Get to Know TapTapKaboom
Also known as Rich Armstrong
When I (Rich Armstrong) created a short class on how to create a website from scratch I did it because everyone who stood behind me, while I coded, marvelled at my ability and thought I was a genius. I am a genius but I knew that learning to code was easy—if you understood the basics. Since then I've created a bunch of classes and taught thousands of students a bunch of skills, tools, and techniques. While that was happening I started “TapTapKaboom”. It began as a playful project to learn new ways to create—little experiments that go boom! I realised this way of thinking was central to how I learned new things and what I was teaching my students. So Rich Armstrong and TapTapKaboom became one. By this time, around 2018, I had transitioned from a product designer to an educator.
But at the end of 2021 I felt that the only thing I could teach anylonger, with any real authority, was how to teach an online class. I wanted to use my imagination. I wanted to be authentic. So I revisited Rich the kid—the one who drew and doodled more than anything else. I began spending more time on my “doodles”. I added colour. I added grit and grain. I pushed the concepts. I discovered a way to do grainy gradients. I made NFTs to sell to people for 100 days. And that’s how I became an artist. I still teach—because creating myself *and* teaching others how to create are two vital sides of a sword I wield. But an artist is what I’ve longed, deep down, to be since I was a kid.
About Rich
This is where I switch to talking about myself in third person. Rich is a vivid and imaginative artist with ADHD. His bold and colourful creations draw inspiration from childhood fantasies, igniting joy & passion in a uniquely authentic style. He loves learning, experimenting, and teaching others how to be creative and successful. He draws, writes, doodles, animates, and codes. He’s got a BA degree in multimedia design, a BTech Honours degree in Graphic Design, and he taught himself how to code. He’s freelanced, worked for agencies and startups, and now runs his studio just outside of Amsterdam. He’s always creating and can touch his nose with his tongue!
