Art

Why Yes, Generative Art IS Actually Art! Please Stop Criticizing It!

Haters gonna hate, though…

Some representative generative artwork — a cat from the Mad Cat Militia, A robot from the Vogu Collective, and a Blazed Cat.

After publishing recent pieces on generative NFT programming (a service I offer), I’ve been in touch with perhaps 15 or 20 artists and/or teams in the midst of generative NFT projects. Just so we’re all on the same page, a generative art project is one in which the final artwork is generated by code.

Typically, these projects have a central focus — usually some sort of character or animal — and varying traits (e.g., different noses, mouths, eyes, clothes, accessories, etc.). Once you have a certain number of traits and variations, it would be impractical and impossibly time-consuming for a human to render a giant set of unique combinations of these things.

So, we enlist a computer for help. And that’s generative programming, which results in the generative artwork that serve as NFTs.

If you take a look at the generative art NFT landscape, you’ll come by many well-known names like the CryptoPunks, Stoner Cats, Gutter Cats, the Bored Ape Yacht Club, Cool Cats, the Galactic Secret Agency, and so many more — Barn Owlz, Lonely Aliens, Cunning Foxes … the list goes on and on!

As you may know from my writings on NFT marketing, I’m fairly active in many online boards and…