Episode 274: Qianqian Ye on p5.js

Jun 20, 2025

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Guest

Qianqian Ye

Panelist

Richard Littauer

Show Notes

In this episode of Sustain, Richard hosts a conversation with Qianqian “Q” Ye, an artist, creative technologist, and educator who recently led the p5.js project, an open-source JavaScript library designed to prioritize accessibility and diversity in learning to code. Q shares her journey from an architectural background to contributing and eventually leading p5.js, a library created by artists for artists with a strong focus on visual feedback and accessibility. They discuss the importance of decentralizing leadership, setting boundaries to avoid burnout, and empowering contributors to ensure the project's sustainability. Key topics include the role of care work in open source, the community-driven evolution of p5.js, and strategies for maintaining a collaborative and inclusive environment. Q also highlights the significance of providing clear documentation and recognizing all forms of contributions to foster a welcoming community. Press download now to hear more!

[00:001:01] Q explains what p5.js is and how it teaches people to code.

[00:02:11] Q shares her journey from former architect turned creative technologist and highlights her community progression through translation and outreach.

[00:04:19] Why is p5.js different? Q emphasizes the output is art, not code, making it more inclusive and intuitive for beginners.

[00:05:40] Richard inquires about the p5.js community and contributors and Q tells us there are 700-800 contributors officially recognized.

[00:06:33] Q elaborates on the relationship with the Processing Foundation. P5.js operates semi-independently under its support, and she talks about the staff size for p5.js.

[00:07:49] Q believes the traditional open source volunteerism is problematic and the Sovereign Tech Agency provided funding to support mentors and contributors.

[00:09:19] Q’s essay “Care Work in OSS” explores the invisible labor behind software projects and advocates for recognizing emotional labor and decentralized decision making.

[00:10:15] We hear about the rotating leadership and inclusivity and how documentation and mentorship is the key to smooth transitions.

[00:13:18] Q talks about the translation stewardship with a decentralized structure with language-specific stewards and using inclusive onboarding and translations.

[00:15:31] Richard questions preventing burnout in stewards and Q elaborates how p5.js handles this and why access includes joy and inclusivity.

[00:18:05] We hear how decisions about feature acceptance are made through community review and discussions, as well as how some users challenged the access-first policy.

[00:20:15] Balancing art and community is discussed here as Q clarifies that open source and the arts often conflict due to individualism vs. collectivism.

[00:21:48] How does Q help the open source community learn and give credit to other people well all the time? She gives routine shoutouts in release notes, social media, and seeks to credit all contributions, not just code.

[00:24:48] Q shares how she deals with emotional burnout and boundaries and tips for setting boundaries.

[00:28:18] What’s next for Q? She’s returning from maternity leave as Manager of Community and Partnerships for the Processing Foundation, and focus on building relationships and discussing sustainable funding at UN Open Source Week.

[00:29:32] Find out where you can follow Q and p5.js on the web.

Quotes

[00:08:00] “I strongly believe that the volunteer-based model in open source is very problematic, and I’ve been trying to experiment different ways on doing thing alternatively.”

[00:09:55] “OSS appears faceless, but there are so many people behind OSS.”

[00:11:17] “Creators and maintainers of OSS carry bias of their own when they maintain the software.”

[00:16:20] “Having to say no helped us to clarify the vision for the p5.js project.”

Spotlight

[00:30:01] Richard’s spotlight is the book, Things Become Other Things by Craig Mod
[00:30:50] Q’s spotlight is two contributors, Dave Pagurek and Kenneth Lim.

Credits

Produced by Richard Littauer
Edited by Paul M. Bahr at Peachtree Sound
Show notes by DeAnn Bahr Peachtree Sound

Special Guest: Qianqian Ye.

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