Can Artificial Intelligence Contribute to Creative Resilience?
Image Description: A robot plays music on a keyboard. Photo courtesy of Possessed Photography on Unsplash
Recently there has been a lot of attention given to the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) image generators that draw from existing images by artists combined with text prompts to generate new images. You can see results all over social media with Tik-Tok videos showing how AI views superheroes from different states and your Facebook friends posting an image of themselves which then gets reinterpreted into images of themselves from different eras. Much of the focus has been on concerns about how these tools can be used to create DeepFakes that could be used for catfishing or disinformation campaigns; compensation to the artists of the original works; racial and gender bias; and giving up privacy through voluntarily contributing to massive facial recognition databases in the name of fun. Meanwhile there are similar concerns about AI text generators. Will they contribute to lazy research and writing, becoming a new tool for student plagiarism?
All of these are valid concerns. Yet there are some who see the potential of AI in the creative process. As Kevin Kelly wrote recently in Wired in an article called Picture Limitless Creativity at Your Fingertips, “To connect with a human deeply will always require a Creative human in the loop. This high creativity, however, should not be confused with the creativity that most human artists, designers, and inventors produce day to day. Mundane, ordinary, lowercase creativity is what we get with a great new logo design or a cool book cover, a nifty digital wearable or the latest must-have fashion, or the set design for our favorite sci-fi serial. Most human art, past and present, is lowercase. And lowercase creativity is exactly what the AI generators deliver.”
Intrigued, I wanted to see if AI could be of aid to my own creative process. Like many artists, I regularly go through bouts of creative blocks and procrastination. Heck, it has been nearly five months since my last blog entry. While I have given myself grace about this, grace is still no excuse to not write anything at all. Maybe AI could help. If nothing else, it would provide some light entertainment and be a form of acceptable procrastination.
I plugged a couple of prompts into https://chat.openai.com/ to see if the AI had something to say about creative resilience.
First, I typed in “Provide advice to artists who are facing creative blocks.” This is what AI came up with:
If you are an artist who is experiencing a creative block, it can be frustrating and discouraging. But it's important to remember that creative blocks are a natural part of the creative process, and they can happen to anyone. Here are a few tips for overcoming a creative block:
1. Take a break. Sometimes, the best thing you can do when you're feeling stuck is to step away from your work for a little while. Go for a walk, listen to music, or do something else that you enjoy. This can help you clear your head and come back to your work with fresh eyes.
2. Try something new. If you're feeling stuck in your usual routine, try shaking things up a bit. Experiment with a new medium, try a different subject, or work in a different location. This can help spark new ideas and get your creative juices flowing.
3. Get feedback. Sometimes, a creative block can be caused by a lack of direction or focus. If you're not sure where to take your work, try sharing it with others and asking for their feedback. This can help you identify areas for improvement and give you a new perspective on your work.
4. Don't be too hard on yourself. It's okay to have off days, and it's important not to beat yourself up if you're feeling uninspired. Be gentle with yourself, and remember that everyone experiences creative blocks from time to time. Instead of getting frustrated, try to focus on the process and enjoy the journey.
Next I asked it “How can artists overcome a tendency to procrastinate?” The AI responded quickly with:
One way for artists to overcome a tendency to procrastinate is to set specific, achievable goals for themselves and then develop a plan to achieve those goals. This can help to break down the task into smaller, more manageable steps, making it less overwhelming and easier to get started. Additionally, it can be helpful to create a conducive work environment that is free of distractions, and to set aside dedicated time each day to focus on your art. It can also be helpful to engage in self-motivation techniques, such as positive self-talk and visualization, to help keep yourself on track. Finally, it can be helpful to seek support from others, whether that means joining a community of like-minded artists or working with a coach or mentor who can provide guidance and accountability.
Still curious, I tried asking the AI the same questions a second time to see if it would give me the same rote answers. With the procrastination question, it seemed to continue where it had left off with the prior advice:
Here are some additional strategies that artists can use to overcome a tendency to procrastinate:
Identify the underlying cause of your procrastination. Are you feeling overwhelmed by the task at hand? Are you unsure of where to start or how to proceed? Understanding the root cause of your procrastination can help you to develop a more effective plan to overcome it.
Use a timer to break your work into manageable chunks. Setting a timer for a short, focused period of work, followed by a break, can help to keep you on track and prevent you from getting bogged down.
Avoid perfectionism. It can be easy to get caught up in the idea that your work must be perfect, but this can be a major roadblock to getting started and making progress. Instead, focus on making steady progress and improving over time.
Create accountability for yourself. This could mean sharing your goals and progress with a friend or mentor, or joining a group of artists who can provide support and encouragement.
Don't be afraid to seek help. If you're struggling to overcome procrastination on your own, consider seeking out a therapist or coach who can provide guidance and support. They can help you to develop strategies for overcoming procrastination and achieving your goals.
With the creative block question, it repeated some of its prior advice, but did offer some new tips too:
If you're an artist facing a creative block, here are some tips that may help you overcome it:
1. Take a break. Sometimes, a creative block can be the result of burnout or fatigue. If this is the case, taking a break from your work can be helpful. This could mean taking a few days off, or just stepping away from your work for a few hours to clear your head.
2. Try something new. If you're feeling stuck in your current creative process, trying a new medium or approach can be a great way to get out of your comfort zone and spark new ideas.
3. Get inspired. Surround yourself with art, music, and other creative works that inspire you. This can help to get your creative juices flowing and can provide new ideas and inspiration for your own work.
4. Collaborate. Working with other artists can be a great way to break through a creative block. Collaborating with others can provide new perspectives, and the support and accountability of a partner can help to keep you motivated and on track.
5. Seek feedback. Getting feedback from others, whether it's from a mentor, a peer, or a professional critic, can be a valuable way to gain new insights and ideas for your work. Just remember to take any feedback constructively, and use it as a starting point for further exploration and growth.
All solid advice. Some of it even mirrors advice I have given in this blog and other writings (check out past blogs on procrastination and dealing with blocks).
That said, what is missing from the AI advice is the human element, the piece that connects the advice to lived experiences. Wherever possible, I have tried to incorporate my own stories or those of others into my writings as a way to reinforce suggestions of ways to navigate the ups and downs of the creative process. Seeing readers respond in the comments by sharing your own stories or how things resonated for you adds to that story. Knowing others who may be experiencing things similar to you and sharing how we deal with those experiences is a way for us to connect. It is in some ways the ultimate form of collaboration.
I’ve recently been putting the finishing touches on Creative Resilience, the companion book to this blog. One of the things that I think makes the book more than a listicle advice column is the integration of stories from real artists of different ages, backgrounds, and disciplines. Artists who have gone through ups and downs and have been honest in sharing the realities of their process. Their stories have been what has kept me going with the book project, in spite of many of my own stops and starts, doubts, and obstacles. Sharing our vulnerabilities with authenticity is not something that can easily come from an AI. Perhaps that is part of the Higher Creativity that Kelly references in his Wired piece.
AI can have a place in the creative process and in creative work. In some ways, AI is really not that different from collage, remixes and sampling in music, or copying the Old Masters (whether for practice or commentary). It can even draw attention to the very nature of what constitutes art. Leave it to the artists to find creative ways to use AI as a tool in making their artl. In my case, considering whether to use AI to generate a blog post actually got my juices flowing to think about writing a blog post about how an AI would write my blog. How meta! For those of us who may not necessarily be using AI to play with the form itself, there is still a value in using it as another form of idea generation to combat creative blocks, not unlike writing prompts, doodling, mind mapping, and other tools. Ultimately AI may provide the framework but it is up to us as individual artists to bring the humanity.
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