Ask HN: Does anyone here have an art degree?

I have a BA and MA in Visual Art with a concentration in Intaglio printmaking (etching), painting and illustration.

I got my degrees in the early 80s, just as the microcomputer revolution was heating up. Up until then, I was totally unaware of computers and computing. Math and science didn't really interest me growing up.

After leaving college, I got an entry level job as an artist that was fairly menial: rendering toilet seat covers and drapes for a local department store for local paper B&W advertisements. Left there to work for a now-defunct children's book publisher in 1982 or so. Was illustrating teaching aids as an in-house illustrator. A year or so later, the company started a division to write educational software for the Apple][. This was the first time that I really got to see and interact with computers.

Well damned if i didn't fall in love with the little things! I immediately got friendly with the developers writing the software (one of whom I know and work with to this day!) and asked if they would teach me how to program. This meant learning 6502 assembly language. So after working a second job for six months to save up for an Apple][c, I really hunkered down and learned. As it was, I was burning out on the "art on demand", cranky art director world of in-house art departments and decided that I'd like to get a job as a developer full time. So I basically stretched the truth about my background and landed a job writing Mac software (in 68K assembler) for a printer company in 1985-86. From there I was off and running.

As far as using art in my everyday work, I am certainly drawn to GUI work and can both design and code interfaces if needed. In working with UI and interaction designers, it is often easier for me to see what they are after and to implement the "spirit" of their work, so in that sense, my art background does really come in handy. (this is starting to sound like an interview answer--sorry about that)

Also, I've never completely given up art and still work on illustration (and writing) side projects to this day. It's the only way for me to let off certain creative steam.

Ah yeah, the critiquing aspect is spot on. In my first programming job, my supervisor would try to be as gentle as possible in telling me why my code was wrong. I had to essentially say "dude, just tell me my code sucks and then tell my why!" I didn't realize how thick of a skin I have due to my arts background.

I took an art history course for a couple of years at a college and I’m also an art collector. It’s hard to say if this influences my work (I’m a developer). I don’t do any design personally although I make sure that every product I build is stellar in the visual/usability department. I don’t know if this relates to my love for art. For me art isn’t about how good or not something looks but how much care has been put into it.

On the other hand, art has definitely influenced me as a person. It’s like meditating, when I visit a museum, an art gallery, or even watching art online I feel very much relaxed and contempt. The other thing that's great about art is that it helps you understand yourself better. Art is a sentimental stimulant and as such helps you explore your inner self and your emotions.

I have a BA with majors in political science and international relations. I really had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and I majored in these because they were interesting. When I finished I knew it was not fields I ever wanted to be involved in. I have always enjoyed computers and making games. I decided I really like the tech culture and wanted to be involved in it...I feel like the work I do is actually beneficial for society in some strange way.

Anyway, I was lucky enough to get a great job with not much but a portfolio of my work. I couldn't be happier with my job.

Ooh, this is me. I was into both computers and art in high school. I'd thought myself basic and pascal, worked as an assistant at an engineering company and was in a special art program at school. I went to a small liberal arts college unsure of which to pursue. I told my advisor I was unsure whether I wanted art or computer major. He happened to be the art dean, so that's what I signed up for, thinking I could change it if I wanted. I took some computer courses, but they were so outdated- stuff I already knew. So I stuck with art. I assumed I would do graphic design, since that seems the natural marriage of the two, but focused on fine art because I enjoyed that more. I applied for a developer position doing some web dev, taught myself VB and C#, and did a little graphic design. But the company needed more line-of-business apps, reports, etc. So that's what I did. My manager and I eventually started a consulting company, doing similar for all sorts of organizations.

I actually don't do fine art or graphic design much these days, though do want to do more on the side. For intranet apps it's just easier/cheaper to get a canned layout than design one from scratch. I do value my art education for teaching me some mental approaches to problem solving in app dev. In painting (usually), you work general to specific. Block in the big picture, then break down into more and more detail gradually. I take this approach in my apps: understand the problem, then go and block out the main classes, pages, etc. I gradually add code, adjust layouts, etc until it does what the customer needs. I also grew a thick skin in critique that I think helped me listen to criticism better ;)

I do feel I had some lucky breaks to be a fine arts major with a paying job. People took a chance on me that maybe not all art majors would get. But I do 15 years later still appreciate both and am glad for my art major.