A hopeful outlook on being an artist in the age of A.I.

What if this actually moves us in a positive direction?

Hi there! I’m Rosalie Haizlett, a nature-inspired illustrator, author and educator. This is my twice-per-month newsletter, where I share paintings, studio updates and stories about my creative process and nature connection. Thanks for being here!

Within the illustration and visual arts communities, folks are voicing their concerns (read: freaking out) about A.I. generated artwork everywhere I turn. And there is much to cause alarm. But despite all the changes, I can’t help but think that this might be exactly what we need to pivot into a richer, more fulfilling existence as artists.

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First, here are some of the concerns that many artists share:

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1. Some businesses and publications are beginning to use A.I. generated images instead of working with actual artists, which will eventually mean fewer jobs in fields like editorial illustration, package design, and surface pattern design.

   Here’s an example: Think about all the illustrators who license their pattern designs to fabric companies. If you walk into a store like JoAnn Fabrics, are you going to purchase the fabric with the design that you find most delightful, or are you going to read the tiny tag and look for the artist’s name on it (if there is one) and make your choice based on the artist?

   
   Most customers are only there to find a fabric they like; they don’t care who made it. Big-box stores like JoAnn’s could easily switch to A.I. generated patterns and stop licensing artists altogether without customers even knowing or caring.

   

   When I typed “snail pattern in watercolor for fabric” into OpenAI, this image appeared.

2. In order to train their art-generating programs, A.I. art websites are currently harvesting millions of artist’s images without our permission and with no royalties paid.

   
   Unfortunately, working artists today are pretty much required to share images of our artwork online in order to promote and sell our work, and this makes all our work fair game to be swiped.
   
   And here’s the kicker! People who use websites like DALL·E, (one of the biggest players) technically own the images they create. DALL·E’s parent website, OpenAI, states that “you own the images you create with DALL·E, including the right to reprint, sell, and merchandise.”
   
   So it’s perfectly legal for someone to type in a few key words to generate A.I. imagery. Then they can print it on merchandise like t-shirts and art prints and sell it through an online shop. There are lots of Etsy shops currently doing exactly that. Below, I typed in the keywords “nature watercolor and ink painting” and these two images were among the results. Pretty good, eh?

   

   Two images that were generated when I typed "nature watercolor and ink painting" into OpenAI

3. Social media platforms will become flooded with A.I. generated artwork and it will become very difficult to tell what works of art–and even profiles–were created by an actual human. For artists who rely on these platforms for most of their marketing, it will become increasingly challenging for their art to be seen through the clutter.

Okay, all of this is quite depressing! And truthfully, I panicked a bit when I first started playing with these image generators.

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But despite all that, here’s why I’m hopeful:

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1. This is a chance to emerge from behind our screens

A botanical art workshop that I got to teach last summer with Augusta Heritage

In so many ways, artists who rely on the internet to share and sell our work have already left behind a chunk of our humanity. How different is a robot from an artist who sits inside at a desk or easel all day and only interacts with their audience by peering into a tiny glass screen? Sure, it’s much more comfortable to only share our work and communicate digitally (especially if you’re an introvert like me), but we need to find ways to differentiate ourselves from A.I. in order to continue in this career path.

And good news! There are still so many things that an artist can do and a robot cannot. We can:

• Lead in-person workshops and retreats

• Have a booth and sell our handmade items at an arts festival

• Wholesale to small brick & mortar businesses who prioritize local & artisan-made products (the Faire wholesale marketplace is typically how I connect to shops).

• Partner with a local business to host a solo show of original work

• Get together with people in our actual towns to make art, just for the joy of it

• Organize a studio tour with a few other local artists where members of the community can see our workspaces and buy our work

In a decade that’s been characterized by screen fatigue and social isolation, what if this is exactly the incentive we need to connect with real community in our geographic regions?

2. This is a great time to share the stories behind our work

As the market becomes saturated with increasingly more sophisticated A.I. art, people who are committed to purchasing artwork from and hiring real humans for commercial projects are going to want to know the creator just as much as the work they’ve created.

So many artists’ portfolio websites are plain white with black text, have a page of artwork, list of exhibitions and residencies, and maybe a 1-paragraph bio with a super vague artist statement. Often, there isn’t even a photo of the artist or a written explanation to provide context for the artwork shown.

By sharing process photos, writing about our creative process for each specific piece, and opening up about the meaning of our work, potential clients and buyers develop trust in and appreciation for us as individual artists.

