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Leaf of Beyond Writing Code

Mysterious creatures, Leaf's first art note


Beyond Writing Code - Art 1

June 27, 2025

Overwhelmed? Too much email unread in your inbox? Good news: this one's mostly pictures.

I promised the occasional glimpse of my art...

I make art for Art-o-mat, which converts old cigarette vending machines to sell art. I draw mysterious creatures on 2" x 3" watercolor paper.

I glue each drawing to a wooden block, paint the edges, and number and name each on the back

I just sent Art-o-mat my ninth set of 50 pieces to distribute. I've drawn many more than that.

Why mysterious? Well... they do defy expectations at times:

This one is the logo for beyondwritingcode.com:

Look again at the creature above. How many legs and arms are there? Hmm... mysterious.

Want to say hello to more creatures? My art and personal site is bouncingleaf.com.

Art email

My current plan:

  • Continue to send one email per week, generally on Tuesday, about software development, writing, the book, or whatever else
  • Second email, maybe not weekly, later in the week, with art stuff. More pictures, less text.

If you're not into art email (or if you only want art email?) you can adjust your preferences here.

Drop me a note

As always, I would love to hear from you. Hit reply and let me know what's on your mind.

Know someone else who would enjoy this? They can subscribe here: https://www.beyondwritingcode.com/connect/

Thanks for reading!

Beyond Writing Code is a newsletter from Leaf (Jessica Roy).

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Leaf of Beyond Writing Code

I'm writing a book on career growth for developers, leadership as an individual contributor, and big-picture thinking skills for developers. Subscribe for thoughts on development, leadership, and writing. I'll be sharing updates on the book and excerpts of what I've written so far. I'm also an Art-o-mat artist, creating drawings of mysterious creatures, and I will share occasional glimpses of my art here. You can find out more about the book and the art at beyondwritingcode.com.

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