Is system building an artistic endeavour?
Musings on the creative aspects of system building in digital tools like Notion and Tana.
For some time now, I’ve been pondering the similarities and differences between the activity of building digital systems in tools like Notion or Tana and art.
Art is defined as “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”
When I build a Notion system, I begin with a blank digital page, analogous to a painter’s canvas. Onto this canvas, I draw using the application’s building blocks of text, tables, images, databases and embeds. I hold a vision of the system’s completed form in my mind’s eye, erasing and moving blocks around during the building process. Sometimes the system comes to fruition just as I envisioned it and other times, I gaze upon an end-product that I had not even imagined during ideation.
This is the creative process in action — something has come into existence from nothing. But one might wonder, is this not just problem solving? After all, most systems come into being to solve a problem — I want to manage my business or life in one central place as opposed to feeling frenetically scattered across my digital ecosystem. Problem solving is also a creative act as it involves imagining a solution when there was none to be found in the first place.
Skill is required to know when it’s best to use synced blocks, full or inline databases, supertags, fields or contextual dashboards. Most importantly, skill helps a system to flow for the end user and takes into account their personal preferences and needs.
“… producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”
This is where a difference begins to emerge. Digital systems are built with a clear purpose and are meant to be used by an individual or group for a specific function whereas art can exist in and of itself for only aesthetic reasons. I could build the most aesthetically pleasing and beautiful Notion system by many standards but if it doesn’t fulfil its function, it’s essentially useless.
While there is certainly creative expression involved in building digital systems, because of the necessary functional component, the word design comes to mind as these systems are really tools.
So, am I an artist?
Not in the traditional sense of the word. While the title “designer” is more accurate, there is still a level of artistic expression involved in the creation of a digital system. There is a dance between artistic articulation and the functionality of design. My experiences, the books I’ve read, the media I’ve consumed, the thoughts I’ve pondered late at night, the clients that I’ve worked with, the culture that I grew up in — these all contribute to my approach to system building and to the final tool that is used, even in the tiniest of ways.
At the moment, it feels strange to admit, but I kind of feel like an artist. I’m able to create something that wasn’t here before and it also serves a purpose and can be altered and changed to evolve over time.
I’m reminded of a quote from Rick Rubin:
Regardless of whether or not we’re formally making art, we are all living as artists. We perceive, filter, and collect data, then curate an experience for ourselves and others based on this information set. Whether we do this consciously or unconsciously, by the mere fact of being alive, we are active participants in the ongoing process of creation. — The Creative Act
If you use digital tools to build systems or workflows (for yourself or for others), do you feel like an artist, a designer or a magical wizard, maybe? Leave a comment if you’d like to share your thoughts on this! 😊
This was lovely to write and it feels SO GOOD to get thoughts that have been percolating through my mind and in my notes out into the world.
If you want to sign up to work with me 1:1, I’ve got:
🌿 FlowSpace Deep Dive — a 1 month container which is all about helping you to feel at home in your digital workspace.
🌀 Hourly Coaching — ask questions, live build or setup a workflow that you’re stuck on.
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Oh my goodness Renée you're an artist! 😊. To create is our birthright. The world is all but a canvas.