The following is two different excerpts from the same day, exploring various issues related to AI, speed of art creation, and MARTCH illustrations.
AI
The past week has seen a dramatic surge in AI images, especially in the style of Studio Ghibli.
While I think there is a decent amount of reason to be concerned (primarily regarding copyright and trademark protections, and whether those will protect artists going into the future), I don’t think AI art will ever fundamentally change the way I make art, or stop me from doing so.
But the future is unknown. AI could take my job as a concept artist and art director. The reason I say this: I can’t predict the future. 1 year ago experts said AI would never be THIS good. 2 years ago experts were saying AI would never get hands right. 3 years ago AI art wasn’t even a mainstream thing. Now it can make Ghibli images that would take me minimum 2-3 hours to replicate.
But why do we make art at all? That question, I think, has an answer closer to Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning”. Why do anything at all? In reality we are all a bunch of dying-yet experiential bio matter on a floating rock in space. None of this really matters- does it?
Viktor Frankl asserted the struggle against this question, and the struggle against all adversity is what creates meaning.
I create as an outpouring of myself: my struggles, my dreams, my fears, my joys. AI cannot replicate the lived experience I have, and that consequent lived outpouring. When we create art, we don’t take a photo and say “make this into Ghibli”, we culminate and curate our lives into the stuff that only we can create: an outpouring of ourselves, our lives, into whatever medium we choose. In the words of Hayao Miyazaki: “What rushes forth from inside of you is the world you have already drawn inside yourself, the many landscapes you have stored up, the thoughts and feelings that seek expression.”
AI generates from a database that is not your own. Create from yourself.
Accountability
March ends today. But I still have 4 more images to make for Martch!
While I don’t normally talk about my weaknesses on social media (I try to stay positive and put my best self forward) I think this illustrates a continued problem I have been trying to conquer: overestimating how fast I can work, as well as my ability to complete objectives.
This has shown through personal work, as well as professional work (as some of my clients can attest.) I over estimate energy and speed, and gird very close, or even miss key deadlines (like the end of March).
And while I am reallllly reluctant to be up front about that (especially publicly, where future clients may see), I think sharing my experience with my weird procrastination / over-estimation of my speed/ energy is something that will:
1. Help me grow through accountability, and eventually grow to be a better planner and self manager
2. Share insights in the future so maybe others experiencing similar challenges can learn and grow also.
3. Be vulnerable and document my growth. We as humans do not exist in a vacuum, growth is something that happens with feedback, it would have been much harder to complete Martch if I did not document the journey.
So here’s to me doing Plien April on time! (not just fingers crossed lol, this will be another challenge to build up self-management skills.)
Okay let me get back to finishing Martch so I can do Plien April…
