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3 Ways to Incorporate AI into your Artistic Practice

AI is a rapidly evolving piece of technology that is making its way into different aspects of our lives. Every month, we keep you up to date on the latest in AI art tools, doing so with insights from renowned artists like Claire Silver and industry leaders like Stability AI.

This week, we explore three compelling ways artists can seamlessly integrate AI into their practice, thereby unlocking new dimensions of innovation and imagination.

🌟 Sounds interesting? Make sure you read to the end for some very exciting alpha!

#1: Use AI to disrupt your current artistic thinking and process.

Disruption is the lifeblood of artistic progress, and AI provides a powerful catalyst for redefining creative boundaries.

A prime example of this transformative potential can be seen in the work of contemporary artist Cindy Sherman. Renowned for her innovative self-portraits that challenge traditional concepts of identity and self-representation, Sherman recently embraced AI as a means to experiment and disrupt her previous photography practice.

Similarly, figurative expressionist artist Michael Hafftka recently hosted leading AI artist Claire Silver at his studio, who showed him the many possibilities AI has to offer. Through a combination of verbal prompts in Stability Diffusion and digital painting with Procreate, Hafftka was able to interpret his artistic style in new and novel ways, as he outlines below.

Want to embrace disruption with your own work? Here are some simple questions you can ask yourself to get started:

1. What can AI reveal about my creative process? Consider using AI to analyze your past works or creative patterns. What insights can you gain from this analysis that might lead to disruptive ideas?

2. What emotions or concepts can AI amplify in my art? AI can analyze text, images, and data to help identify themes or emotions in your work. How might you use this information to amplify or subvert these elements in your art?

3. How can AI be a source of inspiration? Explore AI-generated art or creative prompts to spark new ideas or concepts that you might not have considered otherwise.

By leveraging AI to disrupt your artistic practice, you are likely to discover new perspectives and foster innovative thinking in your work.

#2: Dive into AI tutorials to hone your AI skills.

Contrary to popular belief, using AI in art is not a mindless exercise in typing out random prompts. In fact, one can benefit greatly from the structured learning of AI tools and principles.

Thankfully, there are several AI tutorials out there that are suitable for newcomers, which helps break down the intricate processes of leveraging AI tools into manageable steps.

Here are a couple of tutorials to help get you started -

1. Dogan Ural demonstrates how Adobe Firefly compares to Midjourney and DALL-E:

2. John Stark breaks down the 8 pillars of Midjourney prompts, so you can get a better handle of what you are asking AI to do:

Additionally, draw inspiration from what others have done, such as Auriel Rose’s project of creating and publishing a children’s book purely from AI or Ray Wong’s attempt to create cinematic movie stills.

#3: Experiment and question the possibilities constantly with AI.

The best way to incorporate AI into your artistic practice is to experiment constantly, and be a first mover while you’re at it!

Recently, Canva announced a partnership with text-to-video AI generator RunwayML to bring the power of Runway and AI video generation to Canva users all around the world.

If you are already a Canva user, have you experimented with their new AI tools? If not, let this be a nudge to give it a go.

Alternatively, let innovations in AI challenge your thinking of what’s possible! From interactive dresses to upscaling low res videos, Adobe recently provided sneak peeks of generative AI technology that could unlock the future of human creativity.

While these technologies are still in the works, it’s never too early to ask yourself how they could impact your artistic practice and vision.

Closing thoughts

Incorporating AI into your art practice may seem intimidating initially, but its potential to spark innovation and expand your creative horizons is undeniable.

Not sure where to start? You’re in luck…

In the News

Industry News

• Adobe provided sneak peeks into several new generative AI technologies across photo, video, audio, 3D, and design at last week’s Adobe MAX.

• The Museum of Modern Art added Refik Anadol’s Machine Hallucinations to its permanent collection, as part of a historic acquisition.

Tools and Resources

• Punk6529 has launched a new allowlist tool, which is open to everyone to use.

Notable Creators

• Tyler Hobbs is teaming up with innovative new tattoo studio, Blackdot, to take generative art from code to permanent ink.

• Generative artist Matt Kane surprised everyone with his latest work, Contractual Obligations, which he termed as “low effort AI art” as part of his… contractual obligation to SuperRare.

Artist Grants & Opportunities

HUG-exclusive

• 🎲 Sin City aka Las Vegas is calling! We are teaming up with JRNY Gallery to bring 4 artists to the heart of the Las Vegas arts district, where thousands gather each month. Learn more and submit here.

• 🪩 Time to go dancing in Los Angeles! Los Angeles queer dance party, This Goes! is looking for digital art to be showcased while partygoers dance the night away. Learn more and submit here.

• 💰 HUG is offering $500 USD grants to two artists each month in exchange for unminted artwork to raffle off to our community. Learn more and meet all our HUG Visionaries here.

Other Open Calls

• HUG Artist Rebecca Rose has curated a list of open calls from exhibition to publishing opportunities. Learn more here.

• Glitch artist Patrick Amadon is launching a curatorial competition with Superchief, where the winner will receive a one-night show at Superchief Gallery in NYC and 1 ETH. Learn more here.

This Week’s Art Drops

Did you know that these are just 8 of hundreds of art drops on HUG? Get a full list of this week’s art drops from HUG here.