oh it is such a blow to hear you talk lovingly about AI. It is not a new tool with no implications behind it like a pencil or a ruler. To me it is like a death- the turning over of the messy interesting valuable part of making something, into some cold generated blob of nothing. There is a soullessness to things that have been made with AI- and as a person who works in education with elementary schoolers, it is really scary to watch how it is stealing all of the oomph and agency from the next generation. Instead of “i want to learn to draw” its “ask the AI to give me a drawing that looks like x” because learning to draw takes time, and the AI can already do it. Instead of reading the book, its ask the AI for the summary- or even just write the paper for me. I value the shittiest scribble of a child so much more highly than the “finest” generated prompt of these nothing machines, built on stolen work and auto correct/text predictors on steroids.
I love a lot of what you are saying here though. AI aside, I think the rewilding and the re-evaluation of your art and career landscape every so often is important. My kids at school today asked me if I want to be doing this for my whole life, and I think I surprised myself as much as them when I said “I certainly hope not.” It made me think more seriously about looking into shelving books at a library when we make our next move- I used to dream abt working at a library. I am an artist and my main art focus has felt very much like a prison lately. All I want to do is knit. I haven’t touched the apple pencil willingly in months. And that is okay, I think. My art career doesn’t have to be the same things forever- and how boring if it was. What a joy to chase and follow my own personal sunshine down the paths it chooses- sometimes years along one path, and then a hard turn.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your perspective! We’re in such a crazy transitional time right now with technology; it’s so disorienting, yet I’m determined to be optimistic!
Following your own personal sunshine, what a gorgeous way to live. My friend recently quit her path as a successful, pays-the-bills singer because it wasn’t at anymore—it was a cage. Now she started dance classes and finds so much more joy in it, even though she’s never done it before! I think for creative people, expression loves to find new ways to come out!
!!!! Easily my favorite Mari essay to date. My heart is pounding after reading this!!! I read through watery wavery eyes during the whole middle, just so proud and delighted that you’ve taken such thrilling agency over your creative, professional, and personal life! 🥹 I’m absolutely obsessed with this metaphor, I can’t wait to dig in and apply this to my life (#14 Consider repotting, aka moving your life to another environment like half a country away, from the lush humid Midwest to the arid mountainous Southwest!!)
As for the AI bit, I’m actually with you here for the sheer fact that AI is here to stay so how do we, as artists, learn to use it as a tool not a toxin SO THAT we can help other artists understand it rather than shut down out of fear. Because if those of us who are sensitive and leery just shut down, then the others who DO use it as a toxin will take over! (See: All of Tech progress throughout history.) Consider gas powered cars vs electric. Back in the day, most people adopted cars over horses paying no mind to the fact that Big Oil was going to cause the worst crisis this earth has ever seen. (With that said, using horses was also a health and ecological crisis at the time.*) Meanwhile folks WERE leery of cars and their effect on the environment. IN FACT electric cars at one point were extremely popular because they were cleaner (“In 1897, the bestselling car in the US was an electric vehicle: the Pope Manufacturing Company’s Columbia Motor Carriage. Electric models were outselling steam- and petrol-powered ones.”*) But fuel powered ICE cars became cheaper and easier to mass produce and more convenient. For those reasons (and hundreds of other political and socioeconomic reasons, like how electric cars were “women’s cars”), electric fell out of favor. We have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes again right now. Learn AI so that you can figure out ways to make it more sustainable, more equitable, more of a tool than a replacement. Generative AI art is the lazy junk food that will ALWAYS exist in art. As any and all trends, it WILL get tired and stale (we might already be there). But using AI as a tool to improve your processes, your brainstorming sessions, your efficiency, and even your grassroots effort to make AI sustainable is a bold move that our collective future is hoping we take in stride. Technology is democratic by its very nature ONLY IF we have the courage to embrace it rather than avoid it.
Ok that’s my TED talk!! Thank you for bringing this up, Mari, because I’m all the more excited to do my own part in this early crucial chapter of our AI history!
Ok I don't know if I want to hug you for ten minutes or hide my face in the cereal box because I'm so humbled that you wrote the most beautiful, articulate, perfected essay which expresses exactly what I wanted to say only ten billion times better! Going to get a tattoo of this today:
"AI is here to stay so how do we, as artists, learn to use it as a tool not a toxin SO THAT we can help other artists understand it rather than shut down out of fear. Because if those of us who are sensitive and leery just shut down, then the others who DO use it as a toxin will take over!"
