Thanks for sharing your views and ideas for artists! You've hit on some great points that in-person gathering is so key -- once we know the story of an artist, it brings the work to life and has so much meaning. One thing on my wish list is that artist names & bios could be featured in much larger font on books or nature trail signs that they've illustrated. Illustrations are so key to many books and trail information boards, but so often, the artist name is in very tiny print and hard to find. It would be nice to promote them as much as the author.
I totally agree, Karen! It's strange to me how on lots of books, the illustrator's name isn't even written on the cover. If only people knew how much effort goes into every single illustration...
Excellent (and scary) post Rosalie. Thank you for sharing not only your thoughts on A.I., but for providing possible solutions on how artists can hold their own in this quickly changing market. I too have noticed the influx of A.I. generated images on popular reference photo websites like Pixabay and Unsplash. These artificially generated images have crept to the top of any keyword search, and are becoming more numerous throughout these sites in all categories. At first I was enamored and amazed at how real and perfect the images are. But their artificial nature makes them very easy to recognize and I’ve found myself bypassing them in favor of authentic photos. In addition to your excellent ideas on how artists can put themselves out there to their public, if we use royalty free reference photos in creating art or in support of some part of art, they should be photos taken by and shared, and we should be sure to give these generously shared references due credit.
I plan to give many of your ideas serious consideration, and have appreciated the comments you’ve received so far on your post. Oh, I love your journal pages …… what great ideas! Many thanks Rosalie! You are a true inspiration!
Hi Barb, Thanks for sharing! I definitely agree that a lot of current A.I. images have a strange sheen about them that make them easily distinguishable. But I do have a feeling that as the programs get better and better, it will become nearly impossible to tell the difference. Especially when it comes to photography.
Great point, too, about crediting the royalty free photographers who take reference photos. Sometimes on free websites like Pexels it's easy to forget that real humans took those photos and deserve a shoutout for their great work.
YESSSS to making art in the places we physically inhabit with the community that surround us. I think it’s hard sometimes to remember that our largest sphere of influence (including creatively) is the world directly around us. We’ve gotta make more offline webs 🕸️
You have no idea how much this has uplifted my outlook for my art. Thank you so much for your positive way of thinking about the future—it makes perfect sense the more and more I think about it!
I appreciate your take on this. I'm weary of the doom and gloom and believe we all play a part in creating the future we want. While I find AI abhorrent, particularly in the arts, I can do my part by seeking out artists and supporting their work. In my more optimistic moments, I believe this technology will lead more and more of us away from our screens and toward the tangible, toward relationships, and the valuing of real art and artists.
Thanks for sharing, Kelly. Most artists I know have been desiring a shift away from screens but haven't quite taken the plunge to investing their time and efforts in new places. I have a feeling that this will be the tipping point for many of us, and I like to think that good things are ahead! And YES to the responsibility of consumers to keep supporting their favorite artists and sticking with them through these changes. I think those relationships will mean the difference between having a sustainable art career or not.
Just a note to say thank you so much for this Rosalie! As someone just finding their way back to the page after a long long crisis of confidence and identity as an artist, AI can feel like a bit of a welcome back cream pie to the face! But I love your vision of pushing deeper into our humanity with our work and being braver online, showing who we are as full human beings rather than finished artworks - although for us sensitive folk boundaries will still be super important I’m sure. It would be wonderful to do more in my physical community with art and nature, I am extremely shy and have only struggled more since the pandemic lockdowns but perhaps this is the push I need to get out there more! Thanks Rosalie!
Hey Sarah, thanks for your lovely thoughts! I resonate with so much of this–needing boundaries for my well-being especially. I think that a nice middle-ground can be found though, where you share enough of your human-ness and inspiration without compromising your sense of safety and comfort online. It took me a few years to decide what to share and what not to, and now I have a pretty good sense for how to open up without getting a vulnerability hangover. Best of luck to you if you decide to teach in-person workshops! I've found that they're super rewarding as long as I don't do them too often... then they're just exhausting. And it helps to keep the group small - 12 people is my typical maximum. Usually I'm nervous before and at the beginning, and after about 20 minutes into the class I feel like I'm in a room with a bunch of friends. <3
Your insightful perspective resonates with me, even though I am the furthest you'll find from being an artist. I respect the fears and concerns artists have, and I think there's a lot of validity to it from what I can tell.
