[woudsma]

I’ve done the opposite, I switched from arts to tech. Being able to use programming to create art is fantastic. I can clearly remember the days where creating images _always_ was a manual task (I used Adobe Photoshop at the time). Now I would use Processing, Python, Node.js or look into Adobe scripts whenever I have to make graphics that involve some kind of automation. I wish I had that knowledge/skill back when I studied at my art academy.

Your question is about transitioning from tech to arts though, so I can only reply with the steps that I would take (with my currrent knowledge).

Art schools/academies often have part-time courses, or an ‘evening school’. My mom -a nurse by trade- actually graduated from a renowned art academy two years ago, by finishing the part-time course. Don’t be fooled by the term ‘part-time’ though, as any good art academy course takes a lot of time and effort. I’m glad I’ve got my degree. My current tech job is so much easier than studying at an art school.

I would strongly recommend that you find a good course at a good school and go for it. Online courses cannot replicate a good arts education. The in-person examinations and presentations are very valuable. Also consider moving (abroad) to find a good school if there are none near to you.

Your last sentence resonates with me, do it now while you’re still young! :)

I’ve worked as a coding teacher at an art academy, teaching graphic design students, FYI.

[Torwald]

> Being able to use programming to create art is fantastic.

What do you think about the demoscene?

[woudsma]

The demoscene is fantastic, it’s just very math-heavy. I love shaders and the speed of GPU’s/parallel processing, but learning to write GLSL is hard especially when you haven’t had much math education. (Which is often the case for art students).

That’s also the reason why I mentioned Processing. It’s one of the few programming languages that’s very accesible for non-beta students because of it’s very simple and visual documentation.