“Back in my day”... before AI

Recently, I had a discussion with some business people about AI and how it affects creatives. Note that these conversations were held with non-artist types. They were more productivity-minded people. They want what they want. AI speeds up the process, so use it and get your end result now. I get it; for business, you just want content. Who cares how you make it? Microwave or oven doesn’t matter; if it serves something tasty, it will do.?

I must admit, I had the thought to write a prompt that would craft this article. That is what has happened to us; our thought process has been altered. I decided to write using analog tools and include both traditional and AI-generated visuals

My Zoom conversation was about using new art tools. I was informed to “just” do this and “just” do that. I don’t know about you, but every time I have ever heard the word “just” at the beginning of a sentence, I wasn’t smiling at the end. “Just” in a legal sense has a positive connotation. “Just” as a directive assumes that you will leave something out. Skip what you know, conform, and change your ways. Let’s do a little comparison.

Non-digital art requires planning. A pencil and a sketchbook are the most basic. Body positioning and lighting affect the outcome of a good sketch. Painting anything requires covering the floor, mixing some paint, and reproducing the thought that your brain has concocted. This takes some inspiration. You get a feeling that has to be expressed using a talent that you have honed for years. Depending on your skill or process, your idea takes shape little by little. By embracing imperfection, you shape your creation to be unique. I often work hybridly by drawing something in my sketchbook, placing it in Illustrator, and redrawing my creation in vector. Some people prefer drawing with a tablet. That in itself is way different than sitting at a drawing table and using a lightbox. Something inspires the first move and dictates the roadmap for your new creation, but that is old-school. Next is digital art.?

When I say digital, I mean work that has been developed using Adobe products, Canva, or the like. It requires thinking and dexterity. You click the buttons enough times to achieve your goal. It can get complicated; there are choices to make in terms of layout, style, images, and fonts. Digital art transforms you from being an artist to a producer.?

AI has truly changed the game. If you are a good storyteller, your prompt skills can be pretty useful. Dalle-3, Stable Diffusion, Leonardo, and Midjourney all have their strengths. You get four examples in a minute that could take weeks or months to create using a sketchbook, paint, or Photoshop.

Today, I was made aware of an app developed in India called Dashtoon. It is a platform to make non-artists great cartoonists. Through a prompt, you will create genius that all the world will accept. They are supposedly getting a good reception. I was always told, “If it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage”. This brings up another dilemma: who writes the script? People or AI? What I see coming are AI-driven cartoons. A cartoon is like a song. Anyone can hold a guitar, but what are you singing about? What’s your tone? What’s your motivation? Making a good cartoon takes an idea, writing, dexterity, timing, and a hook. The most important element is the writing. A cartoon can be a stick figure if the writing is good. Dashtoon brags about creating a project in a few days instead of a few weeks. This is good if you are cranking out a slab of content. Bad if you are creating a meaningful story.

If Dashtoon is anything like Youtube only a few ideas will be worthy of an audience. There is already a backlash about using AI art in manga and other venues. AI doesn’t have a soul, and people feel it. Art is like baking a cake. If you use a microwave the results are a derivative of a well-planned menu item. We’ll see if it sustains an audience.

Let’s get back to “just”. Being told to change your methods and just do it is assuming that you don’t have a past. When you are used to doing something a certain way, altering your approach takes some soul-searching. If someone told you to brush your teeth with the other hand, it would cause some distress. Driving a car in England messes with your head, and so does sleeping on the other side of the bed. People don’t like change.

Assuming an artist can “just” use a new tool and achieve the same success is unrealistic. AI tools have nuances that have to be used and experimented with to achieve a decent output. Don’t get me wrong, a mediocre artist can become Leonardo Divinci using a clever prompt. Adjusting your creative process is exactly that—a process.?

It takes a pivot. You have to leave some things behind that you liked and move on to a new way of doing things. AI is different from analog art. The skill of prompting, compared to natural art talent, is equivalent to that of a DJ and a musician.?

I get it from a business perspective: you want what you want. The definition of an artist is evolving as we speak. That can mean a pencil, a spray can, a brush, a pen, a tablet, or AI.

The goal is to make something new and nod your head.