An AI Newbie
Remember, art people, when you were really focused in your respective studio curricula- how focused you were, virtually 24/7- and started to really look at your surroundings, observing space and time in startlingly different ways from when you started to sketch as a young child?
Accepting the new techniques. Not yet the inner motivations that would guide the gestural, the shading, the smudging… You know, it's quite exhilarating to learn how to make ‘proper’ art.
As some know, I am that trained artist. MFA from the University of California, Irvine. Yet, while I was attending to undergrad and postgrad studies, I was also learning machine code, DOS, asynchronous telecommunications and early computerized typography.
I excelled at it for some reason, not caring one whit for design work in the early Art Academy days. Concurrent work experience exposed me to the accessible world of design and typography. Yes, the manual typewriter keystroke rhythm I earnestly integrated was a newfound practical focus- How To Make a Living- working these skills into a myriad of industries within the fields of science, engineering and technology and a few ad and type houses thrown in for good measure.
Much more can be written about my career moves, but I did recently retire. ‘Art for Arts’ Sake’ is returning, now that I have no more required concatenating and kerning, etcetera.
Cut to today… I'd been hearing about AI, controversies aside. MidJourney was calling me home.
Sign me up! I studied the newbie feeds. Definitely some yawns and giggles. The realization that I could write a prompt according to MY creative sensibilities as an artist and designer allowed for some intoxicating variations on themes, of which I am continuing to hone.
It takes patience to instigate an initial prompt, and put it through seemingly calculated modulations, only to be continually dumbfounded on how ‘IT’ reaches something you had in mind, even more inventively than you visualized.
Putting on my critical hat, though…yes, but YOU didn't do this yourself. You did not put your hands in the ink, scumble the oils. You did not take the actual photo. Not even letting yourself off the hook that, hey, what about Photoshop. We been doin’ that for decades!
Okay, generative AI scrapes the universe. Yes, it’s bits and bytes. Yet, I don't think that MJ's visualization toolset is an anathema to credible exploration.
After some cursory research, there are many artists and musicians- even engineers- that have been practicing AI magicians since the early 20th century. Yes, 2-0! Gen Google it?
Reaching critical mass is on the horizon. True WYSIWYG and HTML front ends should soon- if not already- be a more inclusive interactive tactic.
Perhaps this litany begs the question of a variety of infringements on privacy, security, intellectual property, and so on.
Talk Amongst Yourselves (please).