AI + Art = Art Therapy

Sep 30

"I'm not building a scene like a set director; I'm explaining a feeling and asking the AI to create that for me... I think that's what gives me the depth of psychological impact"

Creating with AI imaging is so simple and fast that it's become addictive for some. As a result, many users who display on sites like Instagram tend to mass produce. Photography is similar; it's easy to shoot, the hard part is editing. That said, making things over and over and over is how you learn. What’s more, AI imaging allows users to quickly adapt any style, texture, or finish to their pictures, so it's not surprising that creative people get OCD. Although the art is often intensely visual, and a single artist’s output can vary wildly, it’s the symbolized ideas AI imagery so boldly presents that I think give the medium its unique purpose.

I keep that in mind as I search streams of imagery, looking for those distinct pieces that might help us make sense of our techno-centric age.

Recently, I came across a woman who had produced more than 15,000 pictures in the past couple of years. Her name is Jessica Jackson. Like many others, she creates in a wide variety of styles, yet buried in the mix, I found ideas that stood out. In these images, she's captured the anxiety of youth coming of age in an era that promotes personal and cultural disruption.

I wanted to understand what motivated her to create art in the first place?

AI is completely responsible for me becoming an artist in any recognizable sense of the word. Finally, I was able to see some of the weird and wonderful things in my head. I can't even express to you the therapeutic value that creating with AI has brought to my life.

Are you self-taught, or did you go to art school?

I'm completely self-taught. I just experiment and read the how-to stuff, and somehow, pretty things appear! Ha! It's a little more complicated than that, but I've been doing it since beta. I've learned all the steps in succession over time as they were released, which I'm thankful for because I think if I just came into generative art today, I would be overwhelmed with all the nuances.

Your figures display their vulnerability so well. Where do you look for inspiration?

Personal experiences are the majority of my inspiration. I always surrounded myself with art and studied art on my own. What I did find a passion for from a young age was creative writing. I devoured books and poetry and always felt compelled to try and make my emotions tangible in some way. This is what I love so much about AI; it feels magical. It's clearly a tool, but there's an element of intelligence that is inherent when a machine can interpret your thoughts into images. When I let the AI work with its own “imagination” and we come up with something beautiful together I feel most fulfilled.

Does Social media influence your creative vision?

Like most people, I love/hate social media. But yes, social media overall enhances my creative vision because the community I'm a part of keeps pushing the limits and keeps me wanting to do the same. It's bizarre to think that many people are looking at something I created, but it's exciting because I know it resonates with people.
If I see someone achieving a beautiful texture, style, or subject matter, I'm always inspired in some way. It would be a lie for anyone creative to say they aren't influenced by what they are surrounded by and consuming in such quantities.

Have you received negative feedback from people who think using AI is "cheating" or, worse, that it’s stealing from other artists? And how do you answer those accusations?

Absolutely, I've received negative feedback, but I feel grateful to have gotten off lightly so far compared to other AI artists. Most of the time, I ignore the negative comments because I honestly think they are based on misinformation and fear. I understand where those concerns come from—there's a fear of the unknown and a sense of protection over the craft that so many have spent years honing.

With the addition of the style reference capabilities in Midjourney, the creativity really becomes endless. The capability is such that I can take a photo of anything I want from the world around me or online and it can be the basis for a piece or a whole project. For me this includes things at the museum, textures on gravestones or fungus I see on a walk, public domain images, a doodle I found that my grandfather had done in the margin of a notebook in the 60s, etc.
Art has to advance with technology. That's just the way it is. AI is a tool just like a camera or brush, enhancing the creative process versus replacing it. Every piece I create involves my input, my vision, and my choices.

Art has always evolved with technology; AI is just the next step in that evolution. It's not about replacing artists but instead offering new ways to express and experience art. To me, the real "cheating" would be ignoring the possibilities and limiting our creativity to only what's been done before.

Do you communicate with other artists in the field about concepts or theories that motivate you?

I collaborate with other artists from time to time, and I find it really inspiring. I don't do it too often, though, because I'm just not that good at putting myself out there.
I think if I just stay authentic to myself, that will be enough of a path, even if it's not the most cohesive looking. I'm in this to make beautiful, therapeutic things for myself, and other people happen to like it, and that's amazing.