// Drafting

I’ve spent the last few decades playing violin, piano, drawing and writing code.

This past month whilst working on a new collection of 7 primary minor piano preludes I realise a few things.

  1. In a very real sense my heart break around music, friendship, work and love is dissecting through the endless act of drawing, composing and writing code.
  2. Writing classical music is structured, scientific and in many ways all about innovation and problem solving.
  3. I love meeting artists, musicians and software developers. They are progressive, shit smart and full of love.

Drawing

I draw and paint on a weekly basis. It’s intense, relaxing and progressive.

One thing that strikes me about drawing is that it is structured. I tend to enjoy life drawing sessions in which I spend a significant amount of my time analysing anatomy and perspective. It’s a form of science.

In every step of this work there is something new I must learn. Things need to be tested. Feedback is enlightening. It’s a process.

“What makes this shape pleasant to the eye?”

It’s intuitive.

Once I’ve framed my subject I’m in a good position to apply texture and focus in a way that reflects my unique style.

You can see my artwork online via @artkahne.

At its heart I believe all artwork is a powerful form of social and intellectual manipulation. Among others I bow down to the evil genius of Rembrandt and Michelangelo.

Composing

These days I write piano music on a weekly basis. It’s intense, relaxing and progressive.

One thing that strikes me about composing classical music is that it is structured. I tend to enjoy tearing apart simple compositions by Mozart or Bach and rebuilding them in new ways. It’s a form of science.

In every step of this work there is something new I must learn. Things need to be tested. Feedback is enlightening. It’s a process.

I spend a significant amount of my time analysing harmony, chord progression and melody.

“What makes this particular phrase catchy?”

It’s intuitive.

Once I’ve developed my theme I’m in a good position to apply texture and focus in a way that reflects my unique style.

At its heart I believe all music is a powerful form of social and intellectual manipulation. Among others I bow down to the evil genius of Mozart and Bach.

Coding

I write code on a weekly basis. It’s my job at Australia’s best tech consultancy. It’s intense, relaxing and progressive.

One thing that strikes me about writing software is that it is structured. I tend to enjoy looking at complex problems and finding ways to simplify them. It’s a form of science.

In every step of this work there is something new I must learn. Things need to be tested. Feedback is enlightening. It’s a process.

The composition of complex software is literally changing the planet and being a part of that is awesome. Tearing down a solution into simple components that play well together is my job.

“What makes this line of code smelly?”

It’s intuitive.

Once I’ve framed my architecture I’m in a good position to apply design strategy and implementation in a way that reflect my teams approach.

At its heart I believe all technology is a powerful form of social and intellectual manipulation. Among others I bow down to the evil genius of Martin Fowler, start-up businesses across the planet, and my colleagues at Readify.