel: How Southerners Spread Revolution](https://tabithaarnold.substack.com/p/gospel-how-southerners-spread-revolution) "We learn what it means to be a good cook from the same place we learn anything—we learn it from each other. We never *stop* learning from each other." - [Who Is Good at Cooking?](https://stone-soup.ghost.io/who-is-good-at-cooking/) "It harks back to a time when airplane travel was something of an occasion, a little bit magical. But is it not still?" (Not me missing LAX) - [Why Look at Planes?](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/03/21/arts/design/plane-spotting-los-angeles.html) - [How We Make Games at The Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/crosswords/games-digits-beta.html?smid=tw-nytgames) ### Outputs - Links from my talk [Don't Stretch My Type](https://www.romellogoodman.com/talks/dont-stretch-my-type) - I renamed my variable type website from xptype to [vartype](https://vartype.romellogoodman.com/) - I replaced the main font on [romellogoodman.com](https://www.romellogoodman.com/) with a variable font version (Homepage size went from 76.1 KB to 62.7 KB) - I archived all of the code that helps run my lessons plans! -mello --- # yeslike March 13, 2023 · poetry, writing-practice, personal-update Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/yeslike Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/yeslike --- **yeslike** [yeslikethecountry](https://www.instagram.com/yeslikethecountry/) meet [yesliketheark](https://www.instagram.com/yesliketheark/) and said yeslikeforever yeslike thru sickness and yeslike thru health yeslike thru the bad yeslike thru the bad yeslike thru the bad and yeslike thru the good yeslike to you and yeslike to me yeslike to us yeslike forever yeslike forever yeslike forever yeslike and ever --- # 38 hours in Savannah ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/b578e5a1-ab7f-4f90-3a4f-a4277465f200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/580167ec-dd67-44b0-1974-6435349c9600/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0f1c61cc-b628-4431-d741-db91aa921100/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/b5a0993f-689e-42b3-dd67-9647c2f61400/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0ba91c99-ab0a-41a8-97af-592b15979800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/269f5989-062f-43f7-a2f8-472f91668200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/9429ddc1-8419-4cb4-40db-15037f0bb200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a2a1ee8e-b986-4913-028b-abb804dac900/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/dbdde3af-d159-4d5a-3154-7908f3bfaf00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d77fa997-ea7a-4168-cbef-5c4beaf4ef00/public) --- # Elsewhere… ### Inputs “And that sucks because there are no real public spaces on the internet. Here in reality, I can fuck off to a park and hug a tree and sit on a bench and do stuff without ads, without anyone trying to track me, and without having to pay a dime.” [I don’t want to log in to your website](https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/28/23618804/google-facebook-login-ads-web-design-hell) “It’s the everyday Black girl, without a platform or the machine of capitalism behind her, who exudes cool without having to try” [Black teen girls are the curators of culture](https://www.vox.com/culture/23617403/black-teenage-girls-culture-music-fashion-trends) From the [Verge](https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/7/23628651/what-the-heck-is-deep-discofox): “[Every Noise at Once](https://everynoise.com/engenremap.html) is an ongoing project to map the *over 6,000* genres and sub-genres listed on Spotify’s music catalog. This fun little timesink can play you an example of each genre or open an entire Spotify playlist of it if you like what you hear.” [Every Noise at Once](https://everynoise.com/) “In our [WORK issue,](https://membership.thenib.com/products/the-work-issue) we asked The Nib’s Inkwell members to tell us how they got even for long hours, low pay, no benefits, and a general lack of respect for working stiffs.” [Take This Job and Shove It!](https://thenib.com/work-letters/) [better/worse](https://www.imfineimfine.com/p/betterworse?publication_id=432038&post_id=107116549&isFreemail=false) ### Outputs [xptype - homepage](https://xptype.romellogoodman.com/) [xptype - racing](https://xptype.romellogoodman.com/racing) [xptype - slant](https://xptype.romellogoodman.com/slant) -mello P.S. - --- # 32 Hours in New York March 1, 2023 · travel, photography, new-york, personal-update Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/32-hours-in-new-york Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/32-hours-in-new-york --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e68ba6a0-c38d-4de2-6dd1-118d25067700/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/48eef5b1-15a5-4a92-afcd-ade3a2dcd900/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c1fc2226-2162-4f0b-0a8f-52d965d47000/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d71ad6bb-9b1c-443c-dfd6-c5db04c0f400/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/24a8785d-22b1-4f50-84be-a481f0b97c00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/076f1cfd-6439-40dc-84a0-ba139e40f500/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0ba83380-947b-4353-a67d-25c1f643af00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a0b30fda-241b-49d5-6f75-6e28c6382100/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/26e4c384-b831-4137-c231-4795a99ea800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ba1bbf07-14e3-403c-cb6d-ac758118c000/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/922cc70d-031a-454f-6edc-5eb2fbdfc200/public) Footnotes [Coyote Park: I Love You Like Mirrors Do](https://www.leslielohman.org/exhibitions/coyote-park-i-love-you-like-mirrors-do) - Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art [Xiyadie: Queer Cut Utopias](https://drawingcenter.org/exhibitions/xiyadie-queer-cut-utopias) - The Drawing Center --- # Elsewhere… ### Inputs Tamale by Daniela Andrade (h/t Nat) “But achieving control is not the same as achieving happiness.” [The Work is Not Enough](https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-work-is-not-enough) “It's cheaper to pay you to do it!” [School of Hard Knocks](https://thenib.com/night-classes/) “Perhaps you’ve heard of the rule that advises looking in a mirror after getting dressed and taking one item off before you leave the house. They were wise to ignore it. [The Streets Were Drenched With Gold](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/17/style/new-york-fashion-week-street-style.html) ### Outputs ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c41a414a-179b-49cb-5b73-4f4fb1ddd500/public) My 2nd Class this semester for Cooper Union has been retooled from Generative Typography to [p5.js for Visual Designers](http://coopertype.org/event/p5.js_for_visual_designersz_sp23) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e72df463-4771-4a2b-af5c-6823a69ece00/public) A new layout for [xptype](https://xptype.romellogoodman.com/xptype) -mello P.S. - This is some of yall --- # I was gonna.... February 17, 2023 · personal-update, creative-process, ai Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/i-was-gonna Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/i-was-gonna --- I was gonna perform the consternation I feel between my desire to appear smart/cool for you in this newsletter and wanting to email you my unhinged thoughts after drinking my 4th cup of coffee with no breakfast. But instead you get this un-edited jumble or words. Here are my drafts, things I was planning to write about and include in future newsletters. ### I was gonna write about learning D3 and how I finally learned a skill that I have been procrastinating learning for 3 years. This would’ve been the P.S. (postscript) ### I was gonna write about Chat-GPT and Generative AI systems and this would’ve been the subheader chat-gpt write a subheader for my newsletter in the style of @mellogood ### I was gonna use this series of links as a postscript P.S. - [IYKYK](https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.philsvag/video/7183182198584003886?_r=1&_t=8Yn4KNl2i6A&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7183182198584003886) P.P.S - jk, we don’t gate keep here: [Sun Yuan and Peng Yu "Can't Help Myself"](https://www.tiktok.com/@jeffreyrubel/video/7051782675555716398?_r=1&_t=8YozrTwC7B8&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7051782675555716398) P.P.P.S - okay [one more](https://www.tiktok.com/@idigcrystals/video/7159035817531411758?_r=1&_t=8YozufRqzmg&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7159035817531411758) ### I was gonna use these Tweets as future postscripts # Elsewhere… ### Inputs “What makes videogame labor so exciting is the chance to fully enjoy a reward for your efforts. You put in what you get out of it, in a very direct sense. The most satisfying games are actually fantasy simulations of living out a basic Marxist value: labor is entitled to all it creates.” [Depression and Videogames](https://tabithaarnold.substack.com/p/depression-and-videogames) “With jokes and recipes and turns of phrase, it can be impossible to separate things we created from things we absorbed, internalized, and re-accessed later.“ [These Recipes Aren’t Ours](https://stone-soup.ghost.io/these-recipes-arent-ours) “The threshold for design is care and consideration for problem solving, not formal steeping in impermanent design tools, not a slick BFA from RISD.” [Can You Be A Designer If You Have No Training?](https://henry.codes/writing/can-you-be-a-designer-if-you-have-no-training/) [DMs Open, a zine about winning remote organizing](https://collectiveaction.tech/2022/dms-open/) [I don't like making the best things.](https://internetvin.ghost.io/i-dont-like-making-the-best-things/) ### Outputs I added an interviews section to [my website](https://www.romellogoodman.com/) and will talk more about that later [xptype - blink](https://xptype.romellogoodman.com/blink) [xptype - fade](https://xptype.romellogoodman.com/fade) -mello P.S. - TBH, I’m writing this in response to the last story in the Inputs section P.P.S - TB-really-Honest, I’m writing this as an excuse to send you a bunch of links --- # I've been doing user testing February 8, 2023 · web-design, teaching, personal-update, creative-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/ive-been-doing-user-testing Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/ive-been-doing-user-testing --- My favorite thing to do is to watch a person use their phone. Sometimes, without thinking, I'll catch myself fully leaning into my friends to watch as they swipe and tap. I've always found the numerous ways that we can interact with them fascinating. The way we are each given the same piece of lego blocks and decide how to play with them. In product design there's a formal practice for this called User Testing. It occurs in an interview-like setting where you literally just watch someone use the new software that you are building. It's my favorite thing to do as a designer because instantly you learn the ways in which your design succeeds and fails. Workflows that you found helpful and streamlined are revealed to be clunky and hard to navigate and the experience of seeing someone use the thing you've been laboring over is exhilarating. At work I've been conducting these interviews to gather feedback on a new tool we are building. But I also was able to have an informal "session" the other week with my partner. They were using my website and I started to secretly observe them. The way I had naturally been navigating the site turned out to be different from how the average person might use it, and watching them click from page to page prompted me to rethink it's design. The result is a small redesign of the homepage and shuffling of how the information is laid out. Where before I wanted to section off each discipline into its own page, I've now decided to just link to everything table of contents style. And yes, I did all this as a form of procrastination for a bigger project that I should've been working on. Enjoy! ![Website redesign screenshot](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/09da3f6f-035b-46f7-0825-1b08c6228000/public) ## Elsewhere… ![Animation GIF 1](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7311fb25-3816-49bf-f87b-3ba7c778b500/public) ![Animation GIF 2](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/b194fab9-fc06-4396-3cb7-8f1986b93700/public) A new semester is starting! I'm teaching [Generative Typography](http://coopertype.org/event/generative_typography_sp23) at Cooper again this Spring and also a new course called [Animating Variable Type with Code](http://coopertype.org/event/animating_variable_type_with_code_sp23). ## Inputs - **Air Gear** (This was my fav manga growing up. I've thought of this single page so many times since I first read it as a teenager.) ![Air Gear manga page](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/6107c8f3-efe8-47df-1496-0bda7231ac00/public) - I did a mail swap with the folks at [Anemone](https://anemone.substack.com/). I truly love their practice and every dispatch they send is a must-read as soon as it lands in my inbox. They sent me a [Long Calendar](https://anemone.substack.com/p/long-calendars-in-the-mail-soup-raccoons) and a copy of their [Climate Emergency Reading Recs](https://shop.anemone.studio/product/climate-emergency-reading-recs) zine. In return I dropped some of my Risograph prints in the mail. ## Outputs - I gave you a new website to browse. Isn't that enough? —mello **P.S.** — In the spirit of keeping the mail flowing, reply to this newsletter with your mailing address and I'll mail you a pen plotter postcard print --- # Others' thoughts on ai + art January 24, 2023 · ai, generative-art, theory Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/others-thoughts-on-ai-art Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/others-thoughts-on-ai-art --- [Generative AI](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/23/business/microsoft-chatgpt-artificial-intelligence.html) is the talk of the town. Where last year it was Web3 and NFTs, this year every company is running to integrate ai into their tools and people are speculating that the end is near for all of my creative fields: software engineering, design, and art. My thinking on this changes almost daily but while the drum beats get louder, I wanted to offer this. Two pieces that offer a glimpse into what makes all technology special, something that computers simply can’t recreate: curiosity. [AI Thoughts Generated by a Human](https://matthewshlian.substack.com/p/ai-thoughts-generated-by-a-human?publication_id=1284066&post_id=97301534&isFreemail=true) by Matthew Shlian [Generative Art Is Stupid](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/01/machine-learning-ai-art-creativity-emptiness/672717/) by Ian Bogost -mello P.S. - I haven't seen you since last year, how're you? P.P.S. - Sorry I didn’t run this one by my editor so all mistakes, type-os, and run-on sentences are on purpose. --- # My Practice in 2022 & Beyond December 28, 2022 · creative-practice, personal-update Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/my-practice-in-2022-beyond Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-practice-in-2022-and-beyond --- When I wrote [“My Practice in 2021 & Beyond”](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-practice-in-2021-and-beyond) , I thought I had a handle on things. I thought I knew how the next year would go. But in 2022 I quit my job, moved into my first apartment, started teaching at an art school, got covid, quit my job again, started teaching at a design school, etc etc etc. In 2023 I want to continue to court this chaos. I think I’m done thinking of my practice as this well-honed machine where each piece is an instrument playing in a grand symphony. My practice is more of a one-man band - each piece playing its own song with the occasional harmony. In 2023 I want to continue to make more noise than music. ### Graphic of the Year: Piet I created the first version of [Piet](https://www.romellogoodman.com/graphics/piet/) back in April and continue to be amazed by this little algorithm. The lack of complexity in the code when compared to the amount of outputs it creates is my favorite quality. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/876f8541-51fd-4f79-1bb6-69ce226ced00/public) ### Book Superlatives of 2022* Most Likely to Reread - [Finna](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48984964-finna) Most Beautiful (Prettiest Prose) (Tie) - [Open Water](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53414230-open-water) + [On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41880609-on-earth-we-re-briefly-gorgeous) Most Likely to Brighten your Day (Tie) - [The House in the Cerulean Sea](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45047384-the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea) + [A Thing Called Truth](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59562974-a-thing-called-truth) Most Likely to Break your Heart - [Stone Butch Blues](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/139569.Stone_Butch_Blues) Best Plot Twist - [Attack on Titan](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20890543-attack-on-titan) Best Short Book (Tie) - [No One Is Talking About This](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53733106-no-one-is-talking-about-this) + [Red at the Bone](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43697186-red-at-the-bone) Best Dressed (Prettiest Cover) - [Kroma #2](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74952886-kroma-by-de-felici-2?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=x6Zh8L8fKi&rank=1) Most Likely to be a Movie Star (Would make a good film adaptation) - [Open Water](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53414230-open-water) Most Surprising - [A Psalm for the Wild-Built](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55077657-a-psalm-for-the-wild-built) & [A Prayer for the Crown-Shy](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864030-a-prayer-for-the-crown-shy) Most Genre Defying (Tie) - [Step By Bloody Step](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60395814-step-by-bloody-step) + [No One Is Talking About This](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53733106-no-one-is-talking-about-this) Most Lovable (Appeals to the widest audience) - [Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow) Best Overall - [Blue Period 1 - 6](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37686647-1) *This idea was borrowed from [booktok](https://www.tiktok.com/@hngisreading/video/7179388402708729134?