Getting Started

Dear Processing Community Day Organizers,

This year is a special moment for Processing. The first public release of the software was made on August 9, 2001, which means that 2026 marks Processing’s 25th anniversary. This year is an opportunity to celebrate this history, but also to look ahead by bringing together the many communities that continue to shape Processing, p5.js, and creative coding around the world.

I first encountered Processing in 2012 at a workshop in Paris. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was hooked. It was the first time I was able to combine my interests in art and design with programming.

At the time, Processing’s tongue-in-cheek mission statement said:

Processing seeks to ruin the careers of talented designers by tempting them away from their usual tools and into the world of programming and computation.

You could say I was one of those designers whose career was ruined by Processing! Soon after, I moved to Berlin and started organizing workshops and meetups for the local creative coding community.

If you had told me back then, I would be part of the Processing Foundation, I would never have believed you. But here I am, and I am so grateful to be part of this community.

Whether you are a seasoned organizer or this is your first time, I want to thank you for taking the time to organize a PCD in your community. Your efforts help bring new people into the world of creative coding, and make it more accessible to those who may not have had the opportunity to explore it otherwise.

I hope you enjoy the process of organizing your event, and that you find it as rewarding as I have.

Raphaël de Courville,

Processing Community Lead and PCD @ Worldwide Coordinator

Theme adapted from Just the Docs, used under the MIT License.