{"id":2781,"date":"2023-01-17T22:45:42","date_gmt":"2023-01-17T22:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nft.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/four-artists-open-up-about-ai-and-the-future-of-their-craft\/"},"modified":"2023-01-17T22:45:42","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T22:45:42","slug":"four-artists-open-up-about-ai-and-the-future-of-their-craft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nft.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/four-artists-open-up-about-ai-and-the-future-of-their-craft\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Artists Open up About AI and the Future of Their Craft"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The AI art movement is in full swing. And while it has a fair amount of controversy<\/a> attached to its name, there\u2019s simply no going back. Billions of people across the globe are using programs like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, DALL-E, and plenty more to engage in artistic expression daily and on a scale that humanity has never before witnessed. And, given its penchant for embracing new technology, the NFT community has taken to these tools as quickly as anyone. As a result, we\u2019re now starting to see a proliferation of NFT art whose creators have infused their work with AI on at least some level \u2014 and we couldn\u2019t be more excited.<\/p>\n

Since 2023 crested into view<\/a> this month, Web3 futurists and crypto skeptics have speculated about trends that might pop up as the year progresses. Much remains uncertain, but few would doubt that art made with generative AI tools<\/a> will play a massive role in the NFT space this year and beyond. With that in mind, we spoke to four artists in the NFT community to learn how they began using AI tools, their artistic processes, and how they view the intense debate surrounding what they do. Don\u2019t sleep on them.<\/p>\n

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Stephan Vasement\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Stephan Vasement is a Bangkok-based visual artist with a background in scriptwriting and photography. Starting his NFT journey as a collector on fxhash, Vasement began experimenting with AI art tools with friends when he stumbled across Disco Diffusion, a clip-guided diffusion model<\/a> for image generation, in the summer of 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the time, I don\u2019t think we had any grand goals or ambitions,\u201d explained Vasement while speaking to nft now. \u201cWe were simply enjoying the outcome and selling the images for a symbolic fee to each other on Objkt and Versum. Then, the community began to grow, and gradually we came to what we have now. I was amazed that AI can generate so many unique images and that the possibilities of creating new art are endless.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Splash Flower via Stephan Vasement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Produced through a combination of Midjourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion and drawing heavily on influences from film directors like Andrei Tarkovsky, Peter Greenaway, and Robert Bresson, Vasement also finds inspiration in music for his pieces.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think these characteristics help me create a certain atmosphere of mystery,\u201d elaborated Vasement. \u201cWith their help, I can quickly immerse the viewer in my world. The most important thing I want to achieve is the feeling of a beautiful, magical, and memorable moment that will stay in the viewer\u2019s memory for a lifetime. I believe that everyone has such moments, mostly from childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Vasement's
Vasement\u2019s One Minute Before Twilight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

With the launch of Vasement\u2019s C Series on Objkt in July 2022, he began to catch the attention of art lovers and collectors in the NFT space. To create the series, Vasement \u201cwent under the hood\u201d of MidJourney to make significant changes to its algorithm, which resulted in the unique style the series exhibits.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had not seen anyone else doing anything similar, and now no one will be able to \u2014 in one of the Midjourney updates, the loophole I was working through was closed,\u201d explained Vasement.<\/p>\n

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\"C-43
C-43 via Stephan Vasement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

While he still has nearly 500 ready-made works from the C Series in reserve, Vasement is looking toward the future, currently preparing drops for an upcoming release on Foundation that honors the series but takes his work in a new direction.\u00a0Commenting on the recent explosion of controversy surrounding AI art tools, the artist was matter-of-fact.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNever apologize for using AI. We have nothing to apologize for or be ashamed of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephan Vasement<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cI simply ignore the discussion,\u201d Vasement offered. \u201cIt is not significant in our time, especially in the NFT world. We communicate with collectors directly, and we don\u2019t have intermediaries who try to limit our ability to share or sell our work based on their beliefs. I advise everyone who works with AI and is not sure they can stand up for themselves to avoid this topic. And most importantly, never apologize for using AI. We have nothing to apologize for or be ashamed of.\u201d<\/p>\n

