A trade-off

I have really mixed feelings about AI.

My foot is mostly in the no camp, but probably not why you think.

I used it to create a handful of images in the research/development stage of one project last year (work that I would normally have sent to an illustrator but I couldn’t find one that was suitable), but for the most part, I have tried to avoid actually using it seriously as a part of my creative process.

Firstly, there are the ethical factors to consider – of which there are many, and that have been discussed at length by intelligent, insightful and considerate people.

Secondly, I think there is a danger in trading off one of the most important functions of art and creativity in exchange for a bit of ease and convenience.

When I think back to my Banksy project from 2011 – the project that really started the current version of my creative reality – I think about how the same work could have been produced with AI today. A handful of keystrokes and about 10 minutes with Midjourney, instead of the 5 weeks of intense, gruelling and challenging work that transformed me as a person in every single capacity.

When I look back on that project, I am almost overwhelmed with a deep sense of profound gratitude and appreciation.

I am *so* grateful for that project.

I am grateful that I had the ability and opportunity to do it.

I am grateful for all of the help I received from SO many generous and beautiful people – friends, co workers and strangers.

I am grateful for being brave and showing up even when it was harder than I could have imagined.

And I am grateful to the artform itself, for stretching and moulding and breaking and shaping me into a more capable version of myself as I worked with the medium day after day.

Because ultimately, it’s not just about the work you make, it’s also about what the work makes of you.

Images by Jasmine Tunstall, from my exhibition in 2011.