Nobody can truly create something new, I don't think. All art
is a product of art that came before it, to some degree.
Perhaps not always intentionally, but even to be able to
interpret the world around you, there must be some cultural
lense that allows you to convert sensory stimuli into meaning.
I also think that it's presicely the absence of such a
cultural lense that makes the AI "art" we see today feel so
soulless. All AI art feels like your unemployed friend
going off about how glad they might be that it's finally
friday, even though they don't experience that what makes
the social bonding experience of celebrating
"friday" significant.
Historically speaking, art has been a luxury. Human
civilization has only been able to create art when other
basic needs have been met, hence why we only find art that
takes a significant amount of time and resources to create
(pottery, tapestries, etc.) in - at its earliest - around
places where homo sapiens decided to embrace the practice of
animal husbandry. Other civilizations, like the Hadzabe tribe
of northern Tanzania didn't have such luxury.
The words "Historically speaking" is carrying a lot of weight
in my last paragraph, though. I don't mean to imply that art
itself is a luxury; neither the creation nor its consumption.
Everywhere where there was at least enough food available
to free up someone's hands somewhere, art has immediately
become the next priority to get to.
I think the matter of AI is presenting me with some
interesting questsions to think about in regards to art, its
consumption and its creation.
I genuinely think that everyone has art to share, whether
it's merely just the telling of stories about their own
unique perspectives in this life we're all wandering though,
or to create something more in line with the traditional
definition of "capital-A Art" one may infer from the usage
of the word on its own.
After all, I do believe in "death of the author", thus
making the consumption of art into an inherently
transformative experience. The consumption of all art,
therefore is both a privilege to consumer and artist.
Having one's art consumed by someone else an act of priming
the firing pin of Chekhov's gun. Sooner or later, your art
will be reborn. Possibly in the form of an ode (whether it
deserves it or not) or in the form of parody (again,
deservedly or otherwise) or something else entirely.
I started writing this article feeling a little insecure and
overwhelmed by the art I'm privy to consume, not sure how I
should go about ever repaying the debt I feel to the artists,
or whether that feeling of debt is even justified.
But as I went along typing these words on my work laptop
while I should probably be replying to emails and closing
support tickets, perhaps I have less to worry about than I
think.
Sources:
I basically just read like 3 chapter's of African History of
Africa by Zeinab Badawi and then started talking out of my
ass with a relatively confident tone.
I am a 23 year old kid with half an IT degree; don't trust
anything you read on my fucking "gopher phlog" lmao.
Badawi's book is good though, you should read it.
And I should finish it.