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7179388402708729134). ### Non-Book Stuff of the Year Podcast - Articles of Interest TV Show - Abbott Elementary Album - Smino - Luv 4 Rent Game - [Death's Door](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22600113/deaths-door-review-xbox-pc-devolver-dark-souls) Movie - Rocky Horror Picture Show **Newsletter - [I'm Fine I'm Fine Just Understand](https://www.imfineimfine.com/)** (The one recommendation that everyone should actually check out and subscribe to) -mello P.S. - A small thank you to you. I’ve written and read enough newsletters to know that they eventually become a slog so I appreciate you checking in from time to time. P.P.S - P.P.P.S - You should add me on [goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/39064213-romello-goodman). I love seeing what people are reading. --- # Connected Flow December 15, 2022 · generative-art, printmaking, personal-update, creative-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/connected-flow Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/connected-flow --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3593d705-b8f2-4682-0e3b-dbaa420f5e00/public) This years card is called Connected Flow. It continues my fascination with arches that I’ve explored in the [Infinite Arches](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/generative-print-infinite-arches) print and wider the [Arches](https://www.romellogoodman.com/prints/arches/) Riso series. As this year flows into the next, happy holidays! # Elsewhere… Inputs [How to Replace the Sky](https://www.theverge.com/c/23339391/comic-photoshop-sky-replacement-digital-art) Outputs I finished my first class at Type@Cooper and my second semester of being a teacher 🥳 🥳 Selling at MICA Holiday Market was so fun! I got posted on to their [insta](https://www.instagram.com/p/Clwhkq7p4D4/) [Animating Variable Type with Code](https://www.romellogoodman.com/courses/animating-vtype-with-code) - I wrote a workshop for work on Animating Variable Type with HTML + CSS [xptype](https://xptype.romellogoodman.com/xptype) - I made a new online typography playground. Find a computer and play around with it! It’s my new gardening project and I’ll be adding new pages here and there [Student Work](https://www.romellogoodman.com/student-work) - The Student Work page has been updated with the work of my Type@Cooper students -mello P.S. - A throwback graphic from the archive ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ab2b3e93-1bb0-4fc9-5449-b0ac4e701000/public) --- # Wave November 30, 2022 · pen-plotter, generative-art, exhibitions Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/wave Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/wave --- A pen plotter print for 10x10 --- Whenever I have a big project, I overcomplicate it by adding 2-3 tasks on top of it. For example, the past 2 months I've been working on a print for my first ever exhibition. But, instead of spending all my time focusing on the print, I decided to rewrite my entire art stack from the ground up. I've spent the last few weeks rewriting code and updating every piece of art that I've ever made over the last 2 years. On one hand this is pure procrastination but, on the other hand, it has actually been a fun process. It's been nice to flip through my sketchbook and revisit my old work, to refactor code using new techniques I've learned while also relearning techniques that I've forgotten. The print in question is called [Wave](https://www.romellogoodman.com/prints/wave/): ![Wave print](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c89d1613-4eeb-413a-46b1-fb00f152dc00/public) It revisits the radial circle theme that I've explored in past prints: ![Previous radial circle print 1](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5f192238-edc7-43ea-142c-0db6cecf9b00/public) ![Previous radial circle print 2](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/2d6aef3f-6ad5-48d1-1d79-fa3338bccb00/public) The print is part of [Pyramid Atlantic's](https://pyramidatlanticartcenter.org/) annual 10x10 show. Check it out if you find yourself in Hyattsville, MD! ![Pyramid Atlantic 10x10 show announcement](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3c6b9db7-1a19-4baf-7832-2b34c3461500/public) ### Elsewhere… **Inputs** - [SFPC Insta Quote](https://www.instagram.com/p/Clj-sNks5tL/) > In Teaching & Learning as "PRIMITIVE HYPERTEXT," students describe something they call "the wash." Class as a body of water, a river of thoughts, ideas, fragments, and philosophies guided by the careful hand of @kameelahr. No enforced agendas or information quotas. We went where the current pulled us. We respected the flow. It is impossible to drink every drop, the wash was our way of acknowledging that we can be shaped by what we don't consciously remember, that we can return again and again to conversations, and that learning (as participant @ghmac10 coined) can precipitate from your past when the conditions for condensation are met. - [A Psalm for the Wild-Built](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55077657-a-psalm-for-the-wild-built) - [A Prayer for the Crown-Shy](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864030-a-prayer-for-the-crown-shy) - Knives out 2: Glass Onion **Outputs** - I redid my website again… [romellogoodman.com](https://www.romellogoodman.com/) - MICA Art Market - I'm tabling at MICA this Sunday come hang if you're in the area ![MICA Art Market flyer](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4b4dec33-692a-4195-7a2f-5a11fff78900/public) --- **P.S.** My website is written using [11ty](https://www.11ty.dev/) and my art stack was written in [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/) but now uses [Sveltekit](https://kit.svelte.dev/) --- # just setting up my twttr November 15, 2022 · social-media, black-culture, community, personal-update Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/just-setting-up-my-twttr Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/just-setting-up-my-twttr --- I'm thinking about the computer in the bedroom of my childhood bestfriend. How computing used to be tied to a physical location. How the first time I saw Twitter I thought "so this is basically one big MySpace comment section?". How we would take turns logging off and on to respond to crushes and tweet nonsense. I'm thinking of this as seasons change. As everything we took for granted begins to fade. As sunlight becomes scarce and meals move inside. As days in the city begin to mostly consist of night. I'm thinking of this as my screen time starts to tick up more. As my blanket spends more time with me on the couch than in the basket next to it. As one of our communication hubs hurtles towards a cliff. As the vibes shift to one of a middle school graduation, "let's keep in touch, even though I'm moving to the platform in the next town over" I'm thinking of the innumerable pits this place has opened in my stomach. As the worst news you've ever read is sandwiched between poetry and jokes. As you find out the state has taken another human right and the next tweet is a brand pretending to talk like a black teenager. Did you know that I had a coworker named Geoff who once asked me about "Black Twitter". Did you know that Black people built this place? Did you know I used to worry I would have type out my own brother's name as a hashtag? Did you know that one day you might type mine? Did you know that whereever we flock to next, we will be alright. That god is change. ### … **Inputs** - Klara and the Sun (This book was dumb and I will now hate on anyone who likes it) - From Scratch (Who wants to pay for me to move to another country and paint??? *stares at his two partners*) - [Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur's theme song](https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/14/23273274/marvel-moon-girl-magic-devil-dinosaur) **Outputs** - I'm showing a piece in my first group exhibition as part of [Pyramid Atlantic's Annual 10x10 Show](https://www.instagram.com/p/CkyHQ8yuYut/). It'll be up starting next week until December. - I added a [student work page](https://www.romellogoodman.com/student-work) to my website (Still working on it) - Updated the [garnet homepage](https://garnet.romellogoodman.com/) - [Generative Typography Guest Speaker](https://www.romellogoodman.com/generative-typography#Guest%20Speakers) section refresh - I've posted several updates on insta as of late: [@mellogood](https://instagram.com/mellogood) - I changed the name of this here publication. Goodbye Good Graphics, Hello Oh MG (Yes I stole this from Malcom Gladwell but his newsletter is dead now sooooooo) -mello --- # A new website for a new season October 11, 2022 · web-design, personal-update, teaching, generative-typography Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/a-new-website-for-a-new-season Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/a-new-website-for-a-new-season --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/68d5493f-c5c6-4d86-bcf4-1cf0ffb1c800/public) Check it out at [romellogoodman.com](https://www.romellogoodman.com/). The big change is that I made the typography larger and bolder. But kept the rainbow and bars motif. Had a lot of fun figuring out the best way to style what is essentially a list of links. And in case you missed the last time we did this: [Good GraphicsYou ever see a website so good that it makes you redo your own?So I teach at MICA now, and on campus there is so much amazing artwork. From student presentations, to exhibits, and even their event advertisements. I saw this poster this morning and stopped in my tracks: I’m a big Chloe Scheffe fan and have been since I discovered her work at Away. I think her website is the perfect balance between informational and g…Read more4 years ago · mello good](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/you-ever-see-a-website-so-good-that?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web) ### Elsewhere… Inputs [Starting a food co-op: Year 1](https://quaran.to/starting-a-food-co-op-year-1) - ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c6df3c72-76ea-4986-7acf-ac4201dc2500/public) [The Power of Hugs in Anime](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/11/arts/anime-hugs.html) DC Zine Fest, so many amazing artists and so many queers <3 [My poet friend Em published a new piece](https://www.instagram.com/p/CjVzSbROR45/) [Untangling string together](https://www.michigandaily.com/michigan-in-color/untangling-string-together/) (Em, I miss your book clubs. The way you build community is so lovely.) Outputs I redid my generative typography website for the course I’m teaching at [Generative Typography at Cooper Union](http://coopertype.org/event/generative_typography_fall_2022). I made a website for work, that I’ll probably write a future newsletter about: [block.xyz/inclusion](https://block.xyz/inclusion) -mello P.S. - Here’s my [class final](https://editor.p5js.org/romellogoodman/full/NrtU4Y9nt) from when I took this same Generative Typography course in 2020. It’s wild what two years can do, right? [Subscribe now](https://mellogood.substack.com/subscribe?) --- # I've been living in my new place for 6 months September 8, 2022 · personal-update, studio, teaching Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/ive-been-living-in-my-new-place-for-6-months Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/ive-been-living-in-my-new-place-for --- After 5.5 years of living together, my partner Aubrie and I decided to de-nest and see what living alone as adults would be like. So around 6 months ago I moved into my own place for the first time in my life. As with any life change, settling in has taken some time. It’s been positive in ways such as discovering my green thumb and deciding how I want my space to look/feel. But it’s also has been deeply uncomfortable with countless moments of second guessing and intrusive thoughts. I thought about breaking my lease several times to move to another place in the city. I toured multiple apartments with this goal in mind. I thought about moving to Baltimore. I thought about moving to Philly. I thought about moving to New York. At one point I purchased and sold 4 different mirrors in a two week timespan. Thinking that maybe if I threw myself into decorating and forced myself into nesting that I could manifest the stillness that I was looking for. And because you’re reading this post we both know that the mirror didn’t bring stillness, though I’m told it’s the perfect mirror (for now). My uncomfortableness persisted and I didn’t know how I was going to survive the restlessness that came with it. But then I did. It’s been awkward and hard but somehow I’ve made it 6 months. The restlessness is still there at the back of my mind but now waiting till my lease ends seems doable. I’m still uncomfortable but have learned that the feeling naturally ebbs and flows. There’s no silver bullet that will cure it forever. I’ve learned to appreciate this new rhythm that living alone has created. I’ve learned that change takes time to settle. ## Elsewhere… A good read: [Gaslighting Your Boss: Creative Experiments in Digital Sabotage](https://pioneerworks.org/broadcast/gaslighting-your-boss) I’m no longer teaching [Web Design for Artists at MICA](https://www.romellogoodman.com/web-design-for-artists) this Fall (Scheduling Conflicts, :(( ) I’m teaching [Generative Typography at Type@Cooper](http://coopertype.org/event/generative_typography_fall_2022) this Fall ( :) ) Peep the promo graphic that I made for it ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d80e5051-25b9-4988-7f3c-62d9aa580200/public) There are some new riso prints in the [shop](https://www.etsy.com/shop/goodgraphicsxyz) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7d9fad3e-250a-45bd-ca65-18e106e53a00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a2d12210-3356-4db7-0d58-1756a8ce6800/public) I’ve been plotting: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/92b0d200-3588-4de8-8fd9-2bbf24de2a00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f1af51c6-fa12-4703-c503-0f789a451700/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c64829d2-00ba-4497-ffe5-5411a4fce800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f49ac7c1-2e29-4096-5d9d-6116bfbfd100/public) And lastly a card I made for a friend using woodblock printing. Didn’t get a picture of the final (non crooked) one so you’ll have to settle for an outtake: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a565c194-877a-49c1-3ec8-92957c3d4400/public) -mello P.S. - A picture inside of my place around the end of May ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f51d51b3-645a-4ada-1c86-d3a8efdc8f00/public) Thanks for reading Good Graphics! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. --- # Web Design for Artists August 14, 2022 · web-design, teaching, creative-coding Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/web-design-for-artists Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/web-design-for-artists --- I’m teaching [Introduction to Web Design for Artists](https://www.romellogoodman.com/web-design-for-artists) this fall at MICA. It’s a subject that I hold near and dear to my heart because it exists at the intersection of tool making and hand coding websites. It’s a tension between making website builders so that anyone can express themselves regardless of technical ability and learning how to hand-code a website from scratch. As artist’s so many of our digital tools are built by tech companies and handed to us. It leads us to constantly shape our practices to their whims without agency of how are produce and distribute our work. Even if you don’t want to incorporate web design into your wider practice, it’s nice to have a digital place to call your own. That’s what I think a website can be. # Inputs [Upgrade Soul](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39279780-upgrade-soul?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=eppPnd2a9i&rank=1) [SICK Issue 03](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60067022-sick-issue-03?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=isXQpXcVQg&rank=1) [ICA Miami](https://icamiami.org/) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/131a5940-0371-458f-def2-3c92b6f43900/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/cf8d0223-7406-4d51-50fa-01ef47ca7100/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ce313bc1-490b-44ed-8b9b-382b1c8be800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/53a339e2-6fb5-442b-47d1-3cb4712bbc00/public) [Dale Zine Shop](https://dalezineshop.com/) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/08093610-7678-4058-5731-88548d825400/public) # Outputs Sounds About Riso I’ll be exhibiting some of my older prints in NYC at [Sounds About Riso 4.0](https://soundsaboutriso.online/) Sounds About Riso started as a showcase + market in 2019 that turned into a virtual event in 2020-- exhibiting risograph works by artists and publishers across North America. Through sharing a diverse set of risograph works, we hope visitors from around the world can discover and, if able, shop prints, zines, and books in support of the individual artists, printmakers, & local risograph community. Tentatively, the event is at USAGI in DUMBO NYC from Sept 22 to Oct 2. Check it out if you’re around as they’ll be tons of amazing artists [goodgraphics.js](https://github.com/romellogoodman/goodgraphics.js) v0.17.0 - I added the HTML scripting functionality that existed in hypertextscriptinglanguage into this library. Kinda feels like I feed one child to another. -mello P.S. - Here’s a freebie: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8b7f4c8c-da49-4734-23ab-fd5ed26b3c00/public) --- # my design dna July 13, 2022 · creative-practice, theory, graphic-design, design-philosophy Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/my-design-dna Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-design-dna --- I recently went to see the [Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech”](https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/virgil_abloh) exhibition at BkM. (shouts to [emma](https://www.instagram.com/emmaorhun/) for the rec). What draws me to Virgil is the openness of his work. Openness that is born from the influence of remix cultures like music, fashion, and for me software. Each piece a site for learning and conversation. At the exhibit I got a manuscript of his [“Insert Complicated Title Here”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qie5VITX6eQ) lecture and in it he asks: What’s my DNA? Every architect, designer, and artist that I look up to, whether they were doing period paintings or buildings, has a through-line in their work This question of DNA has already been on my mind as I start mY NeW DeSiGnEr jOb and has me revisiting this section of my [website](https://www.romellogoodman.com/): I believe that computers can make us more creative and that tool building can be a labor of love. It’s vague, slightly pretentious and honestly a little unclear. Which is why I’ve been thinking about what this really means. Less dramatic and existential and more in a “how would I explain this” to my grandparents way. I talked with a bunch of Design Technologists to understand how they see their craft, I’ve reread my favorite [articles](https://thecreativeindependent.com/essays/laurel-schwulst-my-website-is-a-shifting-house-next-to-a-river-of-knowledge-what-could-yours-be/) and [books](https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/inhabiting-negative-space), and even started and stopped several attempts to write down my many messy thoughts. And after all that, I still don’t have a satisfying answer. The best I can do is: I believe that computers can make us more creative and that tool building can be a labor of love. The creativity inspired by digital artists, social media publishing tools and creative coding. The love inspired by [carrier bags](https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/ursula-k-le-guin-the-carrier-bag-theory-of-fiction), [home-cooked meals](https://www.robinsloan.com/notes/home-cooked-app/) and [digital love-languages](https://lovelanguages.melaniehoff.com/). I’ll get back to you if I can think of any more. -mello P.S. - Bruh, Virgil was detailed down to the [shoes for the museum guards](https://www.gq.com/story/virgil-abloh-brooklyn-museum-nike-guard-uniforms) Thanks for reading Good Graphics! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. --- # 6292022 June 30, 2022 · creative-practice, personal-update, art-tools, generative-art Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/06292022 Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/06292022 --- It’s been 2 months since [my last email](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/piet) and a big reason for that is that I sorta hate my art right now. All of my ideas feel trite and retreads of my previous work and while I’ve tried to flex my creativity into other mediums, poetry, photography, and music; I still end up hating my shit. I’ve been trying to sit with this. Trying to investigate why. And trying to be more intentional about embracing the [negative space](https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/inhabiting-negative-space). But today I feel like writing a little. I want to dump everything that I’ve been working on and thinking about both big and small in the hopes that I can get back into a creative routine. I’m dumping my sketchbook out on my table, or your inbox, and hoping I can feel inspired by what I see. At the very least, I’ll feel accountable to y’all once I put the ideas out there into the world. Here’s some things I’ve been doing: [Good Graphics](http://romellogoodman.com/goodgraphics) - The look and format of the home page has been updated to be the twin to the romellogoodman.com home page [garnet.romellogoodman.com](https://garnet.romellogoodman.com/) - I moved Garnet’s url from garnet.website [Piet Newsletter](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/piet) - I added the Piet murals that I mentioned in the postscript [Click To Tweet](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/click-to-tweet-goodgraphicsxyztweet) - I suspended [Click To Tweet](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/click-to-tweet-goodgraphicsxyztweet) for the time being while I rethink how my art stack works. Got bored with seeing the same group of 30-something designs constantly [garnet/title](https://garnet.romellogoodman.com/title) - play with the tab’s title [garnet/favicon](https://garnet.romellogoodman.com/favicon) - play with the tab’s icon [atwo](https://github.com/romellogoodman/atwo) - atwo is “a creative coding framework”. It’s my attempt at rebuilding and open-sourcing my ideas around an art stack. [hypertextscriptinglanguage.js](https://github.com/romellogoodman/hypertextscriptinglanguage.js) - I created a sibling to goodgraphics.js meant to script websites. I want to explore the browser as a document viewer and preparer and how websites can be used to create static media [Polaris](https://polaris.shopify.com/) - At Shopify, I worked on building a new site for our admin design system ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/876bfa2e-2536-4415-aa3c-4bb48e35a900/public) [Block](https://block.xyz/) - I’m leaving Shopify and moving to Block as a Design Technologist New Graphics Fin. I’ll hopefully see you soon. -mello P.S. - I’m starting my designer’s journey ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7fa09207-5328-4815-0129-ccf961d9c500/public) Thanks for reading Good Graphics! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. --- # Piet April 27, 2022 · generative-art, algorithms, creative-coding Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/piet Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/piet --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/dbc96930-ef57-44ab-461b-6087e0e97100/public) I have a new Long-Form piece that I think I’m going to start working on. It’s called [Piet](https://www.romellogoodman.com/goodgraphics/piet). Visit the page and refresh for a bit: [romellogoodman.com/goodgraphics/piet](https://www.romellogoodman.com/goodgraphics/piet) -mello P.S. - I love using Piet Mondrian’s Compositions as an exercise in class. It’s so fun watching how each student places the squares differently. P.P.S - There’s a mural in SE DC that is made in this style. I meant to take a photo of it for this newsletter but didn’t, so yeah. **Update: **Here are the murals as promised ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/03053b8d-735e-4b5c-3fe8-938968e64100/public) --- # graphic design is my passion April 23, 2022 · graphic-design, teaching, workshop, personal-update Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/graphic-design-is-my-passion Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/graphic-design-is-my-passion --- **Promos for my workshop** I’m working on a workshop called Tiles and Mosaics with [Index](https://index-space.org/). Here’s some artwork that I made for the flyers: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/678f7e4a-0bf1-4054-0317-c63bc43a8200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3a919b8e-d85b-4795-66e2-b35c72f1c900/public) **Promos for Generative Typography Talks.** I had some speakers come and talk to my Generative Typography class: Emily Edelman and Dima Ofman from [Asemica](https://asemi.ca/) [Lynne Yun](https://www.lynneyun.com/) & [Kyuha Shim (Q)](http://www.kyuhashim.com/) Here are the promo posts that I created to advertise the session on the [MICA GD](https://www.instagram.com/mica_gd/) instagram: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8ca98c65-c5e0-409b-0b25-61ab3f842a00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4dfb5940-be12-42de-0802-f1639232b500/public) **I made a website as a gift to my partner** ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8cf86ce6-fd40-4bad-24c0-000f84d54d00/public) It lives at [collection.romellogoodman.com](https://collection.romellogoodman.com/) **Talks. Talks. Talks.** ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0cd12dd7-3910-4740-a2fd-946e37e61a00/public) I converted my talks into a slides/text format on my site. Feels a lot better than relying on links to Google slides. [I Need You to Create with Code](https://www.romellogoodman.com/talks/create-with-code) [Piping Workflows](https://www.romellogoodman.com/talks/piping-workflows) [Urban Planning & Codebase Architecture.](https://www.romellogoodman.com/talks/urban-planning-codebase) [Graphic = fn(state)](https://www.romellogoodman.com/talks/graphic-fn-state) **Non-Design Shit** [I’m judging the Interactive category for the Core77 Design Awards](https://designawards.core77.com/Interaction) [I had to pull out of the Misfeed residency because I’m lowkey spread kinda thin at the moment](https://www.instagram.com/p/CaAFfCOlZG-/) [Anyways, I’m also speaking on a panel next week about React](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ_Ge9Vm7rk) Till next time, Mello P.S. - ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/90a13ac6-8ec9-4d31-fc9c-6c0657363100/public) --- # Poetry in the Textbox April 9, 2022 · web-design, hci, theory, writing-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/poetry-in-the-textbox Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/poetry-in-the-textbox --- The textbox is simultaneously the most basic form of posting content and a ground for innovation and experimentation. In past platforms like MySpace users could control and alter the functionality of the platform itself by directly typing in html and css. In current platforms users are leading product development, see Twitter and the user invention of the hashtag, and using text to program new interfaces, like TikToks text to speech feature. The textbox offers the opportunity to reframe programming and our agency with software from a one-sided affair of cold logic dictated by platforms to one of poetics, intentionality and community. After all, what do programmers do all day? Type text. --- # Rope, v3 March 19, 2022 · generative-art, algorithms, creative-coding Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/rope-v3 Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/rope-v3 --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/6a34e7b8-e3fb-4dc2-28fe-80057855d500/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f836676c-b6c8-46d4-4743-ef4895664a00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bab76f97-7daf-4d30-3f11-ce7d4e86d800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/9986eea0-5c15-450f-6baf-bc6fd8d41c00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/368bf9b2-dcf1-4423-f128-edaa6859f200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/aed2070c-8993-4009-0178-73da8ea26100/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/201442d5-ded9-41b9-87f8-216b09db2300/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bda51754-f297-491d-fe0b-3a0bda44e300/public) P.S. - I created a visual changelog of the algorithm to live here: [https://www.goodgraphics.xyz/rope](https://www.goodgraphics.xyz/rope) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8fbec90e-5b47-4564-1ac9-f95edee12c00/public) --- # You ever see a website so good that it makes you redo your own? February 24, 2022 · web-design, personal-update, teaching Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/you-ever-see-a-website-so-good-that-it-makes-you-redo-your-own Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/you-ever-see-a-website-so-good-that --- So [I teach at MICA](https://generativetypography.romellogoodman.com/) now, and on campus there is so much amazing artwork. From student presentations, to exhibits, and even their event advertisements. I saw this poster this morning and stopped in my tracks: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5f3427f9-eb0b-4b69-9f78-13eed4052b00/public) I’m a big [Chloe Scheffe](http://chloescheffe.com) fan and have been since I discovered her work at Away. I think her website is the perfect balance between informational and good design and you should check it out. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ed6ddd16-cb0e-4b36-c7af-4fdec91ce800/public) This made me want to revisit [romellogoodman.com](https://www.romellogoodman.com/) and give it a facelift. I recently added new links and projects but needed to do a light redesign to better communicate my work. Check it out and let me know what you think! ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/59ab8c25-99e9-4ba3-ac81-392aae24b300/public) -mello P.S. - I get to design my own posters for a [speaker series](https://generativetypography.romellogoodman.com/guest-speakers) I’m hosting in April 🧑🏿‍🎨 --- # Rope, v1 February 21, 2022 · generative-art, algorithms, creative-coding Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/rope-v1 Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/rope-v1 --- I’ve been mulling the idea of starting a development diary for a [Long-Form Generative Art](https://tylerxhobbs.com/essays/2021/the-rise-of-long-form-generative-art) piece. This piece is called: Rope. It’s an algorithm built around the ideas of position, color and size. I’m building off of an idea that I first explored in the pieces “Rainbow Rope” and “Rainbow Rope 2“: Rainbow Rope ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0db02ba9-de4a-4198-4abb-2574a85e9500/public) Rainbow Rope 2 ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3d06dc96-9c35-4754-35ac-2df229064a00/public) Version 1 of the algorithm implements the first two ideas of position and color. I’ll send more updates as I make em. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/26881bf4-ee76-43a3-ef11-c2950294a000/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/96625f36-26ef-4a7a-c44e-026a2b8b8a00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7b51be0f-2584-4a2b-458e-df9262200200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/897dfe52-8eac-4e93-66a6-8e7ef7885b00/public) -mello P.S. - Second post of the year! --- # My Practice in 2021 & Beyond January 2, 2022 · creative-practice, personal-update, pen-plotter, printmaking Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/my-practice-in-2021-beyond Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/my-practice-in-2021-and-beyond --- A Year of Risograph Printing ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/731cb67c-75a4-4ecb-ee29-a841a7dbce00/public) It’s that time of the year where we look back at the last one and take stock. I’m like a week late to the train because I’ve been struggling to gather my thoughts for the “& Beyond” part but feel pretty fine on where I landed. I've come to think of my practice in 3 parts: Design Tools, Graphics, and Publishing. Design Tools and Graphics are in a feedback loop. My art improves through the maturation of my tools and my tools become improve and become more refined as I use them to make projects. Publishing supports both areas as the act of socializing my work creates signals that can guide my creative ideation. It’s also the most love-hate part. So let’s dive deeper into each area by the numbers. ### Design Tools. [goodgraphics.js](https://github.com/romellogoodman/goodgraphics.js) is at version 0.15.0. [flow-fields.js](https://github.com/romellogoodman/flow-field.js) was created as a small library. The good graphics monorepo, where I write my code, is coming along with some great functionality and lots of little ideas that I’ve been trying out over the year. ### Graphics. 300 Graphics in the monorepo. 9 Patreon Graphics with 4 of them being Generative Prints. Countless Pen Plotter Designs and Prints. 18 Risograph Prints made in tandem with [Risolve Studio](https://risolvestudio.com/). ### Publishing. Despite my at times chaotic posting, I’ve successfully gained some followers across: [@mellogood twitter](https://twitter.com/mellogood), [@goodgraphics twitter](https://twitter.com/goodgraphicsxyz), [@mello.goodgraphics insta](https://www.instagram.com/mello.goodgraphics), [@goodgrapicsxyz insta](http://instagram.com/goodgraphicsxyz), [@goodgraphicsxyz tiktok](https://www.tiktok.com/@goodgraphicsxyz). 261 sales in the shop. 1 whole sale seller (🥳). 39 Newsletters. Countless website redesigns. ### Takeaways. My main goal is always to get better at making good art. Social media and shop sales are good signals that can help me validate ideas but I also don’t want to chase them. For example, the Radial Circle Risograph print is popular but I don’t want to continue making the same print over and over just to make money. For now I want each part of my practice to help me grow and feel challenged. This is the same reason that I stopped the Patreon page and also the same reason that this newsletter is moving to bi-weekly. I’m taking stock of where I am putting creative energy and making sure I’m not doing things that don’t bring me joy or growth. ### & Beyond Earlier this year I saw [Laurie Anderson: The Weather](https://hirshhorn.si.edu/exhibitions/laurie-anderson-the-weather/) at the Smithsonian Hirshorn Museum. One of many rooms in the exhibit. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/9feadd5c-16ac-4bf4-4008-e2d75bd6b400/public) As my introduction to such an iconic artist, I became obsessed and started reading profile and reviews of Anderson. In a profile by [The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/10/07/laurie-anderson-hirshhorn/) the writer says the following that has been stuck in my head for months: This is how you make time for art, I think. By making it all the time. The biggest challenge with making art this year has been me also dealing with burnout. From not being able to find time to being too tired or frustrated to even make something when I do find time. The only way I’ve found to combat that is by constantly thinking about art and working on pieces in my head. This sounds easy but it can be exhausting. The nature of code means that it is easy to build and prototype ideas but most days I feel like I’m just spinning my wheels and not actually amounting to anything. In 2022 I want to sit in this feeling more and tackle this pressure to improve or create within a linear timeframe. I want more non-cyclical processes and to give myself more space to just run around and experiment and prototype and create without pressure to end up with a polished “something”. That’s my one goal for the year. We’ll see how this shakes out, wont we? Till next time, Mello P.S. - 🏆 The Graphic of the Year Award 🏆goes to: **Flow Snakes.** Flow Fields are seen as a “basic” generative art algorithm but I have a soft spot for them. This piece combines some of the lerp style I’ve been experimenting with this year with an effect I discovered last year when I was working with p5.js more. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/76c07b20-ef74-4112-3945-f01ed5317500/public) P.P.S - ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/48ac48be-9abb-4b90-0297-a9c0b2625300/public) --- # It's December December 7, 2021 · creative-practice, personal-update, pen-plotter, printmaking Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/its-december Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/its-december --- I write this at 4am, unable to sleep, after being read by my [monthly horoscope](http://www.alicesparklykat.com/articles/275/December_2021_Horoscopes/): > Virgo > > I want you to pick one creative project and finish it in December. Stop dawdling around and pretending that you are organizing your craft supplies instead of just doing the thing. Finish a poem, a scarf, or a table painting project. Pick only one. Once you have finished, I want you to get rid of the tools that allowed you to finish the project because you don't need them anymore. > > I want you to look through your art supplies with the intention of using them instead of saving them. If you are committed to using any of them, actually use them and finish them. If you cannot see yourself finishing a tube of paint or an old ball of yarn, get rid of it. So this is me finishing a project: sending a newsletter with some updates. ## Ending Patreon The patreon is ending. I have really enjoyed the monthly grind of coming up with a print and shipping them out. But it's become kind of a grind. I might bring it back in the future in some form but for now I want to focus that energy somewhere else. Patreon Print Archive: - [Generative Print: Every Frame a Plot](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-print-every-frame-a-plot) - [Generative Print: Voronoi's Monsters](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-print-voronois-monsters) - [Generative Print: Infinite Arches](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-print-infinite-arches) - [Generative Print: Wavy Circles](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-print-wavy-circles) - [July Prints](https://github.com/romellogoodman/library/blob/main/newsletter-good-graphics/2021-07-06-postcards-are-in-the-mail-archived-2021-09-06.pdf) - [June Prints](https://github.com/romellogoodman/library/blob/main/newsletter-good-graphics/2021-06-06-romello-goodman-head-graphic-enginner-archived-2021-09-06.pdf) - [May Prints](https://github.com/romellogoodman/library/blob/main/newsletter-good-graphics/2021-05-02-u-b-s-50568944-2021-09-10-17_08_52.pdf) - [April Prints](https://github.com/romellogoodman/library/blob/main/newsletter-good-graphics/2021-03-28-its-rainy-day-in-archived-2021-09-10.pdf) - [March Prints](https://github.com/romellogoodman/library/blob/main/newsletter-good-graphics/2021-03-14-hello-world-archived-2021-09-10.pdf) ## New Mediums I'm thinking about working in new mediums: wood blocks, image manipulation and gifs. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/fbceb45f-c21b-4899-563f-13f5ef4a5600/public) ## Bi-Weekly Newsletter I'm shifting this newsletter to bi-weekly. Similar to the Patreon I want to loosen the frequency with which I work. Coming up with 2 newsletters a month is a lot easier than 4. Short and sweet. Thanks for reading along folks! -Mello P.S - I am writing you at 11pm a few days later once this has been edited and actually finished. P.P.S. - I discovered this concept of an [algorithmic ancestor](https://dirt.substack.com/p/dirt-algorithm-ancestor). Could you imagine if [@goodgraphicsxyz](https://twitter.com/goodgraphicsxyz) continues tweeting until my Great Grand Niblings find it? --- # Generative Print: Every Frame a Plot November 6, 2021 · pen-plotter, generative-art, printmaking, algorithms Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/generative-print-every-frame-a-plot Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/generative-print-every-frame-a-plot --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/84ef8e0b-f29d-46da-8a44-a8a2f30f3a00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/dee67d78-b031-4d42-8680-f1f6783d0700/public) I got the idea staring at my tattoo one day. I have a thing for gallery walls and used a space-diving algorithm to calculate the layout for each frame and a nesting shapes algorithm to determine the appearance. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/363f44cc-54fa-4a21-cf8c-51f14cefc700/public) ### This Month’s Stamp ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/865318f4-8452-488e-4af9-e79b58557e00/public) [From the USPS website](https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/mystery-message-stamps-S_480704): Featuring bright colors and interesting shapes, the stamp design is a perplexing puzzle that will tie your brain in knots. This visual riddle spells out a difficult-to-discern message. Each colorful square contains a letter in an interesting pattern. The patterns, though seemingly random, were carefully placed so that when put all together, the message reads, “More Than Meets the Eye!” ### Generative Print Archive: [Voronoi's Monsters](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-print-voronois-monsters) [Wavy Circles](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-print-wavy-circles) [Infinite Arches](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-print-infinite-arches) # Elsewhere… #### Back 2 School I’m taking more classes! As I toy with the idea of graduate school, I’ve found that taking more classes can both create dedicated time for me to learn and dip my toes back in sitting in class. I’m taking: [Basics of Book Design](http://coopertype.org/event/basics_of_book_design_fall21) [Points, Lines and Systems](http://schoolofma.org/points-lines-systems.html) The former will help me as I begin to expand my practice into Zines. With the latter, I’m hoping to pick up some new tips and tricks that I can directly apply to Pen Plots in the future. #### click to tweet updates So one thing that’s been bugging me about [@goodgraphicsxyz](https://twitter.com/goodgraphicsxyz) is how at times it’s not very random. It seemed like the same graphics were being repeated over and over again with the same color schemes. This might be because the randomness in computers isn’t really “random” or maybe there’s something else going on. Either way, I added an update that bars a graphic from being repeated if it was used within the last X instances. Seems to be working better as far as I can tell. Elsewhere, the spam still continues: Hoping that for now it’ll at least be more diverse and interesting spam. #### [Can Data Die?](https://pudding.cool/2021/10/lenna/) “Why one of the Internet’s oldest images lives on without its subject’s consent”. Great mix of data viz and storytelling from [The Pudding](https://pudding.cool/). ### y'all see the preview image from the last newsletter? ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/9b3ce327-d8ca-4669-fed2-641f9aca8d00/public) ### 🚨 And Another Thing... 🚨 No more newsletters for the rest of the month. I have a lot going on with these classes and other artistic interests and I want to clear my plate and create space for them. I’m super excited for next month’s print already and the newsletters I have planned to end the year. I really think you’ll like them. -mello P.S. - The name of the print is a reference to the forever iconic [Every Frame a Painting](https://www.youtube.com/user/everyframeapainting/videos) series. --- # Generative Print: Voronoi's Monsters October 10, 2021 · pen-plotter, generative-art, printmaking, algorithms Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/generative-print-voronois-monsters Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/generative-print-voronois-monsters --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/13b569a6-08a6-4cc0-9661-0ddfefbc8500/public) It’s Spooky Season so for October the [Generative Print](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-prints-and-the-idea-of) is called… **Voronoi's Monsters**. The algorithm creates a [Voronoi Diagram](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voronoi_diagram) and then for each cell chooses one of several Halloween items to place in it. The Halloween items are a collection of SVGs that I bought off of Etsy. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/b26f25a2-f745-4c3c-27ad-49599ca61200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8d9d321b-be8a-4887-4d26-01d1bbac0500/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3d403466-0d27-4000-f9f0-b5116895f200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/1116592b-cbf9-4b15-7708-080f97b57800/public) As always each print is one of a kind and there is an another aspect that makes these special. The emptiness. I wanted to send everyone a fun little activity to do this month. Please grab a crayon and have fun coloring! Also, send me your finished postcards so I can showoff your mad skills! ### This Month’s Stamp ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4221db33-1df6-434c-0e0b-bc68589c6a00/public) [From the USPS website](https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/raven-story-S_478004): Merging traditional artwork with modern design touches, this stamp depicts one of many stories about Raven, a figure of great significance to the Indigenous people of the northern Northwest Coast, part of the area that ranges from Southeast Alaska through coastal British Columbia and south into Washington state. ### Generative Print Archive: [Wavy Circles](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-print-wavy-circles) [Infinite Arches](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-print-infinite-arches) # Elsewhere… ### **Piping Workflows, Or Outputs to Inputs and Back** I gave a small lecture/talk 2 weeks ago for ACM SIGGRAPH SPARKS’ Session on ["Creative Coding: Generative / Algorithmic Art and the Exploration of Authorship and Authenticity"](https://dac.siggraph.org/creative-coding/). Browse the slides if you’re interested: [PDF Slides](https://github.com/romellogoodman/library/blob/main/slides/Piping%20Workflows.pdf) and below is the description: In UNIX piping allows for the output from one program to be used as the input for another. Using this framework we can explore Generative Art not just as an output but as system of inputs situated within larger artistic workflows. ### [@goodgraphicsxyz](https://twitter.com/goodgraphicsxyz) hits 100 followers 🥳🍾 Our little guy has some friends! Enough people are finding and using [click to tweet](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/click-to-tweet-goodgraphicsxyztweet) that I don’t even need to use a social media scheduler anymore. Give it a follow if you want a near hourly stream of Graphics in your timeline. You can also celebrate when the bot breaks! -mello P.S. - --- # On the intimacy of generative art October 1, 2021 · generative-art, theory Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/on-the-intimacy-of-generative-art Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/on-the-intimacy-of-generative-art --- I wanted to share an essay that I came across a few weeks ago: (Content warning: contains references to sexual assault) [On the intimacy of generative art. By Danielle Navarro](https://essays.djnavarro.net/post/intimacy-and-art/) -mello --- # Mechanic September 18, 2021 · creative-coding, tools, open-source Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/mechanic Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/mechanic --- So a new creative coding tool just dropped called, [Mechanic](https://mechanic.design/) It’s creators are [Design Systems International](https://designsystems.international/) who’s co-founder, [Rune Madison](https://runemadsen.com/), is someone I’ve been following for some time. Rune used to work at The New York Times and his course [Programming Design Systems](http://printingcode.runemadsen.com/) and library [Rune.js](http://runemadsen.github.io/rune.js/) have had an influence on some of my thinking here. I think that generally design tools have stagnated and even modern tools like Figma are just recreating old metaphors that were introduced and popularized by Photoshop and the like. What I’ve found in the creative coding community is the willingness to build your own tools and workflows but these are usually bespoke and highly customized. What is interesting about Mechanic is that it sits in the middle ground where there is an opinion around how to structure your code, called Design functions, but it’s minimal and allows you to create a wide variety of works. Bonus points that the code and config structure for a Design function matches the type of thing I’ve already been doing in [Garnet](https://garnet.website/) and the Good Graphics codebases. I’m excited for a future where we have more design tool frameworks like this and will update you if I decide to jump ship and fully invest on one. But as always the issue with choosing tools for me in one of [ownership](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/goodgraphicsjs). # Elsewhere… ### spammy @goodgraphicsxyz So yeah, someone is having fun with [click to tweet](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/click-to-tweet-goodgraphicsxyztweet) and pressing it alot. Going to keep watch for a few more days before stepping in and updating how frequently it will work. ### Library ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/96c2fb9a-95a2-499a-e352-e0867fee2c00/public) I have a “library” now! [github.com/romellogoodman/library](https://github.com/romellogoodman/library). It’s just a collection of various writing and publishing projects I’ve been doing. I plan on doing something with them in the future but I’m just capturing it all in one place for now -mello P.S. - Should I buy a .design domain? --- # NoMa Mural September 9, 2021 · generative-art, black-culture, community, algorithmic-art Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/noma-mural Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/noma-mural --- // content warning: police brutality In Washington, DC there is a neighborhood called NoMa. Its name calls to mind the "acronym as name" trend that you encounter in New York: SoHo, LES, DUMBO to name a few. It stands for North of Massachusetts Avenue and in this neighborhood there is a mural: ![NoMa Mural](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/75714086-b6ac-45d8-206f-0420cc826500/public) Called "Mapping Experiment" it was painted in 2014 by [Kyle Hughes-Odgers](https://www.kylehughesodgers.com/about) who describes his work as: > "inspired by nature, the built environment, human behaviour, and how these subjects intersect" From a citizen standpoint there's nothing particular special about the mural. Especially when you juxtapose it against its siblings across the city that are more localized and depict black life that is full of color and wonder. DC has a city sponsored mural [Mural Project](http://muralsdcproject.com/) that you should check out to see what I mean. From an artist standpoint I find this work inspiring. The use of Geometrics and Layout play together so well. The colors look good at all times of the day and the non-conformity in the size and color of the shapes creates an effect where my eye is drawn to a different part every time I look at it. It works on both a zoomed-out and zoomed-in level. So I tried to recreate it. ![Recreation](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/852405a2-7677-4def-754b-1e9c9c3a2600/public) The core of the design are these 2 tiles repeated with different colors, backgrounds, and rotations. ![Tile Components](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/b8b6238a-8669-4c1a-4c52-20bde5668000/public) The Grid for the layout is generated at random using a [Quadtree](https://georgefrancis.dev/writing/generative-grid-layouts-with-quadtrees/) and by applying some of the thinking from [Tiles and Mosaics](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/wip-tiles-and-mosaics) we can ensure that each "Tile" randomly selects its characteristics from a list of possibilities. The only thing I didn't implement was non-square cells in the Quadtree Grid and I might update it in the future to add this change in and bring it closer to the original work. Generally, I try not to recreate Graphics whole-cloth. I typically will see a pattern or color and apply different aspects in my own Graphics. But this one is different. This mural has been on my mind a lot for the past 2 weeks and I wanted to recreate it as close as possible. I've seen this mural many times since first visiting DC in 2015 and subsequently moving here the following year. It's location is pretty central to getting across the city as is it right next to the intersection of New York Ave and Florida Ave. Long time fans of Mello will know that this is the same intersection that I gave a [talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrXe7dan-o8) about and in general has come to mean something to me whether that be a failure of urban planning, source of irritation, or even a source of [local tweets](https://twitter.com/jmargolis88/status/1143861409194938368). But it's been on my mind for another reason. Two weeks ago An'Twan Gilmore was shot and killed by D.C. Police (MPD). Originally alerted to "a man 'unconscious' in a vehicle at a traffic light on Florida Avenue and New York Avenue" MPD decided to fire 10 shots into his vehicle and killed him. Learning that, a mile from my house, a 27 year old black man was killed by the police the day before my own 27th birthday unsettled me. The loss of any black life is a tragedy and when it is in your own community you see first hand how the effects ripple out. Growing up in a predominantly white suburb I was shielded from seeing a lot of this upfront but, since moving to DC, I have seen so many members of my community stricken down simply for being black. Learning about the NoMa Mural and the artist's interests in the intersections of the built environment, nature and human behavior has reframed this mural for me. NoMa is a rapidly gentrifying area with about 6-8 condo buildings being built in just the time I have lived in the city. It is yet another area where black people used to live before being forced out by developers and newcomers. I include myself in the latter group. In their place, the city builds chain storefronts and murals that help new residents feel as though they are living in any other city. The built environment is optimized for them and erases any sign of its previous inhabitants. The police were called because An'Twan Gilmore was "unconscious" but they were also called because this black man was existing in an environment that he didn't "belong" in. While this may sound like a stretch, it is supported by the fact that the police were dispatched instead of EMTs or an ambulance, people suited to actually help an unconscious person going through distress. Further supported by the fact that MPD successfully deescalated and arrested a white man with a truck full of bombs the week before this killing. If a white man can threaten the Library of Congress and all of the staffers on Capitol Hill and walkaway unscathed then why is the same not possible for a black man that simply fell asleep at an intersection at 3am? The selective ability to choose when to deescalate is not surprising, but it still hurts. It hurts to march with children and see them yelling the name of a loved one that they lost. It hurts to have another name to chant and remember in our community. It hurts that An'Twan won't get to grow old. I know you come here for software but this is what's on my mind this week. This mural and this stolen life. -mello P.S. - [#JusticeForAntwanGilmore](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JusticeForAntwanGilmore&src=typed_query) --- # Generative Print: Infinite Arches September 3, 2021 · pen-plotter, generative-art, printmaking, algorithms Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/generative-print-infinite-arches Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/generative-print-infinite-arches --- For September the [Generative Print](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-prints-and-the-idea-of) is called… **Infinite Arches**. In these “unpresented times” I’ve been thinking lot about the infinite possibilities and doors that are open for each of us. I feel as though everyone I know is rethinking their life in some way or other and its super exciting to see people make changes that will hopefully make them happier. I wanted to capture that feeling in this print. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bd2544ae-eca4-4a7f-9150-6913d7d7d100/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/42024433-c084-4ea0-8caf-eb12c60e8b00/public) Here’s a time-lapse of the printing process on [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@goodgraphicsxyz/video/7000027787750935814) and a Twitter thread detailing the how the Graphic was made: ### This Month’s Stamp ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0e3da425-a13c-4a3d-8809-a71fdaab1e00/public) [From the USPS website](https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/western-wear-S_683304): The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the enduring legacy of Western wear with four fun new Forever® stamps. Inspired by the clothing and gear used by working ranchers and reimagined in fun and fanciful ways, the garments and accessories of the West comprise a unique American fashion style. They’re already in the mail! So keep an eye out [Become a Member](https://www.patreon.com/romellogoodman) ### Generative Print Archive: [Wavy Circles](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-print-wavy-circles) -mello P.S. - When is a door not a door? When its a jar 🥁 P.P.S - We’re going to continue talking about Tiles and Mosaics next week --- # Tiles and Mosaics August 28, 2021 · generative-art, algorithms, creative-coding Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/tiles-and-mosaics Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/wip-tiles-and-mosaics --- So I’ve been posting through it over on Twitter working through and iterating on a new algorithm/concept: The basic idea is that you take an existing Graphic, a Tile, and lay it down in a grid, a Mosaic. It was inspired by this video: Seeing the detail in such a small tile and imaging how a group of them would compose into a really cool picture/pattern/Graphic. So I’ve been making a lot of simple graphics that can act like Tiles. Here are some of my favorite that I’ve made recently: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8c73fbc9-d875-4f31-7abc-e8db487a3a00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5a626f17-e9f1-4d92-9efa-ad417390a400/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/43f4cf3e-11c2-4431-bed4-be25af415a00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f0e10c41-9eaf-4491-377c-31156826e900/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a0588850-0635-4752-45c9-f7e2cac72f00/public) Next week lets see how these are being used to make mosaics and the “long tail”-ness of an algorithm like this. # **Elsewhere…** ### **Insta Grid** And speaking of how small items build up to create a large effect or vibe. I’ve been playing around with the 3 post format on Instagram. To generate Graphics based on a specific color palette I’m using a gallery/palette tool I’ve built: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/aba983a4-957e-43c7-2ec8-5231d72ab100/public) Similar to what I said about the [Patreon work](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-prints-and-the-idea-of), I want each part of my practice to challenge me and help me get better at art. Playing around with the grid seems like a way to make Instagram fun while also building my “aesthetic” so I guess it’s a feed two birds with one scone situation 🥁. We’ll see how long this lasts though, I kinda hate having to post 3 photos at a time to maintain the look. It feels spammy ### Patreon Preview Next next week I’ll be writing about the next generative design print for Patreon Members. I’ve been experimenting with it this week. Here’s a sneak peak: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/9922ab31-10f2-4d53-8282-cf7f98d20e00/public) [Become a Member](https://www.patreon.com/romellogoodman) -mello P.S. - 🦆🦆🍞 --- # Only Graphics #3 August 26, 2021 · generative-art, art-making, pen-plotter Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/only-graphics-3 Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/lets-browse-my-personal-collection --- I got through spurts of art making and sometimes I make things and keep them for myself. Here’s a small sample of my ✨ personal ✨ collection of prints: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/9001fff2-4560-4d11-435f-66e49ffebe00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ea2bf8e3-62fa-4513-1f78-a9306745c800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8b5a17aa-6da5-4f24-5838-75c277bed900/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4cf9b2e8-2e99-4180-144b-063a9f683000/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a591242c-9534-4b49-67a1-0afc1d7d7000/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/b8a728c1-c2bb-49a8-1a14-1a1f27f21c00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bd389586-1903-4edc-24d4-f3f10a739e00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/2cd5096e-6a3f-42ac-f248-6de11bef4600/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e19bfa85-9a29-4da6-188c-eefd5f139500/public) ### Only Graphics Archive: [Only Graphics #1](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/a-graphics-only-post) [Only Graphics #2](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/only-graphics-ii) -mello P.S. - Are we enjoying this bi-weeklyish dispatch? --- # Why goodgraphics.js exists August 21, 2021 · open-source, creative-coding, tools, design-philosophy Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/why-goodgraphics-js-exists Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/goodgraphicsjs --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/fd7fa1b8-7884-4f5d-83e1-121fd8b94a00/public) [goodgraphics.js](https://github.com/romellogoodman/goodgraphics.js) is a library for scripting SVGs. It’s the main tool that I use to create all of my art and its opensource so anyone can use it and contribute to it. I’ve gotten asked why I created this a few times so here we go: ### Short Answer I wanted something that I could develop along side my artistic practice. It feels like I’m mixing my own paints. As I grow and start to develop my practice, the tool also grows in capabilities. In the words of Marshall McLuhan: We Shape Our Tools, and Thereafter Our Tools Shape Us ### Long Answer In [Computers Making Pictures](https://tobiasrevell.com/Computers-Making-Pictures-Imaginary-Machines-LCC-Lectures-07-2021), Tobias Revell observes the following: the standardization of software through defaults, presets and templates limits our ability to image new things with them and that those who develop and commercialize a mass of these tools are granted a defacto control over realism as presented (This occurs around the 29th minute mark and the entire lecture is well worth watching if you want to consider how the decisions of a few might shape our ability to think about reality.) This is relevant because when you look at the landscape of creative coding tools there is an abundance of popular tools such as: p5.js, d3.js and three.js. (Note: Only looking at the JavaScript space) All of these are amazing and have capabilities that goodgraphics.js might never have. But they all also have the same problem: I don’t own them. Not owning a tool means building based on someone else’s abstractions and logic. In the lecture above, this idea is discussed through the lens of Computer Animation and how the foundation laid by white male researchers has ramifications in the movies and art we enjoy. For example, the lack of research into how to properly render hair that isn’t wavy and non-textured aka black hair. (Aside: here’s a video of how a game solved this: [How Insomniac Games created Miles Morales’ dope fade](https://www.polygon.com/videos/22484056/spider-man-miles-morales-dope-fade-polygon-video)). Now, my art isn’t tackling social questions at that level but the same sentiment applies. I want to define and own my logic and make my own decisions instead of relying on how someone else sees the world. By building this tool I am able to have full domain over what it can and can’t do. I am able to free myself from pre-defined use-cases and assumptions and imagine greenfield integrations and ways of working. As I grow in my artistic practice, the tool also grows in capabilities and in turn shapes my artistic practice. In the words of Marshall McLuhan: We Shape Our Tools, and Thereafter Our Tools Shape Us Ownership frees me from having to worry about upgrading a software package and half of my artwork no longer working. Ownership means that I am not tied to only working with Web Browsers, like most of these tools assume, and can transform my Graphics into Posters, PNGs, Books, Zines, GIFs, etc. Ownership allows me to create new software experiences around my art without having to force a tool to do a job it wasn’t created for. Features like [click to tweet](https://twitter.com/goodgraphicsxyz/status/1394893227568812038) or the Generative home page of [goodgraphics.xyz](https://goodgraphics.xyz/) wouldn’t be possible and I know in the future I’ll daydream even more uses for this tool. I mean at the end of the day, it feels nice to have a little space in the computational world that is mine to own and do want I want with. I’m sure that in the future, if others start to use the tool, it will start to become ours. But, for now, it’s mine. And that’s enough. # Elsewhere ### Romello Goodman, Master of Arts lol Here’s a list of programs I’m looking at: [RISD Graphic Design MFA](https://www.risd.edu/academics/graphic-design/masters-programs) [RISD Print Making MFA](https://www.risd.edu/academics/printmaking/masters-program) [MICA Graphic Design MFA](https://www.mica.edu/graduate-programs/graphic-design-mfa/) [MICA Graphic Design MA](https://www.mica.edu/graduate-programs/graphic-design-ma/) Honestly, I just want to practice and learn about Graphic Design full time. And outside of making it my full time job, going back to school is the only avenue for that. But either way I said it so now it’s out of my head. ## A couple of good tweets -Mello P.S. - Have a good day! --- # Let's Package a Print! August 14, 2021 · pen-plotter, printmaking, art-making Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/lets-package-a-print Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/lets-package-a-print --- ![Packaged print flat lay](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/011eedd9-2d3b-41de-1bbc-91d586412400/public) ![Print packaging step one](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bbe3bef6-1c3d-4b68-6123-4589f9092100/public) ![Print packaging step two](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/491b1ccf-f32d-46f6-dc36-bf815925fc00/public) ![Print packaging step three](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/84f80533-c993-4121-67ea-52437817a800/public) ![Print packaging step four](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a7d5e15f-671c-4078-7752-93fa335a8c00/public) ![Print packaging final result](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/688fa8be-cc80-4f87-448f-21abb3071600/public) ![Print packaging detail](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/1a2ae11c-1a93-46b7-a0cb-088a33352200/public) \- mello **P.S.** - Let's = Let us. Who knew?! --- # Generative Print: Wavy Circles August 5, 2021 · pen-plotter, generative-art, printmaking, algorithms Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/generative-print-wavy-circles Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/generative-print-wavy-circles --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3f12d2e3-6408-46e7-0117-a3e2f8093900/public) [Per my last email (blog post)](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/generative-prints-and-the-idea-of), I’m experimenting with Generative Prints for Patreon Members. For August the first Generative Print is called…**Wavy Circles**.** **Using Sin Wave math each attribute smoothly moves between a minimum and a maximum ![Sine Wave - Overview, Sine Function, Applications](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4a05dfcf-5044-408b-01fa-0e46ece3a100/public) Generative Attributes: Number of Circles The starting position of the circles on the Big Wave The starting size of the circles Number of Waves that the size of the Circles completes Combining a number of different sin waves creates a natural effect where the circles shrink and grow in as you move across the wave. Printing these was really fun and I even made a time-lapse of the process: [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@goodgraphicsxyz/video/6990373150760471814). ### A few of my favorite Prints ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/59ead2ae-f305-417c-ecd7-e491a4bc9700/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/466a93ef-7785-4cd2-aad3-d3d4bc24d200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ece2da18-26c8-40be-2be6-5b4bbe574e00/public) ### This Month’s Stamp ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/af2283c7-33d6-4794-5398-0f7b4ab5c300/public) [From the USPS website](https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/emilio-sanchez-S_480604): Best known for his architectural paintings and lithographs, Emilio Sanchez (1921–1999) explored the effects of light and shadow to emphasize the abstract geometry of his subjects. His artwork encompasses his Cuban heritage as well as his long life in New York City. They’ll in the mail soon! So keep an eye out -mello P.S. - We’ve reached 20 subscribers to this newsletter y’all! 📧📧📧 --- # Generative Prints and the idea of "1 of 1 of X" July 30, 2021 · generative-art, nft, printmaking, creative-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/generative-prints-and-the-idea-of-1-of-1-of-x Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/generative-prints-and-the-idea-of --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3678e538-aafa-46e1-97d7-ed7caa22ea00/public) So a Patreon member sent me the above photo of their [July Postcard](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/postcards-are-in-the-mail-). It’s ruined. Turns out that the journey of some prints make is more difficult than others. Now. My first thought was “Oh no! Don’t worry I can replace it because I have numerous copies of each postcard”. But over the last few weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about my prints in general. Specifically, what makes them special or valuable. When creating prints for Patreon there is a balance that I try to strike. The design has to look good but at the same time be “simple” enough that plotting it won’t take hours. As the number of Patrons grows (become one below 😉) the amount of time creating these prints can grow out of hand without that constraint. I typically spend about a hour or two creating each month’s prints currently but overtime this can become unsustainable. I feel as though I have a rhythm now for creating these simplistic plotter graphics and even have a backlog that could suffice for the rest of the year. And that’s kind of boring to me. The Patreon was originally intended to cover the costs of my artistic process. It was a way to have a recurring revenue stream that I can depend on as I start to experiment and figure this out. But I’ve been questioning what else it could be? How can I more tightly couple it to my artistic process and use it not just to sustain my practice financially but to push the process further. I recently learned about the term “1 of 1 of X”. It comes from [Art Blocks](http://artblocks.io/), a market place for purchasing Generative Designed NFTs. The term is meant to highlight the fact that with Generative Art you have the ability to infinitely reproduce art that is bespoke and 1 of a kind. It’s uniqueness at scale with each piece being a glimpse into a larger system of possibility. I’ve written about [Generative Art and Creative Coding Algorithms](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/creative-coding-algorithms) previously, and I think this is the direction that I want to take the Patreon prints. Creating Generative Prints and mailing each one of you a unique “1 of 1 of X” print. So I’ve updated the Patreon to account for this. As with all things here, it’s an experimentation and in two months I might Pivot to something else. But for now I’m excited about this change. Stay tuned for next week’s email where I’ll talk about the first Generative Print! [Become a Patron](https://www.patreon.com/romellogoodman) -mello P.S - I got two more stamps! ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ea2586d7-cdc5-42eb-9064-7cfcf97a4700/public) --- # Only Graphics #2 July 28, 2021 · generative-art, art-making, algorithms Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/only-graphics-2 Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/only-graphics-ii --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8e4f7062-88e3-4702-099b-8e4c2df95e00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/cefeff49-76dd-424e-002d-5033e1bc5000/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7f85526b-c3a9-42b4-34cd-ad2a16105d00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/10039f0f-0491-42d0-6c65-977f279d7700/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/82cf9e93-1cdd-4ed2-ca97-5135fdd9f800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/41dddaed-2266-4836-2cc5-3b514861c800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/fe3f8fc0-1b15-4a76-679c-5a48afc3e000/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bb6fb6ae-ae69-4e6d-c2fd-c28d330dcc00/public) Only Graphics Archive: [Only Graphics #1](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/a-graphics-only-post) -mello P.S. - For those that don’t follow me on twitter: --- # Relearning my love for Math July 24, 2021 · creative-coding, algorithms, personal-update, creative-process Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/relearning-my-love-for-math Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/relearning-my-love-for-math --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/1358617a-954c-4213-3c70-49981019fd00/public) So I signed up for a 5 week class on Mathematics at the School for Poetic Computation called [Learning to Love Mathematics: History, Theory, Practice, Poetics](https://sfpc.io/cocoon/programs/#learning-to-love-math). The course description: In this workshop, participants will study both history of math -- including some connections to computing, ecology, politics, religion, and literature -- and practices of learning/using/creating math. Topics certain for at least brief discussion with everyone include a whirlwind survey of mathematics in a few pre-colonial societies and in the contemporary field, varieties of infinity, math education, logic, cultural and linguistic specificity of mathematics, category theory, and the physical realization of abstract computational models. Possible topics for discussion with everyone or in smaller groups according to participant interest include greater elaboration of the previously named topics, and other branches of mathematics or closely linked fields such as probability theory, programming language theory, computational complexity theory, information theory, music theory, graph/network theory, order theory, Ramsey theory, approximation theory, geometry, and fractals. There will be no assumption of mathematics knowledge more advanced than a vague recollection of middle/high school algebra, nor unrealistic expectations of building expertise in little more than a month's time; the intention for the short course is to build interest in and appreciation for a diverse and beautiful subject too often uglified by elitism, prejudice, and excessive rigidity. ### Why? As you probably guessed, to make better Graphics. ![36574289. sy475 ](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e3e6fc89-0e7f-4111-21b7-63ff17547600/public) I recently read [Music by the Numbers: From Pythagoras to Schoenberg](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36574289-music-by-the-numbers) by Eli Maor. The book covers the way different researchers and mathematician have used Math and Music concepts interchangeably in their studies. Studying and applying different interdisciplinary concepts is sort of a cheat code in that way. You get to leverage huge mountains of existing research and stand on the shoulders of giants. Math is critical to my artistic practice and by revisiting concepts and strengthening this skill I will grow as an artist. ### No really, why? I love math. As a kid my mom used to call me a "human calculator" because I was really good at arithmetic (+, -, x, ÷) and would answer with ease any question she had from calculating how much an item on sale cost to scaling measurements in the kitchen. Math is fun to me because Math is practical but, once we moved into more theoretical realms, I quickly begin to lose interest in the entire field of study. The end of the course summary says: … the intention for the short course is to build interest in and appreciation for a diverse and beautiful subject too often uglified by elitism, prejudice, and excessive rigidity. I think what turned me away from higher levels of Math was its rigidity. If adding and subtracting allowed me to create little shortcuts and different ways of playing with numbers, then Calculus felt too much like trying to force my brain into someone else’s thinking. My hope with this course is to regain my appreciation for math by learning new building blocks and techniques for using them. Hopefully numbers will begin to feel playful again. ### 2nd set of July Patron Postcards ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/dd7a08a0-845d-447d-c088-2fdc32013200/public) The 2nd set of July Postcards are in the mail for [Patrons](https://www.patreon.com/romellogoodman). Watch this space cause I’ve been thinking a lot about Patreon and Postcards and I think next week’s email is going to tackle this. ### [goodgraphics.js@0.14.0](https://github.com/romellogoodman/goodgraphics.js/releases/tag/0.14.0) [goodgraphics.js](https://github.com/romellogoodman/goodgraphics.js/releases/tag/0.14.0) is the coding library that all of the Graphics are made with. It’s my personal tool and eventually I’ll write a post about why it exists. But, for our purposes a new version was released. Adds a few helper functions that I’ve been using in the Good Graphics Monorepo Codebase that I want the library to natively support now. ### One last thing. