Week 2 – Loops

Inspiration: Sound Waves and Chaos

When I first heard the word loops, the first thing that came to mind was sound waves. I imagined smooth, rhythmic waves moving across the canvas, like music frozen in space. I even found a little example of what I hoped to create, but my coding skills weren’t quite ready to match the vision.

 Scrolling through Instagram one day, I stumbled on an image that sparked a new idea. I thought: what if I could combine sound waves with the chaotic little voice in your head when you overthink?  

Concept Development: From Chaos to Calm

The top right of my canvas is extremely chaotic; dense, loud, overwhelming, but as the lines move toward the bottom left, they thin out and eventually fade into empty space. This represents the calm that comes when that inner chatter finally quiets.

This idea lets me visualize the process of overthinking, moving from noise to quiet, using loops and arcs to represent both emotion and structure. 

Coding Process: Adding Randomness

Here’s a snippet I’m proud of:

//arc

for (let x = 250; x <= width; x += 40) {
  stroke(255, random(150, 255), random(100, 255)); // random color
  noFill();
  let randY = 80 + random(-20, 20); // random vertical position
  let randW = 300 + random(-50, 50); // random width
  let randH = 400 + random(-50, 50); // random height
  arc(x, randY, randW, randH, 250, 450);
}

//line

for (let x = 1; x <= width; x += 20) {
  stroke(255, random(150, 255), random(100, 255)); // random green/pink/blue tint
  let endX = width + random(-50, 50);
  let endY = height + random(-50, 50);
  line(x, 1, endX, endY);
}

After watching Casey Reas’ video on randomness, I was inspired to incorporate a bit of chaos into my work. I added randomness to the color and the shape of the arcs, so every frame looks slightly different. This gives the piece a sense of movement and chaos, like thoughts bouncing around in your head—but still following a hidden structure underneath.

Reflection: What I Learned

This project helped me realize that coding can be just as expressive as traditional art—it’s just another medium to visualize thoughts and emotions. I also learned the value of adding randomness, it brought the project to life in ways my original plan didn’t anticipate. I also noticed that art doesn’t always have to be ‘pretty’ it can also be beautifully chaotic. 

Future Improvements

For the future, I’d love to make the sketch more dynamic and interactive, so the patterns could respond to the user’s input or feel more like actual sound waves. I also want to experiment with layering animations to capture the feeling of overthinking versus quiet peace more vividly. I wish one day I could make something as cool as my original inspiration.

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