Hey all, thought I would update you with a new post.
Firstly before I get into the AI discussion, thank you all for supporting the last two paintings. With each painting, I’m getting closer to my goals as an artist and seeing it as an actual career I can build. It’s what I have always wanted. If opportunities arise, I am also interested in working in other ways within the web3 space. Most of my time is spent drawing, so I’d love to work in creative spaces or share my ideas in different contexts if people are willing to listen! (I love art in many forms, whether through teaching, concepting, viewing or directing!). Oh, and if you are in Berlin, I have some work on display in Berlin for the Cyber Melancholia exhibition tomorrow! go check it out!
Now let’s talk AI. AI as a tool is impressive; when I was studying my masters, a good friend did his thesis on AI architecture, which was fascinating. People who use tools creatively and with vision always deserve to be called artists. Some of my favourite artists use coding & generative art, 3D modelling, glitch art etc. The thing with AI art at the moment is there are two sides.
There are people genuinely being creative and using it to better art. However, some are abusing it. Those who abuse it I see as no different from those who use generic 3D assets and mash them together quickly or those who trace the artwork of others. Most people can see through this, though. Artists should have the choice of whether or not their work is included in databases (if this is possible). In the end, though, the low-effort pieces are obvious; you can tell. You get a certain feeling when you see something made with care. The best-worst example is people using AI to recreate the late Kim Jung Gi’s work. That is insulting as his work was so outstanding it was almost a performance, with the beauty being not only the image but the years of work he put in. Either way, my two takeaways are to respect the artists enough to ask permission and if work is AI made label it (and be proud of that!).
AI is here to stay; we are better off working with and moulding it to improve our spaces. I don’t believe it will replace human artists at all. People still go to bookshops after the kindle came out, hell most even love old books; okay that is a simple comparison :P. Eventually, only the ones who want to do good things with AI will remain when the gimmicky aspect goes (people like trends but have short attention spans, trolls get bored etc.). True art takes years of dedication, no matter the tool.
Lastly a message to artists feeling down:
I’m still learning and will continue attending life drawing classes, evolving my style and writing my stories. I love the process of creating, posting once in a while etc. I’ve always felt art makes us human – the ability to appreciate beauty, to stare at a piece and realise it makes us feel something. To search more about it, find out the artist’s journey to get to that piece. There will always be a place for your art and voice. Big corporations might not care as much, but have they ever about anything? these companies have supported trash before AI and will do well after. Keep being intuitive, experimental and challenging.
To finish, expect two more pieces by year end and one last blog post on New Years Eve 🙂
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