Vibe Coding: The Art of Creating Without Knowing

Vibe Coding: The Art of Creating Without Knowing
Self portrait using Midjourney

Let me start with a definition:

vibe coding is the practice of using AI assistants to generate functional code in programming languages you don't actually understand.

You work purely on intuition, describing what you want in plain English, then iterating through AI-generated solutions until you achieve your goal. It's coding by feel rather than knowledge – hence the "vibe."

I've used this approach before with good success. I've had Claude modify Python nodes for ComfyUI, generate a parametric spiral staircase in Grasshopper for Rhino, and even create a 3D shaded chess set in Blender. Each time, the underlying code was foreign to me, but the end results were what I envisioned.

This weekend, I put Vibe coding to work generating a calendar script in Photoshop, a tool I'm admittedly a novice in. This is due to lack of time to learn Photoshop basics properly, much less its scripting capabilities! Claude churned out a long JSX file in seconds, which I did not even attempt to study or understand.

But here's the beauty of vibe coding: you don't need ANY programming skills in the given language. You just need to know what you want and be willing to iterate.

The Photoshop calendar idea came after watching the following tutorial,

where my friend Ioan showcased various AI-assisted creative workflows. His Discord provides free downloadable examples. However, you don't learn too much by downloading fully functional code created by others. It's like getting the fish instead of learning to fish – or getting the script instead of learning to vibe. Vibing skills let you create new apps or function tools tailored to your specific use case.

The process took 40 iterations, which lasted about an hour and a half. Each iteration brought me closer to a versatile script with which I was satisfied. To avoid offending the user, all LLM Chatbots are sycophantic and bullshit from time to time.

Some attempts failed spectacularly, and others were close but no cigar. But with each round, I refined my requests, better communicating my vision to the AI.

I noticed Claude AI even trying to convince me that its version was satisfactory!!

But I know tenacity is key. In the end, I got a calendar that I was satisfied with. Each Date is on its own layer, so text can be reduced in size, and holidays or special dates can also be indicated. You can even choose a washed-out background image.

REFLECTIONS

✅This is where vibe coding becomes powerful. With AI assistance, individuals and small businesses can create functional apps and useful tools that would normally be completely out of their reach. Previously, such projects would mean hiring experts, which often isn't financially feasible for smaller operations. Now, armed with patience and clear communication skills, anyone can prototype and build.
❌But there's a flip side to this democratization. For large corporations and new computer science graduates, vibe coding represents a potential threat. When domain expertise becomes less critical for certain types of development work, traditional programming jobs face disruption. There's even a new term emerging for this displacement: "Clanker" – referring to those whose coding jobs are replaced by AI-assisted non-programmers.

The genie is definitely out of the bottle on this one. Rather than resist the change, I've embraced a personal philosophy: LSD – Learn Something Different – each week. Whether it's exploring a new AI tool, tackling an unfamiliar creative challenge, or diving into adjacent skills, staying curious and adaptable feels like the best response to our rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Vibe coding isn't about replacing traditional programming knowledge – it's about expanding who gets to participate in creation. It's messy, iterative, and sometimes frustrating, but it opens doors that were previously locked behind years of technical study. And in a world where AI capabilities are advancing faster than most of us can keep up with formal education, maybe coding by vibe is exactly the skill we all need to develop.

On a lighter note ...