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MemoryMod<\/h2>\n

MemoryMod is a Brooklyn-based CGI artist with a background in digital sculpture and rendering, VR development, and photogrammetry who has created digital sculptures for Marvel and Netflix productions. While they began their artistic journey by exploring analog media like 35mm photography and painting, MemoryMod\u2019s professional career has taken them deeper into the world of coding and motion graphics programs. A general fascination with new technology drew them to the crypto and NFT space when they discovered Ethereum in 2017.\u00a0MemoryMod began to see the potential of AI art when Stable Diffusion came out in August 2022 and allowed users to run the program on their computers locally.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, the prompting was the fun part, but the thing that got me really excited was the ability to train my own models and guide the output toward a more personal style that I identified with,\u201d MemoryMod said in an interview with nft now. \u201cMy current style has always been there; it has been present as a potential idea and aesthetic since my first investigations with AI. That\u2019s the interesting thing about AI: it allows you to develop latent ideas quite fast. Even though the refinement of the work, based on iterations, does take time, my experiments with custom-model training allowed me to develop my unique style. The result was the creation of my Genesis Series.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"MemoryMod
MemoryMod Genesis 088<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The name \u201cMemoryMod\u201d stands for \u201cmemory modification,\u201d referring to the interactive dynamic that comes with AI tools. MemoryMod sees this dynamic as a playful one, taking something familiar \u2014 like a memory \u2014 and modifying it to create something unique and specific to an artist\u2019s preferred style. Their aesthetic heavily references sci-fi and Cyberpunk themes, and the artist believes their name embodies the interplay between technology, art, and the intimate and personal found in those traditions. When describing their influences and artistic inspirations more specifically, MemoryMod points to iconic productions such as Blade Runner<\/em>, Ghost in The Shell<\/em>, Mad Max<\/em>, Snow Crash<\/em>, and Autogenic Dreaming<\/em> as standouts.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Genesis Series rests heavily on style, character, and diversity,\u201d the artist says. \u201cI hope people relate to this unique envisioned world and find it original while also finding a sense of wonder in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

MemoryMod\u2019s work has been well-received, with \u201cStemma,\u201d the artist\u2019s entry to Claire Silver\u2019s second AI art contest<\/a>, taking third place in that competition. MemoryMod\u2019s current work is done in Stable Diffusion on custom-trained models. In the future, the artist plans to integrate their workflow into other digital programs and explore more animation techniques by experimenting with programs like TouchDesigner and\u00a0AfterEffects. <\/p>\n

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\"Stemma
Stemma via MemoryMod<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe interesting thing about custom training models is that it seems to evolve the entire model,\u201d MemoryMod elaborated. \u201cUse the same prompt before and after training \u2014 preferably one that does not include the words used for training \u2014 and a glimpse of universal change will show itself to you. I find this process exciting, especially after training the same model five to seven times and then maybe merging it with other trained models. This has a powerful effect on the entire outcome and can lead to both expected and unexpected results that are fun to play with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing the critical headwinds the AI art movement currently faces, the artist pointed to history as a guide. They noted that disruptive technology has always been met with fear and concern for how it might change the lives of the people most closely connected to it and the world broadly.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think we need to proceed thoughtfully and carefully going into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

MemoryMod on AI\u2019s Future<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cThe introduction of the photographic camera and mechanical reproducibility back in the 19th<\/sup> century sparked many debates around the role of subjectivity in the artistic process, as well as conversations about the manners in which this technology reconfigured our relationship to time and memory themselves,\u201d MemoryMod offered as a reflection. \u201cAI already forms part of our world and practices and will most likely only become more integrated into all aspects of life going forward. How this change will continue to manifest in the world of art, science, and daily interaction is yet to be fully realized, but the potentials make me both excited and concerned.\u00a0I think we need to proceed thoughtfully and carefully going into the future, thinking about our own ethical position with respect to this powerful technical tool known as AI.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Data Velvet<\/h2>\n

