The Slow Art of Creating in a Fast AI World
“It’s Sad to See Even Talented Artists Using AI”?
A comment and a reply to a comment on my social media feed the other day gave me a moment to pause for thought. The world around us is rapidly changing and spinning at a speed far beyond my comprehension. I do wonder how a creative that operates at a snail’s pace, dares to fit in amongst it.
I grew up before the internet, went to uni in a time where we still went to the library to borrow books to gather information and I still cling to my real pencils and paintbrushes as my most valued tools. I can barely type, would rather walk than drive a car and would ultimately be quite happy to retire off-grid with all the books I need to catch up on and maybe a record player for playing music.
Finding My Way in a Digital World
My hubby taught me the basics of Photoshop and Procreate sat on the family i-Pad for 3 years before I picked up the digital pen to dip it into digital ink. I am not exactly embracing technology but doing enough to function in an increasingly digital world.
The rise of AI tech has brought with it an element of fear and resistance for some. Creatives understandably feel cheated by the AI models helping ‘themselves’ to our content to further train themselves. The truth is, if we own a modern phone or computer, we are engaging with AI daily ‘it’s just woven so deeply into the tech that it feels invisible’ as Chat GPT would tell me or ‘baked-in’ as Grok describes it. If we are using voice assistants, facial recognition, getting Netflix or YouTube recommendations, own a smart watch, smart TV, taking photos on our phones, then yes, we are all interacting with and contributing to AI. Engaging with content or creating content all helps to feed data to further train the AI models. It’s being used in education, in healthcare, in the arts and in our homes. Trying to say we won’t be using it is kind of like saying we will continue to only send letters by post even after email arrived or keeping your horse and carriage when motor cars became the norm. We can live without AI but only if we are prepared to get rid of our phones, switch off our internet and truly live off-grid.
My Perspective on AI and Creativity
I have been asked how I feel about AI given its ability to create artworks in seconds. It paints faster than me, writes better than me and creates illustrations quicker than I can set up my paintbrushes and canvas. But it will never be me. One of the reasons I create is because I just love the slow process of making and painting by hand. And although the technology is training off all our content, as humans we have also trained from all the artists that came before us. I have also had plenty of humans plagiarise my work and profit from it without my consent so it doesn’t feel all that different. There will only be one original painting that has come from my hands and all my prints can only be signed by my hands. There might be something similar but it will not contain my heart and soul.
Using AI as a Business Tool
Will I use AI to generate art? No, I don’t need to and can’t see that view changing. I have my own ideas and enjoy the physical process of creating by hand. Will I use AI as a business tool? It is already integrated into the systems I use on social media and my website – I can’t avoid it unless I take my business completely offline. It is possible for a business to survive in the future without AI but increasingly difficult and the reality is that the best I can hope to achieve is some hybrid between my traditional practice of drawing and painting and utilizing the tools that allow me to continue to sell online and show my work in the digital space.
The social media post that attracted the initial comment was the picture of an AI generated model that I used to demonstrate the scale of my earrings that were photographed by my husband. I can understand the overwhelm and confusion of content out there and not knowing what is real anymore so I think it is fair to clearly identify our content and be transparent in its origin. Showing artworks in situ or earrings being worn is helpful for customers to be able to get a more realistic image before they purchase online. Ideally, one would hire a model, or book a location and photographer but these costs of course get passed on to the consumer and it becomes more difficult to offer products made in Australia at an affordable price especially when you are operating on a small scale.
Balancing Ethics and Practicality
AI is definitely changing our jobs. Using an AI generated model takes the work away from a real model but in small business that person would likely have been me or our daughter if she had her ears pierced and in the meantime I am creating work for a young uni student who creates my 3D models and a local business who prints my jewellery, the photographer who photographs my work and products for my lovely stockists that contribute in some small way to their businesses.
There is a lot to think about and consider as the technology becomes more and more a part of our everyday lives. Is it sad to see ‘even Artists’ using AI? Maybe not if it reduces their time creating digital content so they can go back to creating the art they really want to spend their time making. My 1960s inspired models are a nod to an earlier time, a simpler time when I wish I had been around and not had to think about any of this. The slow, tactile joy of creating by hand remains irreplaceable for me but choosing where and how to use technology also allows me to stay connected to the digital world.