Ideas for creating a narrative around our art include:

• Write a robust artist statement that’s clearly shown on our website

• Share the things that make us “us” beyond what we create: our pets, inspirations, adventures, travels, hobbies, etc.

• Start a newsletter or blog where we show the behind-the-scenes of our process. Newsletters and blogs are currently a more direct way to connect to our audiences than social media.

Sharing our stories will inevitably lead to some stage fright, but we can’t hide behind our art any longer. And who knows what new connections will arise as we open up about the experiences and motivations behind our artwork?

3. This is an opportunity to pivot into new directions

This morning's sketchbook page. The prompt was "soft pastel blend"

In my previous example about opportunities in fabric design drying up as big-box businesses switch over to A.I. artwork, it might have seemed like a doom-and-gloom situation. But this doesn’t mean that you can’t be a fabric designer if that is your passion! However, you will need to pivot and try one (or maybe all) of the following:

• Become among of the best in your field and market your work to upscale fabric brands where the name & prestige of the illustrator/designer is a main selling point

• Connect with smaller retailers that have a focus on regional and artisan-made products

• Create an engaging story and cohesive theme around your work and sell directly to your audience through an online shop

Instead of panicking, we need to find new applications for our skillset. And as uncomfortable as it feels to see jobs in our market fade away, maybe exploring new opportunities will help us land on something that we like even more?

And while it doesn’t speak to me, I know some artists who are excited about using A.I. as a tool for their own work. They use it to quickly generate “sketches” that they can reference for their analog paintings or to create mood-boards and imagery just for their own personal creative expression.

As this technology evolves, I’m hopeful that some websites will become more ethical by asking permission to use artists’ images and/or paying them royalties (some are already in the process of doing so).

4. This is a chance to incorporate human imperfection into our art

A sketchbook page from last week. Created with handmade paper, pencil and cardstock.

Images created by A.I. only exist in the digital realm. If you print it out, it is totally flat and devoid of texture. A.I. can’t replicate the thick, luxurious smears of a palette knife and oil paint. It can’t fabricate a ceramic mug where the maker’s fingerprints are still visible. It can’t layer beautiful, interesting fibers to create handmade paper. It can’t weave a wall-hanging that takes your breath away.

I use mostly watercolor and ink for my illustrations, which I then scan in and digitize for art prints, books, and other purposes. Previously, I wanted my watercolor illustrations to look as polished as possible.

But since I’ve become more aware of A.I. art, I’ve been trying to incorporate more messy, tactile art materials into my practice. Pastels, gouache and paper collage all capture an analog energy that can’t be fully replicated with pixels and filters. Even if you work digitally, there are lots of ways to incorporate more textures from reality into your work. How can we make our art look as different from A.I. art as possible?

Another recent sketchbook experiment. For this one, I imagined that I was illustrating an heirloom seed packet for a flower company. I used squiggly, messy lines to mimic the look of a woodcut print.

I think that it all boils down to humility & humanity.

Having success with one kind of art career doesn’t mean that we can count on doing the same thing forever. As pivotal new technology enters the scene every 15 years or so, cultural preferences chance, and economies fluctuate, we have to humble ourselves and use our creativity to adapt to whatever comes our way. We have to see these pivots as integral steps in our creative development, not as roadblocks to be feared.

With each step that technology takes toward automation and pixelated perfection, we can choose to take one step closer to our humanity. We can tell our weird and wonderful stories, seek out opportunities to build community with our customers and collaborators in real life, and use the messiest, most tactile materials we can get our hands on. Humans win!

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In other news…

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I just released a new art print, Appalachian Wildflowers!

My second book’s publication is coming up soon (Sept. 2024), so I’ve decided to gradually release a few of the paintings from the book as art prints to help build the excitement! This print features my gouache paintings of four wildflowers that we spotted in a gorgeous cove while hiking to Mt. Leconte in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in April.

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I’m teaching at a nature journaling retreat in the Sierra Nevadas with the Wild Wonder Foundation!

About the retreat

Join John Muir Laws, experienced artists and nature journaling educators Rosalie Haizlett and Catherine Hamilton, and other special guests for a 5-day nature journaling retreat at a rustic field campus in the Sierra Nevada on the Yuba River near Sierra City, California. Registration will open soon and will sell out quickly, so sign up at this link to be notified when it opens.