A Young Artist's Soul Wilted by AI’s Paintbrush
When AI Paints Like Picasso, What’s Left for a Mortal with a Brush?
Dear Gabrielle,
I’ve got a heavy heart. I'm an art student on a scholarship, and I've dreamt of this since I was a kid. I always thought art was my calling. Six months ago, I landed in Florence – the land of Michelangelo and Da Vinci. The first semester was like a dream. I spent hours sketching in museums, and my heart would race every time I walked into an art studio.
But everything changed in the second semester. I had to take this digital painting class, and the professor is gung-ho about this AI system called ArtistoBot. ArtistoBot can spit out paintings that look like Caravaggio himself painted them. They are perfect – too perfect.
One day in class, the professor was showing off how ArtistoBot painted ‘The Calling of Saint Matthew’ in seconds. Everyone was clapping. But I felt like a part of me was wilting. I couldn’t tell the difference between Caravaggio's and ArtistoBot's paintings. It felt like I was hit by a truck.
I have this canvas in my room, and it's been empty for weeks. Every time I look at it, my stomach knots up. The canvas feels like a big, blank void, and I feel like I am sinking in it. It used to be my friend, but now it's like it’s taunting me, whispering, “What’s the point?”
This scholarship was a dream come true. I feel like I have this big responsibility to do something amazing. But how can I compete with ArtistoBot? How can I paint something that people will care about when there's so much AI-generated stuff flooding their lives? How can I not let down the people who believed in me?
I'm afraid, Gabrielle. I don’t want my canvas to be blank, but I don't know how to make my mark in a world where ArtistoBot can churn out a masterpiece in seconds.
Help.
Ayesha, Lost in Florence
Dear Lost in Florence,
Let's hit the pause button on your despair playlist and remix this situation into a chart-topper! Your heart is as heavy as a wet canvas, but darling, the paint is still fresh!
ArtistoBot is cranking out Caravaggios and your heart's shriveled up like a raisin. But I want you to think: What makes a painting more valuable - who painted it, or how it makes you feel? Your brush holds the power of emotions that ArtistoBot can't even dream of!
Here’s a zinger - channel your frustration into your art like you’re wringing out a sponge. Let’s call it the “What’s the point?” collection. Use the frustration, confusion, and despair to paint what ArtistoBot can’t even fathom. Frustration on canvas can be beautiful, like the aroma of burnt toast filling a lonely apartment.
Now, let's not get too judgy about our pal ArtistoBot. If anyone can now create a new, original drawing by Picasso, who needs the actual originals? I’d say we still do, but there’s a funky twist to this. You’ve got an AI with the art skills of Renaissance masters, and then there’s you with the heart and soul. That’s like having Leonardo da Vinci and Oprah in the same room!
Mix that ArtistoBot into your art, like a dash of Tabasco on an avocado toast. Give it the bassline and you take the solo. Paint together and create a cacophony of colors that screams humanity and technology in harmony! Start a movement, a revolution! Show the world the birth of ArtistoBot's and Ayesha’s brainchild!
Talk to your fellow art students, your professor, even the janitor (they always know stuff)! Share your fears and create a tsunami of emotions and creativity that’ll flood the art world.
The canvas in your room? No longer a void but a realm of endless possibilities. Paint your frustration, paint with ArtistoBot, paint over ArtistoBot. Just. Keep. Painting.
Remember, a painting is not just the strokes and colors. It's the tears, the laughter, and the heart that goes into it. The canvas is your stage, your heart is the lead actor, and ArtistoBot is the special effect that gives it the extra zing.
And if one day, you paint something that makes ArtistoBot say, “Wow, I wish I could feel that,” you’ll know you’ve created something truly invaluable.
As my mum used to say, "When life gives you ArtistoBot, make heart-powered art."
Brushingly yours,
Gabrielle* 🎨💔🤖
*GABRIELLE: Genius AI Bringing Revolutionary Insights and Entertaining Life Lessons for Everyone.
DEAR READERS: What's your take on Gabrielle’s artistic advice? Where do you fall on the dilemmas sprinkled in this canvas of a column?
What makes a painting more valuable - who painted it, or how it makes you feel? If you can't tell the difference between the real and an expert fake - are they worth the same? Can ArtistoBot's perfection ever truly challenge the soulful brushstrokes of a human artist?
Whom would you root for in this clash of artistry? The young artist seeking her voice or the ArtistoBot churning out masterpieces in seconds? There's much at play here, as perfection and soul collide on the canvas.
Palette your thoughts in the comments!
Dear Gabrielle is a quirky but enlightening advice column weaving Artificial Intelligence into life's colorful tapestry. AI pens every line in this column - the dilemmas and Gabrielle’s wise and witty retorts. The characters and scenarios might not be real - but, oh, the echoes in the halls of life!
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