It is easy to feel despair at the state of affairs in all realms of creativity affected by the existence of generative models, LLMs, and other AI that dumps slop at the click of a button. I know I feel this way. Is it possible to fight back?
I don't have a problem with these technological inventions in themselves, as even I have found amusement at throwing oddly specific prompts at them only to see what they do. My problem, and I'm sure it's one shared with many, is the employment of this technology with the express intent to deceive, mislead, substitute for the work of creative people, and flood the places creatives use to connect with slop.
I believe creativity and ingenuity are at the core of the human experience, and to resign such activity to the output of machines is an insult to everyone who enjoys using their brains.
However, instead of simply despairing at the state of the world, I wanted to come up with an action plan for ways I intend to resist this deluge; to put my energy into action.
These are things I intend to do myself, and have been doing, for some part. Hopefully you feel like joining me.
1. Explore new hobbies and crafts, or perhaps revisit old hobbies and crafts you've neglected.
It’s totally okay if you’re not good at it. That’s the first step at getting better at it.
In 2020 I was living in Berlin during the COVID lockdowns, and one day I found myself in a used camera store, where I acquired a pristine Nikon F-801. That first roll of film made me fall in love with photography. Then, over the following 4 years, it flourished into a big pastime for myself, and it is now my main hobby. It started as an excuse to go outside by myself (the restrictions in Berlin allowed for that), and now it is one of the main ways I express my creativity.
Perhaps photography could be the channel for you, but it doesn't have to be. If you're also a visual person like me, it could be sketching, painting, watercolour, or many other ways to represent the visual world.
If you’re more of a hands-on person, there’s woodworking, crafting, model building/painting, 3D printing, sewing, crocheting, fixing vintage electronics… fixing vintage cars! There’s even people who build their own RC planes/cars/boats. And these are only examples of some of the things I know to exist.
There’s music, of course, although that usually requires a significant initial investment. However, if you have any interest in it, you should give it a try. I know I’m never playing in a band, but that doesn’t prevent me from having fun playing the bass guitar at home.
There’s so much out there. Don't feel limited by just what I mentioned here. Even if none of these appeal very strongly to you, they could be a bridge that lead you onto something that does. But you have to explore them to find out.
2. Connect with others who share interest in your hobbies.
This could be through friends who partake in your hobbies, strangers on social media, or just YouTube, for example. YouTube is currently a good way to get started, because you don't need any commitment, and watching videos of people doing the thing you’re interested in will help you understand what's involved in the process ahead, and it might tell you if it is really something for you or not.
But also, if you are of a more social type, try looking for groups or clubs to join; or a local store that sells supplies. I've found that the folks who work in these places are often eager to help curious newcomers. They're getting harder to find, but another way is web forums (yes, they still exist), although they might disguise themselves a bit to avoid spam.
If you’re close to a library, go in and ask about introductory books regarding the skill you’re interested in. Not only will you be able to find better and more reliable information in there, but it’s also another opportunity, with any chance, to connect with other creative folks who might be able to direct you towards the hobby you're interested in.
That connection, even if momentary – for example, talking to other photographers for a moment during a photo walk – can open many windows into the hobby that you might seldom stumble upon.
However, don't feel constrained if these resources are not available to you: exploring a new hobby by yourself is just as valid.
3. Be curious about, and cherish original creative work made by the people around you.
I find that getting a single compliment on my photography from someone in person is worth many times more than all the likes on social media. It takes courage to show your work to someone in person, knowing you'll get their immediate reaction. It takes courage to give someone your honest criticism of their work. It takes courage to hear their feedback. Be courageous.
I clearly remember a very negative feedback I received on one of my photos once, and although harsh, it was true. That single piece of feedback made me more clearly understand my goals as a photographer, and I believe it has helped me improve my skills.
But remember that sometimes, there's no need for specific feedback. Just cherishing the creative work of your friends can make a huge difference on their motivation.
And if someone you know is creating stuff you like, share it forwards! Which leads to:
4. Credit the creators when you share their work, often and clearly, including yourself. Provide links.
This is especially important if it’s work by people you know personally. It creates a real-life connection that asserts not only authorship but also genuineness; one much stronger than any chain-of-trust technology which may attempt to do the same.
“I was there with them when they took this photo, and I love how they captured the mood of that moment" is some of the best feedback a photographer can ever get. You can be that validator for your creative friends, and they can be that for you as well.
I believe the greatest threat to creative work won’t come from AI-slop in itself, but from the accusations that genuine creative work is AI-slop. I already see it under basically every post on social media that looks anything out of the ordinary. It won’t take much longer for that accusation to be made against everything, even from well-intentioned people.
Your reputation as a creative is the only thing computers can't take away from you.
5. Share your creative work with others, often and loudly.
Will it be used as fodder for the fraud automaton? Yes, most likely. If not now, soon. I believe it’s too late to worry about that, though. I think it’s important to keep sharing regardless because it will inspire other creatives like you and me; and in sharing our collective creativity together, we can challenge each other to stay creative, and to keep exploring new ways to be creative.
However, and here we hit an important warning: you must detach yourself from the desire to create for the sake of impressing others, especially strangers on social media. I firmly believe that one's own creative endeavours must fulfil themselves before they can be fulfilling to others. Labour without fulfilment is called having a job, and having a job without pay is servitude.
It is a difficult line to walk, I admit. I often feel dispirited and fail to share my creative work because I don't feel it's "good enough." But then some time later I revisit photos I’ve taken only to find that they trigger all sorts of emotions in me: from happiness to sadness, nostalgia to discontentment. These emotions remind me of the power of creative work to move us, and remind me to keep sharing my work with others.
6. Enjoy and indulge yourself in the process.
I believe that's is the most important task in all of this. It most often isn’t going to be easy, it may often be frustrating. But at the end of it all, it has to be enjoyable.
For me that means understanding the intricacies of a process, the ways in which it can go wrong, learning from mistakes, making plans for future attempts, and then trying again; These are all deeply enjoyable activities for me, and what gives meaning to the result. The understanding of why it works, what could be done differently, and experimenting with those ideas.
AI-slop apologists will say that the process is irrelevant if the result is aesthetic. How very convenient to them! To me this belief stems from two bad premises: firstly, these people believe art is entirely defined by the aesthetics of the product (and thus “never understood modern art”.) And secondly, they've probably never toiled over anything meaningful. These people tend to be the ultimate min-maxers in life, so it’s no surprise they’re fine with a system that gives them results at no cost to themselves. So why listen to these people? Keep being a creative.
I'm not here to claim this set of tasks will foil AI models forever. That's not the point – the point is to remain focused on the fact I am a creative person, that I enjoy being a creative person, and that sharing my creative work inspires other creative folks.
While I was writing this post, I very fortuitously I came across a blog post by Joan Westenberg that has a similar energy. She calls it "rebel optimism." I'm very happy to know other people share this rebel drive to not simply capitulate to this new reality or let it extinguish our drive to be who we want to be.
And I'm also sure a lot of this advice will become harder to adopt as new versions of the torment nexus are released, but we can burn that bridge when we get to it.