I work for Microsoft. We are the largest minority owner of OpenAI and have built an AI industry on its as well as our data and technology. Consider me biased. Having said that, I believe AI provides an incredible avenue not only for businesses to save as they create products but for people like me who can "create" whereas there was not an avenue for us previously. I am not calling myself an artist, of course, just a heavier user of art that I influence via my prompts. AI, as such, as very helpful to me as I use those creations in scenarios where I would not have hired or consulted an artist to begin with. Just like the internet did nearly 30 years ago, it's creating possibilities.
Your perspective on artists having to adapt and change their ways to reestablish the human connection between artists, art, and consumer is vital, I think. Consumers that value the work and thought an artist such as yourself places in their work will continue to purchase such creations. Being able to connect with artists via workshops, community events, and, sometimes, mere conversation over the internet will continue to be valued by many, I believe. Keep putting yourselves forward and connect with your audience, keep the faith, and see if it leads to positive experiences and economic rewards!
Hey Simon, thanks for your thoughtful comments on this! I've heard similar things from others about how creative doors have been opened for folks who have vibrant imaginations but have felt limited by their inability to translate their ideas to the page. I think it's great that you've found this sense of empowerment, too!
It always helps me to zoom out and think about how previous technology initially disrupted the status quo and put a lot of people out of work, but eventually paved the way for the kind of art and tasks that I do today. For example, the invention of the printing press displaced many of the copyists and scribes, but eventually enabled more people to get their art and writing into books, which is currently my main creative passion. The transition phase right after a new technology comes out and disrupts the norm is the scariest part, but hopefully we can all stay the course and find new paths forward!
I think you're right on with it being a scary phase since this is all new. There will be much negative impact, I'm sure - there already has been - but hopefully, in the end, it will provide much more opportunity.
As a consumer of art - and one who has many of your beautiful creations at our house, too - it's a time to ask ourselves what and whom we value without it having to be an all-or-nothing commitment. There's a time and place for generated content as well as for the magnificent work so many artists pour their heart and soul into!
Ah! Your perspective is truly delightful and I am so glad you shared this. It helped clarify something for me today. Thanks for sharing your consistent choices towards optimism.
Thanks for sharing your views and ideas for artists! You've hit on some great points that in-person gathering is so key -- once we know the story of an artist, it brings the work to life and has so much meaning. One thing on my wish list is that artist names & bios could be featured in much larger font on books or nature trail signs that they've illustrated. Illustrations are so key to many books and trail information boards, but so often, the artist name is in very tiny print and hard to find. It would be nice to promote them as much as the author.
I totally agree, Karen! It's strange to me how on lots of books, the illustrator's name isn't even written on the cover. If only people knew how much effort goes into every single illustration...
You are so right, Karen! I’ve come across nature publications where there’s not even a whisper of a mention of the artist/illustrator’s name!
It's so strange, isn't it?! Hopefully illustrator name font size will increase soon!
I think it may take a measure of effort on the Artist’s part to bring attention to their illustrations!?
Excellent (and scary) post Rosalie. Thank you for sharing not only your thoughts on A.I., but for providing possible solutions on how artists can hold their own in this quickly changing market. I too have noticed the influx of A.I. generated images on popular reference photo websites like Pixabay and Unsplash. These artificially generated images have crept to the top of any keyword search, and are becoming more numerous throughout these sites in all categories. At first I was enamored and amazed at how real and perfect the images are. But their artificial nature makes them very easy to recognize and I’ve found myself bypassing them in favor of authentic photos. In addition to your excellent ideas on how artists can put themselves out there to their public, if we use royalty free reference photos in creating art or in support of some part of art, they should be photos taken by and shared, and we should be sure to give these generously shared references due credit.
I plan to give many of your ideas serious consideration, and have appreciated the comments you’ve received so far on your post. Oh, I love your journal pages …… what great ideas! Many thanks Rosalie! You are a true inspiration!
Hi Barb, Thanks for sharing! I definitely agree that a lot of current A.I. images have a strange sheen about them that make them easily distinguishable. But I do have a feeling that as the programs get better and better, it will become nearly impossible to tell the difference. Especially when it comes to photography.
Great point, too, about crediting the royalty free photographers who take reference photos. Sometimes on free websites like Pexels it's easy to forget that real humans took those photos and deserve a shoutout for their great work.
Wise words Roxie. Proud to be your dad.
Thanks, Paw!
YESSSS to making art in the places we physically inhabit with the community that surround us. I think it’s hard sometimes to remember that our largest sphere of influence (including creatively) is the world directly around us. We’ve gotta make more offline webs 🕸️
Yes! And you are a superstar at building those offline webs. Thank you for all you do!
You have no idea how much this has uplifted my outlook for my art. Thank you so much for your positive way of thinking about the future—it makes perfect sense the more and more I think about it!