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e5816911-f762-4523-7e60-1fc65ddef500/public) Turns out that y’all really liked that post from two weeks ago: [a graphics only post](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/a-graphics-only-post). Should I do more of them? It could be a midweek Bi-Weekly surprise or something. I think I struggle with adding too much structure to this newsletter/blog. I think there’s a certain [je ne sais quoi](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/je%20ne%20sais%20quoi) to the unhinged-ness. Idk. Just thinking out loud. -Mathy Mello P.S. - Mathematical Proofs. The only “high-level” Math concept that I love. There are so many logical parallels between Proofs and Computer Programming. It’s like mini-world building P.P.S. - Sin Wave Snake is my favorite Mathematical Based Graphic ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5d49c06e-351a-49d0-fe5e-d5467c11b700/public) --- # Code as Generational Wealth July 17, 2021 · archiving, black-culture, creative-practice, preservation Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/code-as-generational-wealth Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/code-as-generational-wealth --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3eca1581-7fc5-4a5c-e790-21ba4f6eb700/public) All of Good Graphics was uploaded to this here flash drive. Pictures of Prints. Videos of Plotter Prints. SVGs, PNGs, and JPEGs of Graphics. Code for Graphics. Code for the Good Graphics Monorepo. All of it. Why? Because of Octavia Butler. While reading Black Futures, a piece mentioned that Butler was an avid archivist but I did not understand the vastness until I dug a little myself. According to The Huntington Library[1](#footnote-1) : After Butler’s death, The Huntington became the recipient of her papers, which arrived in 2008 in two file cabinets and 35 large cartons, comprising more than 8,000 items. By the time the collection had been processed and catalogued, scholars were already clamoring for access. In the past two years, the Octavia E. Butler archive has been used nearly 1,300 times—or roughly 15 times per week—making it one of the most actively researched archives at The Huntington. Often when we think of generational wealth in the US in monetary forms. But this is a different type of wealth being passed on. Black people have always passed on information and ways of surviving and celebrating and this archive feels in conversation with that. A passing along of things that might not be universally applicable like money or land, but can sustain and empower the next generation and the ones after that. A way of saying “I was here. I survived. And maybe what I learned can help you too”. So why the flash drive? Because I’m building my own type of archive/generational wealth. Capturing my artistic practice just in case it helps even one person in the future. Software and Digital Archival is hard and I think Matt Desl captures why in his Subscrapes post[2](#footnote-2): Although a computer program drives this kind of work … the computational aspect can be difficult to archive and display. In many cases, the software and code is lost to history, perhaps because it eventually goes offline, or becomes obsolete with the advent of new technology. So I don’t know if Github will always be around to access my code other backups. The same goes for Dropbox and the files there. I don’t know if Javascript will still be used in the future. Or even if Web Browsers will still be a thing. Heck, I don’t even know if we will even have computers in the future. But just in case, I’m going to try and capture as much as my work as possible just incase someone ends up reading it in the future. And if I don’t have kids to pass this down to, I hear libraries are a good place to donate archives. -mello P.S. - No I’m not saying I’m the Octavia Butler of creative coding. But how cool would it be if that person stumbled upon my shitty code and it helped them in some way? [1](#footnote-anchor-1) [Octavia Butler | The Huntington](https://www.huntington.org/octavia-butler) [2](#footnote-anchor-2) [Subscapes (Part 1 – Preface) - by mattdesl](https://mattdesl.substack.com/p/subscapes-part-1-preface) --- # Only Graphics #1 July 12, 2021 · generative-art, art-making, algorithms Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/only-graphics-1 Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/a-graphics-only-post --- Correction: Original title of this post was "a graphics only post" ### grid of arcs flowing ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bf4d3f1f-8d43-4967-e474-e72d6d04e900/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/9e25bee5-b380-4639-34d2-c6a159653400/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/07c50cbe-0c06-405b-b71e-aedc0c14f000/public) ### radial apophenia ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7e0287e8-41d7-4eb8-c9d9-5ddcc7580200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/adecafd3-0c08-4cc8-3f06-f4cb7189e000/public) ### quadtree xo grid ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7c2b7a80-5f39-41c8-bcec-c2e74fb03a00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f805ae80-525a-4bf7-0932-f8f923b07a00/public) ### lerped arcs circle ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/dcaf5127-f570-4bcb-1161-cad91e7aa600/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/64d6c10b-487d-49e5-902e-99be76a58500/public) ### public sans letter 3d ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/077be4ac-67ba-467f-00b7-f5d5aaaaa500/public) ### public sans letter layered ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/16754ac6-6dab-4189-f3e0-8ada21c9c900/public) ### gradual lerp ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/14098921-f44b-4c6f-389c-81583d653b00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/9ea8cf0b-3281-4f90-dc68-22b68dd66500/public) ### grid of windmills ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/247b72ae-a822-442f-6d03-00fc626b8d00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/314dac26-fae4-4ad1-3d62-6ba494b7eb00/public) ### scaling circle square ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/478b3351-669b-4326-3431-b7e7af894c00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/dad4a022-98d6-4d61-faf1-f678ea591e00/public) —mello P.S. — We have some new friends here! Welcome everyone --- # Postcards are in the mail 📫 July 6, 2021 · pen-plotter, printmaking, personal-update Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/postcards-are-in-the-mail Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/postcards-are-in-the-mail- --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e5b30c71-ad3f-4243-f8df-4df1ab68e400/public) I tried to write 3 different ideas and am giving up for this issue. They’re all drafted though so I’ll pick one and hunker down this week on one of them. Anyways, July’s 1st Postcards are going out in the AM. Sorry for the delay here ### Elsewhere… I redid [romellogoodman.com](https://romellogoodman.com/). I’ve realized that text isn’t bad and brevity doesn’t add the “coolness” or mystique” effects that I think it does. So I added descriptions and links to all of the different works in the hopes of giving people a better understanding of what I do and who I am. It also honors this work and presents it in a better way than “Here are some links. Figure it all out yourself” I got my first tattoo! It’s the last photo in this [insta post](https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ4GGD-hUS3/). It’s a depiction of the Earth and Moon and honestly I love the minimalism. [Tann](https://www.instagram.com/okthentann/), the tattooer is also a bad ass and is doing amazing work to de-colonize tattooing. Would recommend following them. Thats it. Its 15 past midnight. See you Saturday! ( 🤞🏿 ) -mello P.S. - Yeah this one was late but I had a friend in town --- # H1 2021 Report June 25, 2021 · creative-practice, personal-update, pen-plotter, printmaking Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/h1-2021-report Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/h1-2021-report --- ### Context 💡 At my place of labor, The New York Times, it’s ✨ the magical ✨ time of year where we start to plan for the next 6 months, H2 2021. This has lead to an explosion of brainstorming meetings and emails with tons of links to Google Docs and Slides. Who doesn’t love talking about metrics and KPIs and OKRs and SLOs and all these amazing corporate terms that basically equate to “we need to continue to grow”? Either way Good Graphics was started in March of 2021 so let’s stay in this corporate frame of mind and look back at H1 2021. ### Stats 📊 Expenses: ~ $3,000 Revenue: ~ $2,000 Pen Plotter Print Designs: 38 Risograph Print Designs: 9 Orders: 76 United States: 64 International: 12 Socials: [TikTok Followers @goodgraphicsxyz](https://www.tiktok.com/@goodgraphicsxyz): 1267 [Instagram Followers @goodgraphicsxyz](https://www.instagram.com/goodgraphicsxyz/): 19 [Twitter Followers @goodgraphicsxyz](https://twitter.com/goodgraphicsxyz): 16 [Instagram Followers @mello.goodgraphics](https://www.instagram.com/mello.goodgraphics/): 248 [Twitter Followers @mellogood](https://twitter.com/mellogood): 254 Community: [Patreon Members](https://www.patreon.com/romellogoodman): 6 [Newsletter Subscribers](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/): 5 Content: Newsletters: 17 Tiktok Posts: 103 Insta Posts: 22 Twitter Posts: 178 ### Takeaways 🤔 Overall things are chugging along. I’m averaging about 2-4 orders a week and project that in H2 2021 Good Graphics will be “profitable”. When I started, the goal was for Good Graphics to make enough money to pay for itself and I’m glad to see that happening. The social strategy of Good Graphics is still being figured out but there are some clear signs here as well. Tiktok is the platform where I get the biggest engagement and will continue to invest in that the most. I use a post-scheduler for Instagram, Twitter and other social networks so publishing to these is more automatic as I only have to think about these things every 2 - 3 weeks. The creation of the @goodgraphicsxyz accounts has allowed me to publish multiple times a day without diluting my “personal brand” on my main accounts. It has also allowed for some cool experiments like “[click to tweet](https://twitter.com/goodgraphicsxyz/status/1394893227568812038)” and I want to add even more over time. Lastly, the Patreon and Newsletter statistics are placed under community for a reason. When publishing on a social network you do not own your audience. There is a budding train of thought that user generated content is akin to working in a factory and that really we, as users, are just churning out content on a factory line without any real compensation or sustainability. Patreon and the newsletter are my way of building a sustainable community. There is no algorithm that dictates if these updates go out to 20% or 50% of y’all. It’s a direct line of communication and in the long run something that think will outline all of those other channels. ### The Graphic of the (Half) Year Award goes to… 🏆 ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/1c169401-32a1-4eba-7f6e-da4cf41cfe00/public) **Init**. It’s sentimental but this is the 1st Graphic I created with [goodgraphics.js](https://github.com/romellogoodman/goodgraphics.js). It also serves as the template code/file that I continually start from whenever I start a new piece. ### What’s Next aka H2 and Beyond… 🔮 I took a mental health break from work this week and it been really eye opening. I spent the time trying not to schedule activities (I failed), writing (I did okay), and reading (I succeeded). One of things I’m reading is [Black Futures](https://bookshop.org/books/black-futures/9780399181139) by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham. This book is eye opening, affirming, challenging and soothing. I won’t explain why because my blackness is my blackness but I think it’s a book that I will revisit and reread until I die. How does this relate to Good Graphics? It has situated my thoughts and work within a bigger picture of the black experience and shown me that there is an urgency in the work I do but also that the timeline is my own. I have tons of things that I want to do these next 6 months and each one of them feels like it’s life or death but none of them have to actually get done within that timeframe. Growth and progress don’t need to be measured in any of the stats I mentioned above or within any span of time. Growth and progress can be whatever I decide they are and occur whenever I say. Originally I was going to say that H2 2021 is going to be: More Graphics. More Prints. More Experiments. and it still might be. But when examining my use of “More” it’s important to think in terms of depth. I might work on a single Graphic for the next 6 months, [per my last email](https://goodgraphicsxyz.substack.com/p/creative-coding-algorithms), or a single Experiment. Or I might do nothing and produce nothing. My creativity is nonlinear and by situating it within a framework that is capitalistic, deadline driven, and linear I am doing a disservice to not only myself but to my ancestors. Resting and processing are as important to the creative process, and life, as continuous output and I want to create more room for that in H2 2021. ### Thank You Before we go, I wanted to say thank you to you dear reader. The thing that has spurred the most growth in this project are these weekly newsletters. This newsletter has helped me develop a writing voice and organize my thoughts on a weekly and consistent manor. It’s also helped me take up more space with my creativity and feel less ashamed or fearful about failing. If you read this every week thank you and even if you don’t, still thank you because you’re at least reading this post 😊 Till Next Week! -Mello P.S. - I sound very facetious about planning but I actually love it. There’s a metaphor that says if you want people to build a ship then teach them to love the ocean ([link to metaphor](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/08/25/sea/)). To me, planning is the time where you teach people to love the ocean. Where you as a collective come together and pick the next destination that you’ll sail to. --- # Creative Coding Algorithms June 23, 2021 · generative-art, creative-coding, algorithms, tools Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/creative-coding-algorithms Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/creative-coding-algorithms --- The Generative Artist Tyler Hobbs wrote an article about his new Generative Art Algorithm: [Fidenza](https://tylerxhobbs.com/fidenza). There is **0 code talk** in the article so take a look even if you aren’t a coder. It’s amazing to learn how a piece of code can have so many different controls and variations. Each thoughtfully planned and configured to stand on its own and work together with its siblings. But the more amazing part is that it validates a feeling I’ve been having. Lately, whenever I see a code tutorial or blog post I scan it for tricks. For example this post [Trigonometry in CSS and JavaScript: Beyond Triangles](https://tympanus.net/codrops/2021/06/04/trigonometry-in-css-and-javascript-beyond-triangles/) allowed me to create a utility for creating shapes with any number of sides from Pentagons to 12 sided Dodecagons to infinity. (I should note that with this code any shape with over 300 sides essentially looks like a circle). This process of cultivating and stashing away tricks is a big part of practice. I’ve created a grab bag of tricks to apply to new Graphics and each one greatly expands the possibilities of the art I can create. For example all of these Graphics use a trick I found to calculate the Arc of a Circle: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a13b9034-c34c-4479-1f42-ce1f1ccf7500/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a212b2a6-ccc3-4397-e3d8-a215c8111800/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/6258c49e-a6b3-4aee-6616-babb17496200/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/41c320e2-3a33-48c4-f8e6-befcb7ec5c00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/2625d0f4-7f32-4eb4-6b94-07047a797600/public) What Fidenza confirms for me is that it is possible to create algorithms out of this grab bag. In the long term I want to string together a number of different tricks and techniques and begin to create algorithms like this. In the article Hobbs says that he has been working on this technique for 5 years. For someone who is new to this field, it’s exciting to imagine refining a piece of software for that long. It’s exciting to think about how polished and plentiful my bag of tricks will be in 5 years time. Maybe by then we will have even more Creative Coding Algorithms in the world to be inspired by. ### **[[flagged]](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27599131)** ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8bb9fc26-83fc-4a3d-4673-f4c50ce0b700/public) I decided to post to the Orange site and I got this. Anyone know what it means? ### June Plotter Postcard #2 ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/83f47572-6317-4866-f863-106e846a7300/public) They’re in the mail and headed out to y’all :) Had a surreal moment searching for this photo where I was convinced that this batch of prints was from months ago and not 3 weeks ago. What is time anymore? ### Elsewhere… My colleague Taylor Lorenz pulled an amazing quote from this interview with the founder of Patreon. It services as a great tl;dr for the episode. I also hope it is true because I would love to work on Good Graphics and not a job. -mello P.S. - I sent the last email a few days early and this one a few days late. I call that balance P.P.S - This means you’re getting your regular one later this week. Don’t worry :) --- # I WILL NOT MAKE A DISCORD FOR GOOD GRAPHICS. I WILL NOT MAKE A DISCORD FOR GOOD GRAPHICS. I WILL NOT MAKE A DISCORD FOR GOOD GRAPHICS. I WILL NOT... June 11, 2021 · community, social-media, curation, creative-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/i-will-not-make-a-discord-for-good-graphics Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/i-will-not-make-a-discord-for-good --- Originally, I was going to write about “Modern Software Development” and why I feel like a “Software Machine” every Monday - Friday from 10am - 6pm EST. This was a feeling I’ve had alot recently and was validated by a few conversations that I’ve had with coworkers and this quote from a [software company’s website](https://linear.app/readme): Today software is everywhere, but it’s become increasingly rare to encounter truly great software. Computers are faster but apps work slower. Corners are cut with each release. Product decisions are driven by A/B tests. BUT, I don’t care about that anymore. Let’s talk about Discord Servers. In Robin Sloan’s recent newsletter [Dreams of discord](https://society.robinsloan.com/archive/dreams-of-discord/), he wrote about Discord as an emerging space for online communities. He prompted newsletter readers for interesting Bot ideas that they may have seen in various Discord servers and included responses at the bottom. This response caught my eye: Can I plug my Discord server-as-art-gallery? [Scrumwave](https://scrumwave.com/) is a read-only Discord server (with the exception of a guestbook channel… I should really make a gift shop channel, I suppose, to recreate the museum experience) that displays generative art. Right now it’s more of an alternative to Twitter/Mastodon posting, a place to view the work in its own context instead of blended into your own timeline, but I’ve been pondering adding to it by making something more interactive. […] Now, I haven’t written much about it but a founding thesis of Good Graphics’ content strategy is to be a decentralized publisher and to allow