Never knew Paul Graham began as an artist. I'm not that surprised though. Art and programming are both forms of creative expression.
http://paulgraham.com/taste.html
After "Why Nerds Are Unpopular", it's one of my favorite things he's written.
"At an art school where I once studied, the students wanted most of all to develop a personal style. But if you just try to make good things, you'll inevitably do it in a distinctive way, just as each person walks in a distinctive way. Michelangelo was not trying to paint like Michelangelo. He was just trying to paint well; he couldn't help painting like Michelangelo."