Gahhhhh! Your glorious Enneagram 5 brain at its finest sharpest most lush!!! I'd be debilitatingly jealous if I didn't adore you so much.
And then you hit me with a history lesson--my favorite love language!!! (and the SOURCE?! Get outta here!) "Obsessed" is an understatement; I'm positively salivating! I looooooove taking all my lessons from history and this is a spectacular one! You're so right; we have such a major opportunity here (much how I feel about inter-political dialogue at the moment but I'll have to figure that one out with ChatGPT) and it would be such a shame to waste it with avoidance and fear (though, very reasonable reactions!). I don't have anything to compare AI to, but it reminds me of the early adopters of social media who saw the potential and made something really capital-G Good from it. LET'S DO SOME GOOD! I'm inspired beyond even the vast capacity of Claude or Gemini or whatever!!
😂😂awww!!! Well if we choose cereal box I request Golden Grahams the original recipe! And maybe we can get matching tattoos of a cute robot saying “help me make it better!” But YES social media!! Remember how quaint and harmless it used to be?! Somewhere we went wrong (“could we start again please?”) I don’t want to repeat that! Either way I’m rolling on your wave here AND ALSO 100% prepared to eat my words hahaha!! It could all go horribly wrong especially because our current political landscape is basically the Real Housewives of D.C. on channel X?!?! On that note, do inter-political dialog next!! (Now *I’m genuinely salivating at the prospect!)
Hi Mari! I love this extended conceit, and this piece resonates so much for me!! I've been following along since the illustration days and find it so inspirational to see how expansive and curious you are with your work and career and passions. re AI... I am notoriously an AI sceptic (and generally a total Luddite) so I really do appreciate hearing another more optimistic/tenacious perspective on it that stretches my brain. But am disappointed that you didn't acknowledge the tremendous environmental cost of most generative AI (especially while invoking it in a metaphor about the natural world). The amount of energy and water that ChatGPT and other LLMs use is pretty staggering - it's not a neutral tool. I point this out with lots of respect for you and your practice, and thank you for a thoughtful/thought-provoking piece! X
Thank you so much sweet Maddy, I really appreciate that—and thank you for being an OG follower wow!
The environmental cost of AI is a major topic, and one that many other people have written about clearly and elegantly, which I’m not equipped to do, alas. I trust my brilliant readers do their own reading and generally know the horrors of AI; my goal in writing this is was to empower artists to use it thoughtfully and sensitively—setting a good example for less sensitive folks…since it’s not going anywhere. I’d love to know if there are brainy folks working on reducing the environmental impact and if there are things individuals can do to help!
one of my favs of yours - this resonated on such a deep level and i love the analogy. it made this so much more memorable and accessible to my specific circumstances. thank u so much for sharing! i am so excited to see where you are headed next xx
A kindred spirit. I found there's a group promoting this idea for the land but I love that you linked it to your creative life. Thank you for sharing what's happening with you. If you're interested
i am that lovely retreat attendee who asked you that question about the illustrator in you and if it was a part of your future—-i remember so clearly what you had to say and at first i thought oh noooooooooooo, no more awesome illustrations, images that make me smile and want to copy—— but those were only selfish thoughts. I was really happy that you have been able to tune into what’s most important to you and create in ways that feel best for you. I can attest to how amazing you are as a speaker, as the retreat time you shared with all of us was so thoughtful and poignant and inspiring and kind💜you are one special lady Mari Andrew and i look forward to following your creative endeavors wherever they take you‼️
This speaks to me. I think I am currently rewilding my career and creative life. I've been in a long pause allowing things to unfold. Not surprisingly, my greatest inspiration at the moment are wildflowers. I can't get over how many we have in California and thus, I am allowing them to teach me new ways to be creative!
