A few weeks ago I was sitting on my couch, doing my daily drawing. About two years ago (during the lockdowns) I started drawing again, after not drawing for about 15 years.

The drawing was simple, like a lot of my drawings tend to be.

But as I was drawing my simple drawing, a story started developing in my head. I love writing too, so as I was drawing I was building out the story in my head. When I was done with the drawing I wrote the story down.

I quite liked the story and the accompanying image that I made. Yes, many consider it lowbrow art, but that is fine with me. I have a particular style and if that is what low brow is, that is fine with me.

Then, about a week later I started messing around with AI art and I started messing around with Midjourney. As one of my text prompts I used the first paragraph of the story that I wrote for my drawing: “She stood by the open sliding doors. Outside a thick, black blanket covered the world. Somehow keeping the earth warm while the cool ocean breeze blew. The curtains were lapping at her body and he could smell her in the air. Intoxicating.”

I was blown away by what the AI created based on the paragraph. In fact, I’m pretty sure that my simple art style is going to be obsolete because of AI art.

I usually start out with a digital sketch, before I transfer my idea onto canvas as an actual painting. I’ve only actively been really pursuing art again over the last two years.

When I was studying at art school, one of my lecturers told me that my art was not “art” and being the self-doubting mess I am, I took what he said to heart and just stopped drawing. I was a dumb, impressionable 23-year-old at the time, and honestly, now I realise that that lecturer was probably just projecting his own insecurities onto me.

But when I saw what the AI created, all those feelings and emotions from that day in art school came rushing back.

I don’t really fit into the traditional art scene, and because of my experience trying to study art, I ended up going down a digital marketing career path. I don’t really like my career anymore and since I really enjoy my art again I was hoping to slowly turn that into the way I make an income while doing something I really love.

Back in May I organised my own small solo exhibition at a local bar in my town. I had 12 paintings on display and I sold 8 of the 12. I still want to pinch myself because I think it might be a dream. I was convinced that if I kept putting in the work (for my art) I would be able to get out of my current job in a year or two. I even got some commission work from one of the people that bought one of my paintings.

But seeing the AI art for my story has me very much feeling that I’m no Rembrandt or Basquiat, and that my “lowbrow art” will just be obsolete when AI can do what I do, just better.

Have you guys tried AI art? What do you think the impact of AI art will be for actual artists?

Sorry for making my first post such a negative one. I just don’t really have very many artist friends to talk to about this stuff.

More info: stixart.co

The image I drew that became a piece of flash fiction

The AI art generated based on the first paragraph of my story

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