I am not perfect; I don’t create perfectly and beautifully because I am human. We often create messes. We form the idea and refine it, going back and forth to craft it. My process of creation, which I have grown to accept, can be quite experimental, frenzied, and not necessarily something to observe until the later stages unless you want to wonder how I ever manage to ship things. But that’s creation. I now do a lot of that and expose those messy parts to the various AI tools I’m using, from Cursor to Windsurf and a few in between. I like to try and explore all the tools and as I do, I am exposing them to my messy vibes, and that’s okay.
“I work from chaos toward clarity.”
— Joan Mitchell, abstract expressionist
Imperfect leads to discovery
As I often go back and forth in this messy mode, moments of delight and discovery can happen. I find myself at times in collaborative frustration because I infer that the tools are just as distant to a solution as I am at that moment. But then comes that moment when I share the discovery. When it all unlocks and the clouds clear.
Swear vibing
I have changed a lot in how I interact with these tools, and it is a fascinating reflection on myself, as well as on most of us. When I first started, I was incredibly polite. I would say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ each time. Now, a lot of the time, there is some thanks, more than relief, it finally got there through the hard slog with me, but also, there is quite a bit of swear vibing.
It’s also a natural progression. My expectations of these experiences and what they can do have risen to lofty heights. I am no longer in awe of simple prompts working. It’s also because I trust these tools to show me a bit more of my messy work. These are the things only those who work closely with me see, and well, now they are integral. We have gone beyond the formalities and into close partners in creation.
“The world is not tidy. It is a mess. I don’t try to make it neat.”
— Carrie Mae Weems, photographer
Tools need to empower us to catch those messy vibes
The ideal tools don’t yet exist for this type of work. We might think they do, but there is something about a messy vibe that is different from a perfect flow. It needs frenzy; it needs you to get lost and feel almost to the point that you won’t make what you intend. Then, at those moments, you find the inspiration, the clarity.
If we are imperfect and need an imperfect space, or at least one that acknowledges this, our tools should also be. Art studios often support these messy states, and the next wave of editors for our coding adventures needs to bring that more to our digital experience to unlock that natural, messy state.
“Imperfection is my starting point.”
— Shirin Neshat, Iranian visual artist
Messy vibing should be embraced. The point is to do it right now. As you fail and with the systems you use, you learn together through the process. Training models by mess is as natural as filling them with any other of our human processing. We know by experimentation, and so do the systems we create.
The essence of embracing a messy vibe in coding lies in the understanding that true creativity often emerges from chaos. It is about celebrating the unpredictability and experimentation inherent in the process, allowing for exploration that can lead to breakthrough ideas. By letting go of the need for perfection and inviting a certain level of disorder, we open ourselves to unique solutions and insights that might otherwise remain hidden. The messy vibe in AI guided coding is a vital aspect of the creative journey, empowering us to learn, adapt, and innovate in ways that a rigid structure cannot facilitate.