Earth Without Art is Just Eh
"Without Art, everything would be boring and everyone would be naked."
Earth without art is just eh. Although art is subjective, it is universal. Art can transcend borders and defy cultural differences and language barriers. Art forces us to face the worst of humanity while helping us celebrate the best. We live in the moment, past and future when we consume art. Art is indiscriminate. Without art, everything would be boring and everyone would be naked.
The arts are often considered a lesser field compared to the sciences. Yet, in 2022 the arts and modern languages are set to become privatized in British schools and as a working-class creative, this doesn't sit right with me. If art becomes exclusive it will, in turn, gatekeep creativity and thus only reflect a perspective which is experienced by the few. Creative expression should never be limited. Creativity exists in all forms from the heights of the hierarchical societal structure to the very lows.
Creatives contributing to the world; regardless of their socio-economic status, should have the opportunity for their art to be consumed, enjoyed, critiqued, and celebrated. Every artist deserves a space to express their creativity and it shouldn't be gatekept for those with privilege, don't they already have enough? And why exclude the arts when the sciences are supposedly the more important discipline?
Working-class creatives have to be innovative. In many ways more than one, we have to work a bit harder than our middle to upper-class peers. We don't have much at our disposal (finances and resources), nor have the right connections. As a creative, you can't make it anywhere if you don't have money, and if you don't have money as a creative, you can't make money either. So for artists like us, we have to start from the bottom and work our way albeit very slowly, to the top. The working classes have made what the arts are today, yet we are not seen. Did Van Gough live in a mansion born to a family with experimental wealth?
The arts give us the chance to walk through time in someone else's shoes. It teaches us to understand our emotions and offers another perspective of our world. In the arts you are free, you are limitless, and that's why it is so powerful. But the arts are in danger, and privatisation of the arts and languages in schools is just the tip of the iceberg. It gets much much worse.
I am in a Facebook group that I will not name, the reason for that being I regret joining in the first place. I've been a member of the group for a few months now, and other than being ignored, most people are hostile, rude often self-taught writers who (and I hate to say it) aren't that great at writing. Well, a few nights ago, I saw a post that made me want to cut my ear off. Someone had used AI software to write a script.
Now don't get me wrong this is pretty darn cool, and it is well-written but this is not a good thing. I repeat: this is NOT a good thing. One of my many loves, Freddie Mercury once said:
"There will be a time when technology becomes so advanced that we'll rely on it to make music rather than talent. Music will lose its soul."
And that's exactly what is happening, the arts are losing its soul (that's if it hasn't already). AI relies on people like the innocent idiot mentioned. It's like that episode of Doctor Who (Midnight Series 4), where that woman becomes possessed and the 'thing.' Here's a quick clip Why Are You Repeating? For reference:
Within the episode a character quotes Christina Rossetti's Goblin Fruit (1862):
"We must not look at goblin men,
We must not buy their fruits:
Who knows upon what soil they fed
Their hungry thirsty roots?"
Temptation is humanity's downfall after all. The temptation to use AI software to create works of art seems appealing, efficient and well damn right easy. However, the more you keep putting parts of yourself into an app such as Lensa, eventually, we artists will become obsolete. Technology will surpass anything we will ever be able to create because our audience/readership will be accustomed to a new standard/form of art. I mean look at NFTs.
Exclusivity and AI are the new challenges that creatives are now facing in addition to shorter attention spans. I'm concerned for the future of the arts as well as everything else. We've got to find a balance between living in the real world and the one we live on the internet. One cannot exist without the other after all.
Art impacts our lives every day, whether it's an episode on Netflix, or a designer shirt, or music on the radio. The arts are what we all relied on throughout lockdowns 1, 2, and 3. Many discovered poetry, knitting, and other forms of creative expression, and that should never be gatekept, limited, or exclusive. I mean, what would our pop culture be without it?
Anyway, that's me. Don't forget to leave a like, and subscribe. As always, stay safe, stay hopeful and stay blessed! :)
References:
The Truth About Freddie Mercury's Incredibly Complicated Life Is Guaranteed to Blow Your Mind: https://www.eonline.com/news/982514/the-truth-about-freddie-mercury-s-incredibly-complicated-life-is-guaranteed-to-blow-your-mind
"Why Are You Repeating?" | Midnight | Doctor Who: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I266OysPnmk
Midnight is easily one of Tennant’s best performances as The Doctor and has one of the smoothest narratives I’ve seen: https://www.reddit.com/r/doctorwho/comments/9z9hjh/midnight_is_easily_one_of_tennants_best/
Vincent van Gogh's Paintings and Life: https://www.vincentvangogh.org
Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44996/goblin-market
Goblin Market Analysis: http://www.leeannhunter.com/humanities/2012/10/15/goblin-market-analysis/
A Psychologist Explains Why Your ‘Hot AI Selfies’ Might Make You Feel Worse: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/lensa-app-hot-ai-selfie-self-esteem-1234644965/
About the Creator
Rosie J. Sargent
Hello, my lovelies! Welcome, I write everything from the very strange to the wonderful; daring and most certainly different. I am an avid coffee drinker and truth advocate.
Follow me on Twitter/X @rosiejsargent97
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Comments (3)
Really like your pov here. And while I see that there are areas where AI can help develop art, the soul of it will always be within humankind.
I certainly understand this viewpoint, but from another perspective, AI itself is the product of human artistry and innovation. In the fine art world, it's been incredibly interesting to see how artists have decided to utilize AI and technological tools as a means of communicating a message and connecting with others. Like you, I'm suspicious, but also curious to see what's to come!
Great article, I do use AI to generate my story images just so they I don't infringe copyright because I have been seriously criticized because I once forgot to credit an artist. Art is absolutely essential and I have totally respect for all artists.