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An artist's 3-word critique made me rethink my whole process
Last month at a local gallery show in Portland, a painter I respect looked at my AI-assisted piece and just said 'where's the struggle.' It hit me hard because I realized I was letting the machine do all the heavy lifting while I just typed prompts. Have any of you changed your workflow after someone pointed out something obvious you were missing?
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linda_reed3d ago
Started doing a version of that myself after hearing a similar thing. Keep a notebook where I sketch the idea by hand first, then let the AI fill in the boring technical stuff like texture and lighting. After that's done I go back in with actual paint and mess it all up on purpose until it feels like mine again.
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abby_cooper3d ago
Heard that loud and clear. That 'where's the struggle' thing really got me thinking too. It made me realize the whole point of making art is the messy process, the mistakes, the trying again. Now I try to use the AI more like a rough draft engine and then spend my actual time painting over it, cutting things up, or just forcing myself to pick up a brush even when it's ugly. The struggle is where the actual feeling lives, you know?
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wren2303d ago
oh for sure, that 'where's the struggle' thing lands different when you actually sit with it. i had a similar moment last year when a friend watched me work and just said 'you're not making any choices, you're just accepting what it gives you.' made me realize i was treating the ai like a collaborator instead of a tool, so now i block out time to literally fight with the output, cropping it weird or adding random layers of junk until it feels like i actually had a hand in it. the messy part is basically the whole point, without it you're just polishing someone else's work.
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