I'm so glad to hear that it lifted your spirits! Thanks for reading, and wishing you the best of luck with navigating all these changes.
I appreciate your take on this. I'm weary of the doom and gloom and believe we all play a part in creating the future we want. While I find AI abhorrent, particularly in the arts, I can do my part by seeking out artists and supporting their work. In my more optimistic moments, I believe this technology will lead more and more of us away from our screens and toward the tangible, toward relationships, and the valuing of real art and artists.
Thanks for sharing, Kelly. Most artists I know have been desiring a shift away from screens but haven't quite taken the plunge to investing their time and efforts in new places. I have a feeling that this will be the tipping point for many of us, and I like to think that good things are ahead! And YES to the responsibility of consumers to keep supporting their favorite artists and sticking with them through these changes. I think those relationships will mean the difference between having a sustainable art career or not.
Just a note to say thank you so much for this Rosalie! As someone just finding their way back to the page after a long long crisis of confidence and identity as an artist, AI can feel like a bit of a welcome back cream pie to the face! But I love your vision of pushing deeper into our humanity with our work and being braver online, showing who we are as full human beings rather than finished artworks - although for us sensitive folk boundaries will still be super important I’m sure. It would be wonderful to do more in my physical community with art and nature, I am extremely shy and have only struggled more since the pandemic lockdowns but perhaps this is the push I need to get out there more! Thanks Rosalie!
Hey Sarah, thanks for your lovely thoughts! I resonate with so much of this–needing boundaries for my well-being especially. I think that a nice middle-ground can be found though, where you share enough of your human-ness and inspiration without compromising your sense of safety and comfort online. It took me a few years to decide what to share and what not to, and now I have a pretty good sense for how to open up without getting a vulnerability hangover. Best of luck to you if you decide to teach in-person workshops! I've found that they're super rewarding as long as I don't do them too often... then they're just exhausting. And it helps to keep the group small - 12 people is my typical maximum. Usually I'm nervous before and at the beginning, and after about 20 minutes into the class I feel like I'm in a room with a bunch of friends. <3
Hi Rosalie,
Your insightful perspective resonates with me, even though I am the furthest you'll find from being an artist. I respect the fears and concerns artists have, and I think there's a lot of validity to it from what I can tell.
I work for Microsoft. We are the largest minority owner of OpenAI and have built an AI industry on its as well as our data and technology. Consider me biased. Having said that, I believe AI provides an incredible avenue not only for businesses to save as they create products but for people like me who can "create" whereas there was not an avenue for us previously. I am not calling myself an artist, of course, just a heavier user of art that I influence via my prompts. AI, as such, as very helpful to me as I use those creations in scenarios where I would not have hired or consulted an artist to begin with. Just like the internet did nearly 30 years ago, it's creating possibilities.
Your perspective on artists having to adapt and change their ways to reestablish the human connection between artists, art, and consumer is vital, I think. Consumers that value the work and thought an artist such as yourself places in their work will continue to purchase such creations. Being able to connect with artists via workshops, community events, and, sometimes, mere conversation over the internet will continue to be valued by many, I believe. Keep putting yourselves forward and connect with your audience, keep the faith, and see if it leads to positive experiences and economic rewards!
All the best,
Simon
Hey Simon, thanks for your thoughtful comments on this! I've heard similar things from others about how creative doors have been opened for folks who have vibrant imaginations but have felt limited by their inability to translate their ideas to the page. I think it's great that you've found this sense of empowerment, too!
It always helps me to zoom out and think about how previous technology initially disrupted the status quo and put a lot of people out of work, but eventually paved the way for the kind of art and tasks that I do today. For example, the invention of the printing press displaced many of the copyists and scribes, but eventually enabled more people to get their art and writing into books, which is currently my main creative passion. The transition phase right after a new technology comes out and disrupts the norm is the scariest part, but hopefully we can all stay the course and find new paths forward!
I think you're right on with it being a scary phase since this is all new. There will be much negative impact, I'm sure - there already has been - but hopefully, in the end, it will provide much more opportunity.
As a consumer of art - and one who has many of your beautiful creations at our house, too - it's a time to ask ourselves what and whom we value without it having to be an all-or-nothing commitment. There's a time and place for generated content as well as for the magnificent work so many artists pour their heart and soul into!
Happy creating, Rosalie! =)
Great suggestions! Thank you!
Ah! Your perspective is truly delightful and I am so glad you shared this. It helped clarify something for me today. Thanks for sharing your consistent choices towards optimism.
Excellent, excellent, excellent! I love your optimism and viewpoint, play in art is powerfully human and nothing could ever replicate that. 😊