people to discover the project in whatever platform they are already using. For example, check [goodgraphics.xyz/links](https://goodgraphics.xyz/links) and you’ll see that a Good Graphics social account exists for almost every social platform. So of course my first thought was **“HOLY SHIT WHAT IF I MADE A DEDICATED SERVER FOR GOOD GRAPHICS AND COPIED THIS STRUCTURE WITH MY BOT”**. But then the adrenaline wore off and I came down. Two weeks ago I visited the Moma and saw the an exhibit by [The Black Reconstruction Collective](https://www.curbed.com/2021/06/black-reconstruction-collective-moma-history.html). Being in that space I began to wonder about what it meant to be a museum in today’s age. How the choice to enter a space and explore what was present differs from my day to day where an algorithm serves me exactly what “I want”. What is the function of a curator and how can we recreate curation in digital settings? I don’t know but I think thats what excites me about setting up a Discord Server. On one hand its just a chat server but on the other, could it be a sort of Digital Gallery? Maybe I will start one after all. ### My Talk and Other Loose Ends Two Weeks ago I mentioned I had committed to a number of different projects that were in the works. The first was the talk, which is finished and live. Watch the video above if you’re interested in the type of weird angle I apply to software development. Second was a project for a client. I can now say that the client is Stanford University and the project is to build a website/dashboard for visualizing COVID-19 vaccination disparities. I think I’m a little lost in their system right now getting set up as a contractor but I’m really excited to work on this should all of the stars align. Lastly, is an article for The Increment. I pitched them an idea for their upcoming planning issue and will start working on it next week. In the meantime I will share my pitch with yall: As modern software development continues to change let's examine whether continuous sprinting is a pitfall of the agile system. The default for most software teams, sprinting for weeks on end can create a sense of blur as feature after feature is added with no end in sight. Milestones are a waterfall principle and I want to explore how planning for natural breaks within the software development cycle can create a narrative around the work and give developers a sense of completion and timeline. ### This Week’s Graphics ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8062900d-9bca-4b04-3bf4-8ef40c108400/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d892044b-d728-4982-fd23-b042c8acdd00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f8505e20-83d0-41bb-afeb-1f9d31f53d00/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c4b80b9a-f8b2-4ed8-0e5c-7c051eb9e900/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/93d9a522-3e57-4e65-0cb4-18b0a5920700/public) -mello P.S. - If you saw a typo in last week’s email title, no you didn’t. P.P.S - Sending early cause its a rainy day in DC and this seems like an opportune time. --- # Romello Goodman, Head Graphic Engineer June 6, 2021 · creative-practice, pen-plotter, personal-update Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/romello-goodman-head-graphic-engineer Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/romello-goodman-head-graphic-enginner --- ![Business card image](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ab140971-f637-4dca-d17f-c7d96ef79100/public) They say "dress for the job you want" but how about printing business cards with the title you desire? "Head Graphics Engineer" sounds like the right title for if Good Graphics ever becomes something more "structured" like a company. With each order I include one of these along with some other goodies, so I feel as though I'm trying to manifest it into existence 😊 ## Patreon Postcards ![Postcard image](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/2377519a-c12a-4473-cbbc-dd61d7b9c900/public) For my [Patrons](https://www.patreon.com/romellogoodman), the first postcard of the month is in the mail. This Graphic is called "My Diamond" and takes inspiration from [Steven Universe](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq0cvLEdLRs). I also threw in a business card for each of y'all because why not! Keep it or toss it, its a cool little artifact and also maybe some light ✨ networking ✨. ## Urban Planning & Codebase Architecture ![Presentation slide image](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c09b193e-4961-40c5-5365-d19729194d00/public) My talk is this Wednesday! I just finished my [slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uzJTJRRTvBXNjvqnzSQ-77ymB6NTdGtFmuVq0CP0XqE/edit#slide=id.gda9af684c0_0_0) if you want to take a peak. I'm actually excited about this one. It's an idea thats been kicking around in my brain for maybe the last year. This one is given over a livestream so tune in if you're around! ## Elsewhere… ![Graphics collection image](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c213a6e7-e0d7-482d-26bd-fab55865f200/public) **This Week's Graphics** * [boxes forming the letter X](https://observablehq.com/@romellogoodman/boxes-forming-the-letter-x) * [sunflowers 4](https://observablehq.com/@romellogoodman/sunflowers-4) * [xo cornered](https://observablehq.com/@romellogoodman/xo-cornered) **[goodgraphics.xyz/random](https://goodgraphics.xyz/random)** A small experiment that reuses some internal code in the Good Graphics codebase. Click and refresh the link to cycle through random Graphics. Till next time, -Mello P.S. - Wish me luck on this talk! 🤞🏿🤞🏿🤞🏿 --- # Lots of "Elsewhere..." May 29, 2021 · personal-update, creative-coding, web-design Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/lots-of-elsewhere Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/lots-of-elsewhere --- Yall! I've inadvertently booked my June to capacity project wise. Currently, I am scheduled to prepare and give a talk, potentially build a website for a client and potentially write another article for the Increment. For the last two. And of course I'll share more details if things come to fruition. But as a result I might have to dwindle how much new software I write for Good Graphics. To that end, here's a grab bag of things I've been working on this week: ## **[goodgraphics.xyz/links](https://goodgraphics.xyz/links)** I made a links page for the Good Graphic social networks. The page uses skeumorphism to resemble the linktree or carrd pages that exist in almost every social media bio already. Skeuomorphism is the idea of copying the design of another idea/object to make it easier for users to understand your new thing. So, think the trash and folder icons on your computer. Either way it looks nice and I'm happy with it. ## **"Redesign" of the Research Pages** I moved all of the current Good Graphics Research from Observable Notebooks to Notion pages. The design of Notion is dramatically more readable and each post also gets a cool little header - [Brute Forcing Creativity, Or Computers be Computing!!](https://www.notion.so/romello/Brute-Forcing-Creativity-Or-Computers-be-Computing-4b155ea056e74e83b834ddfcb95e299a) - [click to tweet: goodgraphics.xyz/tweet](https://www.notion.so/romello/click-to-tweet-goodgraphics-xyz-tweet-d3d28e746d5144b080ca51dff2a18b18) ## **Speaking of "click to tweet"** I didn't send the last newsletter out because I published it near 2am. Felt rude to spam y'all that late. Here's the original tweet: It's a cool little experiment and really opens up the possibilities for novel Computer Interactions. I've already thought of so many ways to improve upon this concept and can't wait to find time to build them out. ## **Speaking of @goodgraphicsxyz twitter account** The bot is humming along. The logic behind it is "every x hours tweet a random graphic". Unfortunately "randomness" to computers is just a computation so its lead to the same few graphics being repeatedly chosen. It's not the biggest problem but definitely on my list of things to fix next week. ## **Lastly, I love the incrementalism of software.** For instance I added a "[Go Home](https://goodgraphics.xyz/404)" link to the 404. It was a small change but really highlights that this project is constantly evolving and getting better. It's a house that I'm slowly decorating and moving furniture around. ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e809196a-2609-4e2c-175a-c6e409d81e00/public) Thanks for stopping by. your lovely host, -mello --- # click to tweet: goodgraphics.xyz/tweet May 20, 2021 · interactive-tools, hci, social-media, generative-art Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/click-to-tweet-goodgraphics-xyz-tweet Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/click-to-tweet-goodgraphicsxyztweet --- ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/48c1f09f-f549-4326-337a-e3cd9339d900/public) click to tweet: [goodgraphics.xyz/tweet](https://goodgraphics.xyz/tweet) I never understood the field HCI, Human-computer interaction. From Wikipedia: Human-computer interaction (HCI) studies the design and use of computer technology, focused on the interfaces between people (users) and computers. Researchers in the field of HCI observe the ways in which humans interact with computers and design technologies that let humans interact with computers in novel ways. So I guess thats what this link is. I kind of think of this bot like a new CLI. Eventually, I would love for it to respond to commands and accept arguments. What would you get if you tweeted “@goodgraphicsxyz help” in the future? ### **Elsewhere…** ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a58cded5-7051-41ab-fcc3-57d39314b300/public) This Week’s Graphics [Graphics Recreated: Otto Treumann 1963](https://observablehq.com/@romellogoodman/graphics-recreated-otto-treumann-1963) [Graphics Recreated: St. Vincent - Jesus Saves, I Spend / These Days](https://observablehq.com/@romellogoodman/graphics-recreated-st-vincent-jesus-saves-i-spend-these-day) Sending this one a little early…trying to relax this weekend. early is better than never, -Mello --- # Retreat + Art Fair = $ucce$$ May 17, 2021 · creative-practice, personal-update, exhibitions Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/retreat-art-fair-ucce Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/retreat-art-fair-ucce --- ### Art Fai ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7a3b7d51-b4eb-4b87-a089-0e366a2f1000/public) Well…it depends on what you mean by success. The fair was pretty dead. Not a lot of people were there and I only sold one print. But, the successful part was the act of selling. I hadn’t tabled at an event in years and it confirmed that this is a something that I would like to continue doing as I make art. Talking to people about how the prints were made and seeing which ones they gravitated towards was really nice 😊 ### Retreat Lots of code was written: ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3135064d-c87f-45c2-7d40-0a801d7da900/public) ![](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c7340e5d-8a03-473b-5f79-ca0f6795e800/public) From a high level heres what I did: Refreshed the [home page](https://goodgraphics.xyz/) to emphasize the experiments and social channels. Standardized the configuration information for each graphic Standardized the experiment UI (what you see on apps like Aubs and Palette) [Palette](https://goodgraphics.xyz/palette), the first iteration of a new tool for helping choose color palettes. [Twitter Bot](https://twitter.com/goodgraphicsxyz), the first iteration at creating a twitter bot that spits out graphics every few hours. Easel, an internal tool I have for creating Graphics. Really invested alot of time in building it out so that I can start to build more ambitious Graphics I didn’t finish everything I wanted to, but spent a lot of time conceptually thinking about Good Graphics. From a non-code standpoint though, I switched over from Patreon to Substack, stood up some other social channels and started on a few research posts. The new research posts should be on the site in the coming days. ### In Conclusion Today Good Graphics is just a hobby/experiment but I’m starting to piece together how this could one day be a studio/company/startup. It feels weird sitting in this ambiguity but I’m really enjoying slowly building out a thesis for my work. As always, -Mello --- # Welcome to the Good Graphics Newsletter May 15, 2021 · personal-update, creative-practice Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/writing/welcome-to-the-good-graphics-newsletter Originally published: https://mellogood.substack.com/p/coming-soon --- Welcome to Good Graphics by me, mello. This is an attempt at providing weekly progress reports to everyone as this project continues. Come along for the ride! Sign up now so you don’t miss the first issue. [Subscribe now](https://mellogood.substack.com/subscribe?) In the meantime, [tell your friends](https://mellogood.substack.com/p/coming-soon?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share)! --- # Flora Figures Book Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/works/flora-figures --- A study of Kazumasa Ogawa's Tree Peony > "Every image embodies a way of seeing. Even a photograph. For photographs are not, as is often assumed, a mechanical record. Every time we look at a photograph, we are aware, however slightly, of the photographer selecting that sight from an infinity of other possible sights. This is true even in the most casual family snapshot. The photographer's way of seeing is reflected in his choice of subject." — John Berger, *Ways of Seeing* Kazumasa Ogawa (1860–1929) was one of the most important early Japanese photographers and printers. His 1896 book *Some Japanese Flowers* featured hand-colored collotype prints of flowers native to Japan. After being photographed and printed, the images were colored by Ogawa himself. Through his hand-coloring, he chose which part of the flower to draw focus to and purposely directed the viewer's eye. The algorithms in this book take a single photograph of Ogawa's and transform it over and over again. We live in a time where tools now generate images from nothing. Pixels that reference no original moment, no flower that actually grew. With this book, I explore manipulation as an alternative to generation. The book was presented at Riso-Rama Paradiso in Corpus Christi, TX, 2026. ## Images ![Flora Figures](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ecdf065b-3130-4eef-def2-d0641099ca00/public) ![Flora Figures](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/935f4730-5760-4e74-ba9a-0b2794015800/public) ![Flora Figures](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/162e88b2-a4ee-47e7-a30d-8b95fc07af00/public) ![Flora Figures](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/2fabb13e-ca9f-4e8d-e6fa-be0de71b8000/public) ![Flora Figures](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/01060486-de28-4fb0-cfff-45d901d44400/public) ![Flora Figures](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/1769162d-7a9d-4bbd-3aa4-0bf44914ad00/public) ![Flora Figures](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0c2089de-f211-4f7e-d8ea-ee554db4b500/public) ![Flora Figures](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4243528b-30d3-4620-91f1-7919be37ce00/public) --- # Repetition as Prayer Series Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/works/repetition-as-prayer --- Repetition as Prayer is a show exploring the role of the individual in creating systems and community. The power of prayer emerges not from its individual utterance but from its collective practice. These works investigate the hopeful persistence of repetition—the faith that our individual gestures, however small, contribute to a larger pattern of meaning when performed in concert with others. ## Images ![Prayer 4 — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e13734b4-cb59-419c-7dcd-e6bedb95dd00/public) ![Prayer 4 — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7c50a144-ca0b-47f5-3e54-bff99b33d000/public) ![Radial Flipped (Prayer 6) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c83ce1ee-8825-4272-9db5-e03ef7db0100/public) ![Radial Flipped (Prayer 6) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4d33b7fe-05b7-4ae3-44dc-f53a8cedae00/public) ![Waveform (Prayer 3) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f7c6908d-5fb7-406d-857d-8330d99d3f00/public) ![Waveform (Prayer 3) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/213c70d3-1345-4b2e-5e52-999ac71a5600/public) ![Crescent (Prayer 1) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/120388a8-dce6-4758-df4d-4f3edaefcb00/public) ![Crescent (Prayer 1) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5c8bdff1-b164-4df3-6dce-04a4e61b7b00/public) ![Gradual (Prayer 2) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/60c7b122-e1a7-4031-d9f5-4aff74300a00/public) ![Gradual (Prayer 2) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3812d5a0-d7da-477c-2c54-cf06a144a300/public) ![Twist (Prayer 9) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/100bb77a-0e34-45b4-90b1-e41b87f86c00/public) ![Twist (Prayer 9) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5e2f4059-0d54-4bdb-fa54-18e3eb342400/public) ![Gradual (Prayer 7) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/db225703-e8d2-4fe4-0b44-1aa2fd4e5a00/public) ![Gradual (Prayer 7) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/df3cb7de-a156-4465-5cfc-760d2e361900/public) --- # Throwies Series Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/works/throwies --- Throwies is a generative algorithm I discovered while working on a commission for the Bollag-Miller Claytons. Inspired by graffiti throw-ups, it transforms simple sine waves into sculptural forms that capture the bold, bulbous aesthetic of street art. These overlapping, undulating shapes swell and fold into one another, mimicking the stylized letters of throw-ups that balloon outward with exaggerated volume. The algorithm combines precise computational control with parameters that introduce controlled variation, producing forms that feel both precise and loose, like watching someone tag a wall in slow motion. ## Images ![Throwies](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/524af4d7-5f80-4d21-122d-ab470a434f00/public) ![Throwies](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/6f3c128d-b3f6-4be2-bd5d-6b5666c18a00/public) ![Throwies](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e09519c4-43c7-4ae8-4afe-a391090ee900/public) ![Throwies](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/53832dfc-017d-4dc9-b055-0cd3c00ca900/public) ![Throwies](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8ea2e6c6-59b2-4baf-8799-150601113500/public) ![Throwies](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/6bde62e3-d045-4971-7623-f1b04ab9c700/public) ![Throwies](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/fd7dc821-071b-43cc-6cf1-ba722c222f00/public) ![Throwies](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/62b4b6c8-1383-4d86-4ea0-d445f3209900/public) --- # Chroma Steps Series Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/works/chroma-steps --- Chroma Steps is a series of prints exploring the space between colors. Each Risograph print uses the machine's unique screen printing process to investigate color and movement through interpolation. Colors march across the page in harmony, changing into and away from one another. ## Images ![Chroma Steps 2 — Risograph Ink on paper, 14 × 11 in, 2023](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/92db5ed7-c2f5-440e-e2b2-ad29eaa55a00/public) ![Chroma Steps 1 — Risograph Ink on paper, 14 × 11 in, 