In a world that’s increasingly dependent on and impacted by computer technology and Artificial Intelligence, we’re easily tempted to take advantage of those innovations. And I do too. Also, and perhaps especially in the world of photography. We swap skies, clone in desirable and clone out less desirable elements, and we use software ‘filters’ for quicker results without any effort. And we’re led to believe that it is all an improvement and permitted for the sake of art. And maybe it is - I just can’t judge as that implies a higher insight. I doubt I have.
What I know is that I like to use AI too. AI as in Artistic Intelligence. The beauty and power of art is that it is a human experience and an expression of the human spirit. It can move, excite, sadden or lift up, exactly because it is coming directly from the human experience, not from an algorithm. I can be moved by an expression of a human experience. I can’t be moved by a machine, no matter how smart it is. At best, it makes life easier and software can give you faster results.
But I don’t desire quick results in creative expressions. I prefer the challenge and the longer road because time, effort, dedication and perspiration are at the same time opportunities for contemplation and consideration - exercises for the human mind. Furthermore, time has always been a great leveler of emotions and expressions. It adds subtlety and nuance to what you express. Nuance is what I seek, it’s a sign of empathy, but perhaps that’s not always the wise thing to do. Being nuanced, I mean.
This is a photo I took in 2013 in Chicago, representing the Aqua building and neighbouring buildings. I finished processing the photo 2 days ago, exactly 8 years and 8 days after I took it on September 8, 2013. The creative process from the physical and mental inception to final execution started on that day in 2013 and ended 8 years and 8 days later. Not that it is a guarantee for exceptional results - it just took me that long. I’m not referring to the actual steps of processing it on the computer, that perhaps only took a couple of weeks. I’m referring to the inception and formation of the image in my head. I’ve always been carrying this image in my head, together with many other images. Sometimes it just takes that long to make up one’s mind on subtleties that only the artist sees and to make the right decisions. And no matter how long it takes, once it's conceived in my head, I will carry it out. That artistic process is a metaphor of my own life.
This artistic process is exactly what I describe in the video I released earlier in July,
a 9-hr video on the Artistic Thought and Decision Process
and an honest reflection of how I decide artistically, where to find and how to translate inspiration to my own images. And it’s processed with my
Artisan Pro X panel. And no, it’s not software built around Artificial Intelligence, but around Artistic Intelligence, and I believe that becomes clear when you use it.
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