This month we interviewed one of our very own Marketing Committee members, Jessica Morgan. As a digital artist, questions on AI are often sent her way. I wanted to ask her how she felt about its role in the modern artist's life. Here is what she said: 

 

1. How did you find CWYC? What were you craving? 

I found CWYC on Instagram. I saw the post after the first event that the Create what you crave team held and it looked like a great way to meet other creatives. I had been looking for a community of creatives for a while, and I was excited to see that Carmel could be the place to fill the creative void that I have been feeling. Since moving back to Indiana I’ve been missing the creative community that I had when I was in art school and the professional art field in the west.

 

2. Of all mediums, how did you land on digital art as your primary one? 

I had never planned on becoming a digital artist. I didn’t even know that digital art existed until I attended school, but to graduate I had to take a digital art class. Many art professions use to digitize artwork for freelance artists, but since photoshop was created, companies handed that responsibility off to the artist. It was a challenging class in the beginning. I basically had to take the first two years of traditional training and re-learn how to do it in photoshop. At this time touch screen and tablets were nowhere near where they are today. My first drawing tablet didn’t have a screen. It was basically a big mouse track pad that responded to a digital pen. I had to look at the screen and follow my brush on the computer without looking down because there was nothing to look at. Honestly, I felt like a baby giraffe learning to walk. But as time went on, I got used to it and found that I could paint faster with Photoshop. There was no dry time, and I could easily correct any mistakes I made. It also was way more affordable. At this time Photoshop wasn’t a subscription, so I paid once for the program and that was it. For a poor college student, I didn’t have to wait for the money to buy more paint or be worried about wasting what I had.

 

After college and starting out in life digital art was still the more affordable route, and as I took on freelance work, digital art was what was expected. Before I knew it, I began just enjoying the digital art process. Then when the iPad Pro happened and I could retire that mouse track of a tablet I was over the moon! I still use traditional mediums, and I keep a regular old sketchbook, but I love how digital art allowed me to not be limited. I could freely create without worrying about breaking the bank.

 

3. How do you define art, and how does AI align or misalign with that definition? 

To me art is the journey of the creative. It’s not about the product as much as the process that gets you to the actual finished piece. The end result is always nice, but the whole point is the middle, which is creative problem solving. Now when it comes to AI that is the complete opposite of what art is. First there’s the ethics that are behind how AI creates images in the first place. The algorithm has been coded to look at all the art in the world and then imitate that. So, when someone generates AI images, they are stealing the hard work and dedication of other creatives. Also, there was no creation that happens to get to the images at the end. To generate an image, at most you’ll have to reword and rewrite a prompt because the AI doesn’t truly understand what it’s creating. Because the The point of AI is instead gratification. People that try to sell “AI art” don’t want to be artist; they want to be someone who has made art. At best people who make “AI art” are directors. Think of it this way, when you work on a project an art director will give you an assignment. You go make the art and bring it back to the director. Now the director might give me feedback to change some things or go in a different direction, but whatever I come back with is still my art. I made it under the direction of another, but I was still the one that used years of developing a skill to bring a product to my director. The art director would never claim they made the art. When credits roll at the end of a movie every artist is listed not just the art director’s name. And the artist can still put that piece in their portfolio to continue to showcase their skill. So, when generating “AI art”, it’s similar in the fact that all you are doing is giving direction to a computer program.

 

4. What’s your take on the debate around AI displacing human artists?

Funny enough this was the same fear that happened when digital art was introduced. So, no matter what people will always worry that technology will destroy the artist world, but I’m not worried about artists being displaced. Will there people who value AI over real people? Yes, we have already seen that. Companies in the art industry have already been letting go of animators, writers, matte painters, etc. However, I have faith that there will be a movement among the masses that call for real creativity. Because at the end of the day you don’t have to be creative to feel when something doesn’t feel genuine in its creation. I bet you can name at least three films you’ve seen recently that just felt off. Because we all know how it feels to be human, and when something artificial tries to mimic it, you feel it in your bones. Now think of a film that just made you feel alive. That movie feels better because it’s not mimicking the human

experience it’s giving you a reflection. We as humans are always looking for a reflection rather than a mimic. We don’t want to be told how the human experience is, we want to be shown the experience. That’s why AI can feel so lifeless. How can you tell a computer to take an abstract concept like a feeling and make it into an image or experience? Will there be people who are fine with AI books, movies, scripts, and art? Of course! But there will always be people out there who want more than the artificial.

 

5. What’s your take on AI tools, like generative AI that is now built into photoshop? 

For me I have no need for AI tools in my creative process. Maybe if I was a photographer or graphic designer, but I personally don’t need it. From the examples I’ve seen of people using these AI tools of course they want you to use them. We live in a capitalist world. People want everything now. These AI tools are meant to allow people to create faster because why should corporations wait? That’s the problem. AI is made for the instant product because companies I want to save money. They don’t want to have to pay for the artist and that’s honestly the saddest part. People admire the artist of the past because to them there is value, but now a days we don’t want to invest in the masters of the future. One day the artists of today will be the artists of the past, but what will there be to look at? Is there a time in place for AI tools? Sure, but we have to look at the cost, and decide if that’s what we as consumers want to invest in.

 

6. Will human-AI collaborations become standard? OR What advice would you give to emerging digital artists in this evolving landscape? 

I don’t think AI collaboration, but technology collaboration yes. We have already seen what can happen when we use technology and creativity in the correct way. Modern art installation with robotics and fashion shows with color changing dress, it’s amazing. AI however, is not just technology, it’s an algorithm that steals and claims it’s original. It’s so easy to fall into the ease of what AI has to offer, but on the other end of that prompt there is someone’s work that is being used. If it’s not someone’s work it is someone's community that must live with the fallout of AI. My advice to any emerging digital artist is the program doesn’t make you a good artist, developing the skill does, so don’t be afraid to put in the work. I highly recommend starting with traditional studies and treating digital art programs the same way you would treat any other medium you’re learning. And if you plan on using AI do the research. Look at the honest side of what makes AI possible, and decide for yourself if that’s something you believe in and if it’s worth the price.