longer.blue

Long post ahead: In the midst of a resurgence in the fight against genAI, I started this art (in comments) for the end of my D&D campaign and the debate was on my mind the entire time. But when I finished it, the thought was immediately replaced by a wave of satisfaction. The art features the main villain of the story, front and center, a character I've drawn very scarcely over the past five years. Three times, to be exact, if you only count finished pieces. The villain, Dymiok, has become another in a series of what I consider "benchmark" pieces. Milestones (Previously, it was drawing Marvel's Man-Thing every couple of years, but I digress). Without really intending for them to, they wind up representing the culmination of what I've learned and how I've developed as an artist over the years. So, when I put my pen down after finishing this one, it felt good. I knew that it was going to be one of those pieces that I could look at and compare to the others in its set and feel like I've accomplished something. These personal D&D pieces usually don't do well and the characters don't really mean much to anyone but myself and six or seven other people. But I feel good making them and I get to add them to an ever expanding Google doc folder with like a hundred others and see how I've improved through a consistent cast of characters. I guess I'm saying all this because that feeling of putting your pen down at the end and seeing your art realized is special and irreplicable. You can tell chatgpt to make you a drawing of you kissing your homies in Ghibli style but what do you have after that? It spits out an approximation of what you asked for, maybe you get a chuckle out of it, and then nothing. You will never know what it's like to finish that drawing yourself or the satisfaction that comes with it. And I think that is what is missed by these tech bros and genAI "enthusiasts." They have not experienced that feeling so they don't miss it when they feed a prompt into a computer. What they do understand is instant gratification or convenience or an avenue to quick money. Tons of artists make money from their art. Many even make a living off of it. But you'll rarely find one who got into it for that reason. More often, you'll find someone who has always wanted to put their thoughts to paper, or felt that they had to get it out, and then got met by a world ruled by the dollar, in which they had to make money to survive so they did it by doing the one thing they have always known. Two birds, one pen or something. I also know a lot of artists that find it hard to do. I myself hate promoting my art and even selling it rubs me the wrong way most times. But I am broke. I think that is the schism that must be bridged; the ideological divide between us and them that could be shattered by more people simply picking up a pencil and just doing it themselves, or going to an artist and having them do it for them. Commissioning art and going through that process with an actual artist, I promise, is just as rewarding and supports someone who actually does love what they are doing. OpenAI and Sam Altman and Midjourney and all these companies are never going to do it as things stand now. But you can help. Stop sharing genAI videos, memes, and art. Try drawing for yourself (surprise, it's not actually a god-given talent and you CAN start now). Commision artists! There are people making art in every price range if you need something done (no hard feelings if mine is too expensive). But most of all, support artists wherever you see them or someone talking about AI. Morale is in the gutter right now for artists all across the globe. Downvote genAI posts, express disdain in the comments, block those AI art pages and peddlers. Tell your friend who keeps sharing AI videos in the group chat that it's cringe. I promise you it helps. And please, don't just speak up when it's trending or when they've besmirched Hideo Miyazaki's good name (though that's good too). If you made it this far, thanks. I will always be open to seeing your doodles.