Accidental Data Art

Data visualization is often considered the final product. The palatable format in which non-data people can easily digest and consume data. In reality data visualization should be one of your first steps, not the last. Data visualization is that 29,029 foot view of your data. Only when we zoom out can we zoom in. 

Sometimes you have to play around before the visualization is useful or meaningful. Within that process, sometimes you make art. Accidental art is the shooting star of the data world. When it happens, take a moment to pause and appreciate the beauty you've just created.

It's very likely that you're the only person who has ever created that work of art. You were using a specific set of data, with custom filters, based on what you wanted to look at, in the format you thought would be most useful, for your given problem or hypothesis. 

If you're on the brink of frustration it's even more important to pause. Take a deep breath and admire the view the same way you might admire a view while hiking through the mountains. Data visualization is hard. Don't skip the first step where your only goal should be to dig in, get your hands dirty, play around a little, and explore. If you come across art along the way, take a moment to soak it in.