Shame

There is a certain satisfaction in seeing a piece of art slowly come to fruition before your eyes, made by your own hands. Knowing that you poured a little bit of yourself into each thing you create. Each piece of art is unique to you, it is your personal way of communicating your ideas to the world. If you draw or sculpt or use reference images or photobash or whatever the method, everything was filtered through the lens of your own experiences and individual taste. AI may be a tool, but in its current state, it is nothing but an insult to those of us who dedicate our time and effort into learning a craft and honing our skills. AI may "learn" and "reference" images, but it does not understand things on a human level.

I draw not because I want likes, or social media clout. I draw because I enjoy the very act of drawing, of making marks, of exploring ideas. If other people like my ideas, then all the better, but even without social media I will continue to draw. Until artists are treated with the respect they've earned, I will not be using Artstation as a platform.