2023](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0cccb85b-bed6-4e2e-d1d5-f38eb8237c00/public) ![Chroma Steps 3 — Risograph Ink on paper, 14 × 11 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ae08f14a-f6b0-4aa0-c79b-1646e4107b00/public) ![Chroma Steps 4 — Risograph Ink on paper, 14 × 11 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5e328cfb-f0d3-4972-a7c0-caca0f350500/public) ![Chroma Steps 3 — Risograph Ink on paper, 14 × 11 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/57505c6a-f0dc-456c-32df-0633e2cc9b00/public) ![Chroma Steps 4 — Risograph Ink on paper, 14 × 11 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/09451d82-dde3-4465-ac6e-3eac6f6b9600/public) --- # Closer by the mile Animation Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/works/closer-by-the-mile --- A pen plotter animation made as a thank you for supporters of my [Pan-Mass Challenge](https://www.pmc.org/) ride. The PMC is a fundraising bike ride for cancer research, and this piece reflects its spirit: individual efforts accumulating into something larger. Each frame exists as a physical drawing made by a plotting machine, then sequenced into animation. Like riders contributing miles toward a shared goal, each plotted line builds the whole. ## Images ![Closer By The Mile — Pen on paper, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/afa6d538-bf52-4179-1fcc-3fd7d8be9a00/public) --- # Echo Series Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/works/echo --- Echo is a design algorithm using rhythm and repetition to create kinetic typography pieces. The algorithm transforms static type into dynamic visual experiences that pulse and flow across digital canvases. Echo serves as a recurring motif throughout my portfolio, appearing across various graphic design assets from workshop materials to presentations. ## Images ![Echo](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a23b160a-f6c0-4f4d-ab77-b12a71349500/public) ![Echo](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/15fa6be3-4f36-4fdd-78f5-c697adea3600/public) ![Echo](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f6ac5042-3815-4fb6-8e65-6b3744f85000/public) ![Echo](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/689ce029-bdf1-4242-b815-98a05364c500/public) ![Echo](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/860163a7-f88b-43e9-0af3-e5f8f4b75000/public) ![Echo](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/443ba00c-8fc0-47df-d7a6-043d63b3d500/public) ![Echo](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/383edb15-263f-485a-f442-875b9ca4a000/public) ![Echo](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bd7b9d4a-3aff-4af3-e02e-1d35551ded00/public) ![Echo](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/45774de4-8b28-48e1-c6b2-93c55f0d9600/public) ![Echo](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d71fdbb4-cbb5-4baf-ac5d-f46fd01d1d00/public) --- # Maze Zine Book Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/works/maze-zine --- This artist book is a generative system where the physical act of turning pages creates a viewing rhythm as you understand each output. Using the magic fold technique (where a single sheet becomes an 8-page booklet), I printed different outputs from the same algorithmic script on each section. Because of its magic-zine fold, you can cut and refold the sheet in different sequences, letting readers create their own paths through the variations. ## Images ![Maze Zine](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ac662b95-cf73-4691-b52b-48e3cd8d3000/public) ![Maze Zine](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/5467928b-60a6-4817-e01f-8c4dff16fb00/public) ![Maze Zine](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/2eda0fb0-801c-472b-068a-590b95b12200/public) ![Maze Zine](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/73fed857-e2e4-489a-4198-89cd68500c00/public) ![Maze Zine](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bef1767e-0a8b-41b6-6545-2caed3f5f000/public) ![Maze Zine](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c90d9e7e-43e7-4061-67ac-587f898e5000/public) --- # Reading Color Book Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/works/reading-color --- What is the simplest way to teach a visual system? Inspired by Sol LeWitt's Four Basic Kinds of Lines & Colour, I created an artist book that's one part art and one part instruction manual. Each spread pairs a gradient with its transformation, teaching readers to recognize patterns and understand the underlying logic through repetition and variation. The design stays constant in black; the color comes from the pages, randomized for each copy, making every book a unique sequence. ## Images ![Reading Color](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/1d259cf9-4e65-4073-c225-937470d5ad00/public) ![Reading Color](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/9ff50c3e-6a69-4677-3093-16a6d64a4500/public) ![Reading Color](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/4390d35d-b5e5-4100-4c55-c9af35671100/public) ![Reading Color](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/a8462a80-863a-44b0-201f-cbb1f1ad2d00/public) --- # Revelations Book Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/works/revelations --- An artist book exploring transparency and accumulation. Each page is plotted on translucent vellum, allowing previous images to ghost through subsequent ones. Every page answers the question: how can I draw lines rotating around a center point? Each turn reveals a new answer while past pages layer beneath, creating unexpected compositions through overlap. The transparent paper adds its own texture, a subtle static between the plotted line and the physical material. ## Images ![Revelations — Ink on bound vellum paper, 4.5 × 5.75 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0673e0fc-9064-4053-cda5-f89bcb2fd400/public) ![Revelations — Ink on bound vellum paper, 4.5 × 5.75 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8f9aa83d-1855-4fc7-a915-0d2422bb6100/public) ![Revelations — Ink on bound vellum paper, 4.5 × 5.75 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/27c64cb4-4e4a-45a1-22c5-1c3c9d6b7600/public) ![Revelations — Ink on bound vellum paper, 4.5 × 5.75 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f8c01728-355c-4e86-b433-47f1a6c26500/public) ![Revelations — Ink on bound vellum paper, 4.5 × 5.75 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f4594768-0a68-4e99-b22e-210108705d00/public) ![Revelations — Ink on bound vellum paper, 4.5 × 5.75 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/c7409ce9-58eb-4c4b-7dc2-99cbe253a900/public) ![Revelations — Ink on bound vellum paper, 4.5 × 5.75 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0aa900be-3859-411a-e058-e04410243300/public) ![Revelations — Ink on bound vellum paper, 4.5 × 5.75 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7cc033bc-e1e3-41cf-346a-040d91718100/public) ![Revelations — Ink on bound vellum paper, 4.5 × 5.75 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/2d6bf5d7-f097-4f59-09ee-b7ae5bafeb00/public) --- # Tracing Harmony Series Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/works/tracing-harmony --- Tracing Harmony is a series of generative drawings. Each piece is the output of a single algorithm mimicking a harmonograph, a drawing machine that uses pendulums to capture fragments of nature's continuous oscillation. This series is a dance between the physical and digital. A physical machine turned digital only to be retransmitted back into the physical world. The hand of the machine being pulled by imaginary pendulums at random. The hand of the artist guiding the randomness and curating the outputs. ## Images ![Tracing Harmony 10 and 11 — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/acfd2998-9220-4ceb-8e91-eb0e706d9000/public) ![Tracing Harmony 8 — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0f7b5c62-2158-466e-83d2-42dfd6873a00/public) ![Tracing Harmony 2 — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bd692eab-d938-4b31-9bdf-69ecfeb02700/public) ![Tracing Harmony 7 — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/6fea2eb4-928d-41c0-ed5d-b79cf89c8e00/public) ![Tracing Harmony 17 — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/8199cdf6-c392-4da1-4d62-06fd01642700/public) ![Tracing Harmony 13 — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d5995e82-33a2-4bb8-f43f-a75ee8639e00/public) ![Tracing Harmony 1 — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/57e08b3b-7d97-4fde-80bf-81f415e75b00/public) --- # Pieces A selection of pieces. Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/pieces --- ![Glitch Ellip — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/d1f5dc56-b4ac-4547-5eb2-9f8b7b634500/public) ![Glitch Ellip — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/90d04096-95ce-423e-6fdc-2be4796a8900/public) ![Glitch Radial — Ink on Paper, 14 × 11 in, 2025 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f8ac5627-2805-4194-ff33-3fc134d8ef00/public) ![Glitch Radial — Ink on Paper, 14 × 11 in, 2025 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f66a6ecd-f6f9-4329-972f-a8e2abe05500/public) ![Wave — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/3786eabd-688c-41f9-08f3-f4b0aa389600/public) ![Wave — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/0c290abb-5a74-41b0-c800-3cf741eb9d00/public) ![Tracing Harmony 2 — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/bd692eab-d938-4b31-9bdf-69ecfeb02700/public) ![Tracing Harmony 2 — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e9f64fc8-ac10-472b-949d-2cd2a0e94e00/public) ![Tracing Harmony 10 and 11 — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/acfd2998-9220-4ceb-8e91-eb0e706d9000/public) ![Tracing Harmony 10 and 11 — Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/050b5100-f9fd-45e8-5b77-fb3dc6509d00/public) ![Radial Study 4.3.2025 — Ink on paper, 11 × 14 in, 2025 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/777fda6b-8ebe-422d-5450-aa37df23a700/public) ![Radial Study 4.3.2025 — Ink on paper, 11 × 14 in, 2025 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/97d0522a-c472-4e38-9492-5d818d761100/public) ![Ellipse Study 3.19.2025 Blue — Ink on paper, 11 × 13 in, 2025 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7dd97e6f-f120-4323-8384-dbc573ad0f00/public) ![Ellipse Study 3.19.2025 Blue — Ink on paper, 11 × 13 in, 2025 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ce049e7d-d38e-4dac-4c55-f8d94e86e100/public) ![Crescent (Prayer 1) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/120388a8-dce6-4758-df4d-4f3edaefcb00/public) ![Crescent (Prayer 1) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/b768e2f4-1187-48ff-ac9a-ebb3059cef00/public) ![Gradual (Prayer 2) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/60c7b122-e1a7-4031-d9f5-4aff74300a00/public) ![Gradual (Prayer 2) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/99c07e7e-35f2-4000-d3b9-12307ddfa900/public) ![Gradual (Prayer 7) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/db225703-e8d2-4fe4-0b44-1aa2fd4e5a00/public) ![Gradual (Prayer 7) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/df3cb7de-a156-4465-5cfc-760d2e361900/public) ![Prayer 4 — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e13734b4-cb59-419c-7dcd-e6bedb95dd00/public) ![Prayer 4 — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/7c50a144-ca0b-47f5-3e54-bff99b33d000/public) ![Waveform (Prayer 3) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f7c6908d-5fb7-406d-857d-8330d99d3f00/public) ![Waveform (Prayer 3) — India Ink on Paper, 24 × 18 in, 2025 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/213c70d3-1345-4b2e-5e52-999ac71a5600/public) ![Pushed Study 12.15.2024 — Ink on paper, 11 × 11 in, 2024 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/68a391fc-485f-4786-2416-336585c02500/public) ![Pushed Study 12.15.2024 — Ink on paper, 11 × 11 in, 2024 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/f6521c1e-890c-42b2-844e-599e0c8d8b00/public) ![Converge — Ink on paper, 10 × 10 in, 2024](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/ea21e64a-9c93-460e-5d83-7863a87ee200/public) ![Emerge — Ink on paper, 10 × 10 in, 2024](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/b7a728e3-79b4-4b5d-4115-7810bbfd1100/public) ![Ripple — Ink on paper, 10 × 10 in, 2022 (1 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e5554ed7-b0e2-40ed-88db-c4f6f05c1400/public) ![Ripple — Ink on paper, 10 × 10 in, 2022 (2 of 2)](https://imagedelivery.net/BtaYDmQqPcGi8C3w4F2NuA/e856fed6-2b4f-4715-1f0e-4c063723af00/public) --- # Software Tools, libraries, and small programs built for my practice and for others. - [Github](https://github.com/romellogoodman) Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/software --- ## Artsupply A javascript utility library for creative coding repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/artsupply ## Axya A tool for controlling pen plotters (alpha) repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/axya ## Brush Tool A browser tool for drawing and painting repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/brush-tool tool: https://brush.romellogoodman.com/ ## Chladni Patterns A demo exploring chladni patterns repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/chladni-patterns demo: https://chladni.romellogoodman.com/ ## Crescents A demo exploring my Crescent algorithm demo: /demo/crescents ## Crown A framework for creating books using html, css, and prince xml repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/crown ## Flow Fields A javascript library for creating flow fields repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/flow-fields ## Goodvg A javascript library for scripting svgs and html repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/goodvg ## Minipix A browser tool for manipulating images tool: https://minipix.romellogoodman.com ## Monolith A utility library agents can call via MCP or CLI repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/monolith site: https://monolith.romellogoodman.com/ ## Oscillion A regeneration of Ben Laposky's oscilloscope Oscillons repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/oscillion site: https://oscillion.romellogoodman.com/ ## Postervg A browser tool for composing SVGs in layers repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/postervg tool: http://postervg.romellogoodman.com/ ## Prototype Boilerplate A boilerplate for rapid prototyping repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/prototype-boilerplate ## Sprite A small helping hand inside your computer repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/sprite ## Supergraphic A framework for creating micrographics repo: https://github.com/romellogoodman/supergraphic site: https://supergraphic.romellogoodman.com/ --- # About Canonical: https://www.romellogoodman.com/about --- ## Artist Statement My work explores how individuality exists within systems of repetition. I write algorithms that contain infinite possibilities, then pull single pieces into the physical world through machines. Each piece emerges from code but carries the marks of its making: the grain of the ink, the burn of the laser the wobble of the pen. The hand of the machine present in the final piece. This friction between digital precision and physical reality is the central question of my practice. What gets lost or added in translation? And what happens when machines built for repetitive reproduction are used to make one-of-a-kind works? ## Bio Romello Goodman (b. 1994) is an artist and designer based in Baltimore, Maryland. As a designer and engineer, he has written software for storytellers and built tools for designers at organizations including Anthropic, Block, Shopify and now The New York Times. Goodman's writing has appeared in Black Joy Archive and Logic Magazine. As an educator, he serves as an adjunct professor in the Graphic Design department at Maryland Institute College of Art, has conducted workshops at Cooper Union in New York and Letterform Archive in San Francisco, and was named the 2025 Scrimshaw Distinguished Visiting Artist at Russell Sage College. ## Courses - Coding Kinetic Type — Letterform Archive 2024, Type@Cooper 2023 - Designing with Coding Agents — Type@Cooper, Summer 2026 - Drawing Instructions — Russell Sage College, Spring 2025 - Generative Typography — MICA 2022, Type@Cooper Fall 2022, Fall 2023 - Graphic Design 2 — MICA Spring 2024, Fall 2024 - Painting with p5.js — Index, Fall 2023 - p5.js for Visual Designers — Type@Cooper, Summer 2023 ## Exhibitions - Riso-Rama Paradiso — Corpus Christi, TX, 2026 - Repetition as Prayer (Solo) — Baltimore, MD, 2025 - The DC Arts Center WallMountables — Washington, DC, 2025 - Riso-Rama Paradiso — Corpus Christi, TX, 2025 - Pyramid Atlantic 10x10 — Hyattsville, MD, 2025 - Pyramid Atlantic 10x10 — Hyattsville, MD, 2024 - Pyramid Atlantic 10x10 — Hyattsville, MD, 2023 - Pyramid Atlantic 10x10 — Hyattsville, MD, 2022 - Sounds about Riso 4.0 — New York, NY, 2022 ## Private Collections - Anthropic ## Honors - Scrimshaw Distinguished Visiting Artist, Russell Sage College, 2025 - Core77 Design Awards, Interaction (Juried), 2022 ## Professional Experience - Adjunct Professor in Graphic Design at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), 2022–Present - Senior Software Engineer at The New York Times, 2026–Present - Design Engineer at Anthropic, 2024–2026 - Design Engineer at Block, 2022–2024 - Senior Software Engineer at Shopify, 2022 - Senior Software Engineer at The New York Times, 2019–2022 ## Lectures - Making Cow Tools: Claude-shaped tools for Claude-shaped work — The New York Times, New York, NY, 2026 - Playgrounds for Thought — Russell Sage College, Albany, NY, 2025 - Don't Stretch My Type — Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 2023 - [Piping Workflows, Or Outputs to Inputs and Back](https://dac.siggraph.org/sparks/2021-09-creative-coding-generative-algorithmic-art-and-the-exploration-of-authorship-and-authenticity/) — SIGGRAPH SPARKS, Online, 2021 - [I Need You to Create with Code](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsYwzr1e0bk) — CascadiaJS, Online, 2021 - [Urban Planning & Codebase Architecture](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrXe7dan-o8) — React Norway, Online, 2021 - [Graphic = fn(state)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiuiQ_GdSRs) — React Summit, Online, 2021 ## Publication Fairs - Pittsburgh Art Book Fair — Pittsburgh, PA, 2026 (Upcoming) - Book//Zine Fair — Atlanta, GA, 2026 (Upcoming) - Black Zine Fair — Brooklyn, NY, 2026 - DC Print Fair — Washington, DC, 2025 - Book//Zine Fair — Atlanta, GA, 2025 - Black Zine Fair — Brooklyn, NY, 2025 - MICA Art Market — Baltimore, MD, 2023 - DC Zine Fest — Washington, DC, 2023 - MICA Art Market — Baltimore, MD, 2022 - DC Design Week Pop-Up — Washington, DC, 2022 ## Press and Interviews - [Meeting Romello Goodman](https://open.nytimes.com/meeting-romello-goodman-senior-software-engineer-at-the-new-york-times-1dc17f683fd2) — NYTimes Open, 2021 ## Panels and Groups - [State of React](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ_Ge9Vm7rk) — This Dot Media, 2022 - Observable Ambassadors — Observable, 2022 - React 18 Working Group — Facebook, 2021 - [React Contributor Days, Fall session](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jweh2aO33RY) — This Dot Media, 2021 - [React Contributor Days, Spring session](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uLV8ieQVZk) — This Dot Media, 2021 ## Research - [ANT Reverse DNS Crawler](https://ant.isi.edu/software/rdns/index.html) — USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Los Angeles, CA, 2015 ## Education - B.S. in Computer Science, California Lutheran University, 2016