I love this dearly! Such a beautiful reminder to “adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience” 🌻
Yesssssssssss!
oh it is such a blow to hear you talk lovingly about AI. It is not a new tool with no implications behind it like a pencil or a ruler. To me it is like a death- the turning over of the messy interesting valuable part of making something, into some cold generated blob of nothing. There is a soullessness to things that have been made with AI- and as a person who works in education with elementary schoolers, it is really scary to watch how it is stealing all of the oomph and agency from the next generation. Instead of “i want to learn to draw” its “ask the AI to give me a drawing that looks like x” because learning to draw takes time, and the AI can already do it. Instead of reading the book, its ask the AI for the summary- or even just write the paper for me. I value the shittiest scribble of a child so much more highly than the “finest” generated prompt of these nothing machines, built on stolen work and auto correct/text predictors on steroids.
I love a lot of what you are saying here though. AI aside, I think the rewilding and the re-evaluation of your art and career landscape every so often is important. My kids at school today asked me if I want to be doing this for my whole life, and I think I surprised myself as much as them when I said “I certainly hope not.” It made me think more seriously about looking into shelving books at a library when we make our next move- I used to dream abt working at a library. I am an artist and my main art focus has felt very much like a prison lately. All I want to do is knit. I haven’t touched the apple pencil willingly in months. And that is okay, I think. My art career doesn’t have to be the same things forever- and how boring if it was. What a joy to chase and follow my own personal sunshine down the paths it chooses- sometimes years along one path, and then a hard turn.
thanks for this post, very good food for thought
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your perspective! We’re in such a crazy transitional time right now with technology; it’s so disorienting, yet I’m determined to be optimistic!
Following your own personal sunshine, what a gorgeous way to live. My friend recently quit her path as a successful, pays-the-bills singer because it wasn’t at anymore—it was a cage. Now she started dance classes and finds so much more joy in it, even though she’s never done it before! I think for creative people, expression loves to find new ways to come out!
!!!! Easily my favorite Mari essay to date. My heart is pounding after reading this!!! I read through watery wavery eyes during the whole middle, just so proud and delighted that you’ve taken such thrilling agency over your creative, professional, and personal life! 🥹 I’m absolutely obsessed with this metaphor, I can’t wait to dig in and apply this to my life (#14 Consider repotting, aka moving your life to another environment like half a country away, from the lush humid Midwest to the arid mountainous Southwest!!)
As for the AI bit, I’m actually with you here for the sheer fact that AI is here to stay so how do we, as artists, learn to use it as a tool not a toxin SO THAT we can help other artists understand it rather than shut down out of fear. Because if those of us who are sensitive and leery just shut down, then the others who DO use it as a toxin will take over! (See: All of Tech progress throughout history.) Consider gas powered cars vs electric. Back in the day, most people adopted cars over horses paying no mind to the fact that Big Oil was going to cause the worst crisis this earth has ever seen. (With that said, using horses was also a health and ecological crisis at the time.*) Meanwhile folks WERE leery of cars and their effect on the environment. IN FACT electric cars at one point were extremely popular because they were cleaner (“In 1897, the bestselling car in the US was an electric vehicle: the Pope Manufacturing Company’s Columbia Motor Carriage. Electric models were outselling steam- and petrol-powered ones.”*) But fuel powered ICE cars became cheaper and easier to mass produce and more convenient. For those reasons (and hundreds of other political and socioeconomic reasons, like how electric cars were “women’s cars”), electric fell out of favor. We have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes again right now. Learn AI so that you can figure out ways to make it more sustainable, more equitable, more of a tool than a replacement. Generative AI art is the lazy junk food that will ALWAYS exist in art. As any and all trends, it WILL get tired and stale (we might already be there). But using AI as a tool to improve your processes, your brainstorming sessions, your efficiency, and even your grassroots effort to make AI sustainable is a bold move that our collective future is hoping we take in stride. Technology is democratic by its very nature ONLY IF we have the courage to embrace it rather than avoid it.
Ok that’s my TED talk!! Thank you for bringing this up, Mari, because I’m all the more excited to do my own part in this early crucial chapter of our AI history!
*https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/aug/03/lost-history-electric-car-future-transport
Ok I don't know if I want to hug you for ten minutes or hide my face in the cereal box because I'm so humbled that you wrote the most beautiful, articulate, perfected essay which expresses exactly what I wanted to say only ten billion times better! Going to get a tattoo of this today:
"AI is here to stay so how do we, as artists, learn to use it as a tool not a toxin SO THAT we can help other artists understand it rather than shut down out of fear. Because if those of us who are sensitive and leery just shut down, then the others who DO use it as a toxin will take over!"