Data Velvet is a graphic designer and UI\/UX designer who stumbled onto NFTs in early 2021. Combining their love of data visualization with an affection for landscape and Japanese culture, Data Velvet began experimenting with Artbreeder, CLIP-guided diffusion, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion resulting in the artist\u2019s first AI NFT collection, Datascapes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the arrival of NFTs, I saw that artists could now finally do what they love and make an income from it,\u201d said Data Velvet while speaking to nft now. \u201cBefore, this was available to only a handful of very popular artists. But the NFT alone wasn\u2019t enough because my drawing skills don\u2019t allow me to bring my ideas to life. And that\u2019s where the AI kicks in.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Data
Data Velvet\u2019s Spectrum of the Universe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

While describing their prompt craft (the specific way they craft the prompts that go into AI art tools like Midjourney), Data Velvet notes that they spend countless hours trying different conceptual and syntactic combinations to achieve a desired result. \u201cMy process is all about finding a gem among hundreds of shards,\u201d they underlined. They\u2019re also adamant that AI art tools have enabled their current artistic trajectory to exist.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf everyone is an artist and creator to some degree, maybe we\u2019ll find ourselves in a more empathetic world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Data Velvet<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cMy whole art journey wouldn\u2019t be possible without AI,\u201d Data Velvet said. \u201cIf you have an idea but can\u2019t implement it because of various limitations, and then you get a tool that helps you finally get your ideas to life, that\u2019s a great tool. AI art helps a lot of people as a therapy. It\u2019s very important for a human being to understand that he is capable of creating things, even if he is only \u2018writing words.\u2019 And most importantly, I think art helps foster empathy in people. And that\u2019s something we desperately lack in today\u2019s world. If everyone is an artist and creator to some degree, maybe we\u2019ll find ourselves in a more empathetic world.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jenni Pasanen<\/h2>\n

Finland-based visual artist Jenni Pasanen\u00a0deals in the ethereal. Melded with AI, her NFT artwork is haunting and serene, frequently depicting abstract beings and scenery that wouldn\u2019t be out of place in a fantasy novel. With a background in design and animation, Pasanen has experimented with digital painting for the last 15 years. She began teaching herself about crypto and NFTs in 2020, creating her first collection in March 2021.<\/p>\n

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\"cloud-like
via Jenni Pasanen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAround the same time I was introduced to NFTs, I also discovered AI art,\u201d Pasanen said in an interview with nft now. \u201cI was mesmerized by the endless possibilities the medium could offer, and it immediately resonated with me. I knew I had finally found my home in art. From that moment on, I have been using AI as a part of my craft. It was the missing piece I had always been looking for. By combining AI and digital painting, I am able to bring together my passions for art, technology, and knowledge. AI serves as both my paint and my muse; it\u2019s an unlimited playfield of creativity, allowing me to dive into my imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Future
Future via Jenni Pasanen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Pasanen uses Photoshop and Artbreeder as her main artistic tools of choice, the latter of which uses BigGAN and StyleGAN models. Pasanen compares her workflow between Photoshop and AI to a \u201clayered cake,\u201d with inspiration starting with an abstract generated AI image. Moving to Photoshop from there, she layers and combines images with digital painting. Fascinatingly, instead of beginning a piece of artwork by \u201cscribbling a mess on canvas to find inspiration between the shapes and lines,\u201d as Pasanen described it, she has replaced this initial stage with AI, letting the models do the messy scribbling for her.<\/p>\n

On AI\u2019s controversial front, Pasanen advocates for more understanding both ways.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOpen discussion and learning from [one] another is always common ground for building a future together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jenni Pasanen<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cAs well as traditional artists learning how AI works and what it is, AI artists should also learn the origin of the tools and understand and hear out the concerns coming from the non-AI artists,\u201d Pasanen emphasized. \u201cOpen discussion and learning from [one] another is always common ground for building a future together. AI is still such a new tool, and the discussion is still in its baby shoes. There isn\u2019t yet just one right answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: The author owns NFTs from several artists mentioned in this piece.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n