There is nothing quite like a quiet day of programming computer graphics. I like writing, and I like drawing, but programming is different.
Using math to construct something visual and new, piece by piece, is at its best, a highly contemplative act. It provides pleasure many parts of your brain at the same time.
I think this is because there are two complementary forms of beauty involved. There is, of course, the visual beauty of the thing you are trying to create.
But there is also the intellectual beauty of the algorithm. There is a unique kind of joy in getting the math right, implementing things an elegant and clear way.
I wonder whether there is a parallel here to the way a good song combines two different kinds of beauty, when the words and words and music complement each other just right.