Using Artificial Intelligence to Create Art
My Passion for Design
Early after graduating from high school, I spent quite a bit of time pursuing a potential career in graphic design. (Specifically website design) It didn’t take very long for me to realize just how saturated the market is for graphic designers, and how difficult it would be to make a living with it as a career full time. While it was something that I would have enjoyed doing, I think it would have been very stressful for me, especially to be just starting my career in such an industry. While it was important to me to be able to do something that I enjoy, I also wanted to be able to support a family and make enough money to live comfortably. Other occupations would have a higher chance of providing this. So I decided to pursue other paths.
This led me away from graphic design and a career in art, but it did not take away my passion to create it. I continued to spend some of my time honing skills and using them in the circumstances that would occasionally present themselves — working on projects for my friends and family, or making things just for my own enjoyment!
One of the things that I’ve always struggled with is the fact that I am not very skilled in the art of drawing. While I understand the techniques and principles of form, color, balance and shading. I am not able to execute these things with a pencil and paper, or a paintbrush. I often find myself envying those who are able to create art almost effortlessly using such simple tools! The act of being able to bring something into existence that is only an idea in your head is a skill that I have longed to have.
Coming back to the present —it is from this premise, that I am so excited to share about how technology and deep learning algorithms are bringing this dream of creative expression into reality for many like me.
Artificial Intelligence
While the concept of A.I. will often bring up thoughts of the pop culture idea of machines taking over the world and becoming self-conscious of sentient. The idea is pretty far from the reality of what artificial intelligence is today.
Artificial intelligence (or deep learning) algorithms are essentially computer programs that are modeled to behave similar to how our brains operate in a neural network. While modern A.I. systems are far simpler than the human brain, the principles by which they operate are essentially the same. An algorithm is “trained” using very large datasets, which it categorizes and understands based on repeated testing and feedback. This is the basis for how systems like Google image search works. The dataset is all the images that Google runs through its system. The algorithm looks at this data and starts to understand similarities between images. These similarities start to become categorized and weighted within mathematical models. By looking at lots of pictures of cats, and comparing them to other things, (like dogs, people, and street signs) the system is able to understand what makes a cat look like a cat in a mathematical sense. These models are trained over long periods of time with massive amounts of data and computation. These mathematical models become very good at predicting things that we would normally only attribute to human intelligence. Things like understanding language, recognizing landmarks, and even creating art.
Art of the Future
Perhaps this explanation of artificial intelligence and how it is used in art begs the question, “Is this cheating?”
This is a question that I have asked myself many times over the years as I rely so heavily on digital tools for my creativity. I’ve come to the conclusion that it depends on what you value when you perceive art. If you value the human ability to possess skill, creativity, and the time and effort that it takes to create something with simple tools, then yes. Perhaps using a computer is “cheating” because it removes most of the manual and time-consuming labor associated with creatively producing art in certain mediums.
However, I don’t tend to think of art in this way. I find that my goal in creating art is often to have the satisfaction of taking something from my mind to a medium quickly. I find great joy in making something that doesn’t yet exist. (at least not as a combined total) My goal when creating and consuming art is to experience the emotions that the art generates. I personally don’t care whether someone writes music that is original and creative, or how much time they spent producing it. While those things are a testament to skill and dedication, they don’t attribute (at least in my own mind) to the quality of the art.
I care much more about how art makes me feel.
Of course, this is not to say this is necessarily the right or only way of looking at it. There are many angles to art and how we interact with it as human beings. This is just how I tend to process and perceive it.
Moving Forward
As I’ve started using this technology, I’ve begun to start thinking about how I can monetize it. This led me to the creation of what I’m calling “The Creative Nerd Design Company.”
I’ve started pursuing a few different revenue streams in which I can potentially capitalize on these tools and my own skill set to create decorative art as well as other design applications. I will be sharing some new social links below. These accounts will be where I share my artwork, both for potential sales, and to be able to fill people’s news feeds with creative and interesting artwork!
Please feel free to follow my art blog at The Creative Nerd Design Co. or Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thecreativenerdco/
Be Humble, Stay Curious
-Josh
