Photo: Andrew GulledgeProfil — Raime Lee Cronkhite
Full Stack Visual CreativeWebsiteWhat inspired you to venture into coding? In early 2022, my art career was gaining momentum after three years of intensive study. I had plans to attend the New York Academy of Art for my master’s that fall and had just shown for the first time in New York City, but things changed when I experienced arm injuries working for a local furniture start-up. Without workers’ protection or support, I quickly shifted gears to find a new professional path forward. Through my research and conversations with people in tech, I discovered how coding could allow me to challenge myself mentally and contribute to the larger good, while combining my creative background with this new, digital medium. So, I enrolled in a full-time web development bootcamp and graduated 14 weeks later.
Are there benefits from having a background in fine art when working in the digital sphere? In my experience, absolutely — the designer, Massimo Vignelli, once said, "If you can design one thing, you can design everything." Whether creating web applications or compositions on a canvas, the same elements of art and principles of design apply.
Under-paintings, sculptural armatures, and the structure a skeleton itself are like HTML; the choice of medium, color, value, and the forms of the figures, like CSS. I continue to use negative space, contrast, detail, and even the understanding of fatty Rembrandt highlights to create focal points and visual hierarchy in this digital medium as well.
Sensitivity and empathy are important qualities in a creative individual, but can make one vulnerable and exposed. Do you have advice on how to perform this balancing act? There is strength in chosen moments of vulnerability that allow others the freedom to open up as well. And, there’s always risk that someone could take advantage of that. I was a sensitive, curious, and determined kid brought up in a hyper-competitive culture that wasn’t built on trust, empathy, or humility. These three are necessary to create an environment where people can let their guard down, innovate, and ultimately thrive together.
If you don’t have this where you are now, you have to build it yourself or go out there and find it. Find the partnerships where both people want to
give to rather than
take from each another. It’s taken me nearly a decade to develop my closest friendships with a small number of people that I know want the best for me, and I for them.
Pets count!Is there a book, podcast, series, and/or movie that has made an impression on you recently? 
Nummer 11 ∙ Uke 37, 2023
