Jake Harper: Music, Curiosity & Building Soot

In this episode of Creative Coordinates, we sit down with Jake Harper — an artist and founder whose journey moves from marathon piano sessions to creating Soot, a new way of mapping information. Breaking from the grid and the linear scroll, Soot is self-organizing, spatial, and incredibly fast — built to help designers and creatives finally see everything. Jake shares how his years in music and sound art shaped his problem-solving, why embracing ignorance can unlock breakthroughs, and how curiosity fuels his work today. We talk about: •⁠ ⁠Practicing piano 8 hours a day and what it taught him about problem-solving •⁠ ⁠The transition from sound art to creative coding and design •⁠ ⁠Why Soot rethinks digital navigation beyond the grid and the scroll •⁠ ⁠Why curiosity matters more than expertise •⁠ ⁠The habits fueling his late-night explorations 📍 Recorded at WSA — where creativity meets community.