Gahhhhh! Your glorious Enneagram 5 brain at its finest sharpest most lush!!! I'd be debilitatingly jealous if I didn't adore you so much.
And then you hit me with a history lesson--my favorite love language!!! (and the SOURCE?! Get outta here!) "Obsessed" is an understatement; I'm positively salivating! I looooooove taking all my lessons from history and this is a spectacular one! You're so right; we have such a major opportunity here (much how I feel about inter-political dialogue at the moment but I'll have to figure that one out with ChatGPT) and it would be such a shame to waste it with avoidance and fear (though, very reasonable reactions!). I don't have anything to compare AI to, but it reminds me of the early adopters of social media who saw the potential and made something really capital-G Good from it. LET'S DO SOME GOOD! I'm inspired beyond even the vast capacity of Claude or Gemini or whatever!!
Brb, gonna march in the streets now....
😂😂awww!!! Well if we choose cereal box I request Golden Grahams the original recipe! And maybe we can get matching tattoos of a cute robot saying “help me make it better!” But YES social media!! Remember how quaint and harmless it used to be?! Somewhere we went wrong (“could we start again please?”) I don’t want to repeat that! Either way I’m rolling on your wave here AND ALSO 100% prepared to eat my words hahaha!! It could all go horribly wrong especially because our current political landscape is basically the Real Housewives of D.C. on channel X?!?! On that note, do inter-political dialog next!! (Now *I’m genuinely salivating at the prospect!)
I love the idea of using rewilding as a metaphor for creative revitalization!
Hi Mari! I love this extended conceit, and this piece resonates so much for me!! I've been following along since the illustration days and find it so inspirational to see how expansive and curious you are with your work and career and passions. re AI... I am notoriously an AI sceptic (and generally a total Luddite) so I really do appreciate hearing another more optimistic/tenacious perspective on it that stretches my brain. But am disappointed that you didn't acknowledge the tremendous environmental cost of most generative AI (especially while invoking it in a metaphor about the natural world). The amount of energy and water that ChatGPT and other LLMs use is pretty staggering - it's not a neutral tool. I point this out with lots of respect for you and your practice, and thank you for a thoughtful/thought-provoking piece! X
Thank you so much sweet Maddy, I really appreciate that—and thank you for being an OG follower wow!
The environmental cost of AI is a major topic, and one that many other people have written about clearly and elegantly, which I’m not equipped to do, alas. I trust my brilliant readers do their own reading and generally know the horrors of AI; my goal in writing this is was to empower artists to use it thoughtfully and sensitively—setting a good example for less sensitive folks…since it’s not going anywhere. I’d love to know if there are brainy folks working on reducing the environmental impact and if there are things individuals can do to help!
one of my favs of yours - this resonated on such a deep level and i love the analogy. it made this so much more memorable and accessible to my specific circumstances. thank u so much for sharing! i am so excited to see where you are headed next xx
I really loved this piece of writing. Thank you for the beautiful wisdom here!
Been a longtime fan of your work and your messages continue to resonate. Thank you!
Great to see you following your intuition and doing what feels right in your career and motherhood 🙌
I love this!! It was really beautiful to see how you incorporated nature into this message - thank you so much, Mari!
A kindred spirit. I found there's a group promoting this idea for the land but I love that you linked it to your creative life. Thank you for sharing what's happening with you. If you're interested
https://wearetheark.org/at-home/
i am that lovely retreat attendee who asked you that question about the illustrator in you and if it was a part of your future—-i remember so clearly what you had to say and at first i thought oh noooooooooooo, no more awesome illustrations, images that make me smile and want to copy—— but those were only selfish thoughts. I was really happy that you have been able to tune into what’s most important to you and create in ways that feel best for you. I can attest to how amazing you are as a speaker, as the retreat time you shared with all of us was so thoughtful and poignant and inspiring and kind💜you are one special lady Mari Andrew and i look forward to following your creative endeavors wherever they take you‼️
This speaks to me. I think I am currently rewilding my career and creative life. I've been in a long pause allowing things to unfold. Not surprisingly, my greatest inspiration at the moment are wildflowers. I can't get over how many we have in California and thus, I am allowing them to teach me new ways to be creative!
What a joy to read! Thank you, Mari! You have been my favorite follow (on many platforms) for years. You inspire me. Love and light ☀️
Thank you Chloe, what a kind kind thing to say!!!