No AI

Ok I’m a bit late on this but it needs to be addressed as Ive witnessed and endured many changes in the industry over the years. During my early career I narrowly missed out on likely the last sign painting apprenticeship available. Digital printing had desecrated hand painted signs ensuring cheap, mostly poorly designed clip art became par for the course applied by anyone with a computer and printer. Sure these products serve a purpose but a niche market remains for quality, bespoke artwork which has longevity, particularly in all weather and extreme conditions.

Moving on and the public art industry has exploded with a million street artists most of whom have never done it on the street. These paint by numbers trendsetters armed with iPads and degrees applying pastiche designs tend to be flavour of the month for tenders and EOI’s but I wonder how many of these folk would survive without technology to assist. Just like tattooists, some artists are competent mural applicators but lack ability to develop a variety of original content and many entirely consumed by their social media image and half strength soy latte order. Call me a dinosaur but I miss the days of sending physical photos to potential clients before websites and internet were the norm and I still reckon I got paid quicker receiving cheques in the post than todays digital systems.

Over the past short while, the number of AI designs provided by clients has increased exponentially often accompanied with the request “I want this but can you make it better” This immediately restricts artistic integrity and reduces my income. Sure as a commercial artist Ill take a clients money to apply whatever they want but it undermines authenticity and disregards the skills developed over years to sketch and conceptualise an original design. Whilst I understand other artists have different methods I have never used a projector and will never use AI for concept development. Maybe Im a luddite or it’s my learning difficulties but computers have not made my life easier. New technology sucks the soul from creatives and will continue to decimate the entire industry with regulation lagging behind…I feel for early career artists and the struggles they will encounter. Copyright used to be a thing but as an independent artist I have little chance to protect my work or take on tech giants for unauthorised use. Its becoming almost impossible to source reference images that don’t look like robot vomit!

Share my work & tell a friend, its free to do so. Also be assured you are supporting handcrafted art made with love and a lifetime of dedication to the skills, knowledge and an authenticity that can’t be replicated.

Find more info on this topic via: https://thehumanmade.org