Why I choose not to use AI generated art in my designs

>>> Warning my blog content includes strong opinions and language >>>

I’ve been thinking a lot bout this lately. A LOT. Especially on my sleepless mornings when I think and worry about my life and all world’s problems. I DO. Quite often, actually.

So where do I even start?! Maybe with an example of my usual working day? As an artist and designer, I’m exposed to visual information all day long. (That’s what I do, that’s what I was born to do!) So here I am, searching image’s for a client’s brand brochure. I often would use stock images would head to Adobe Stock or shutter stock or similar, especially if client does not have a budget for a custom photo shoot. It used to be quite exciting and interesting going down the search. Today on this platform I’m swimming through a sea of AI generated stuff. It’s overwhelming. I scroll through 10 AI generated images till I spot a real photograph. I can tell what’s what, I trained my eye long enough to see and appreciate the detail. I’m sorry (not sorry, actually) It’s still ugly to me. And this search is becoming exhausting…. I wasted nearly 40 minutes sipping this cold tea. I give up, I head off to a different site, that’s more curated, by humans, with real human work. I just can’t…

In the afternoon I sit down to find a mockup for one of my patterns I’ve recently created. I’m looking for a baby nursery interior mockup. I google it. I found something I like! I head to Etsy. I open it. Close up -…..- no no, no!!!! OMG, Etsy too????! It’s full, full of AI generated!!!! Soooo many of them! Someone’s selling like 100 images for £20? How are we even supposed to be able to compete with that s a human? Hey, but look - many, almost all with broken, unfinished details, where you don’t understand where leg of the dressing drawer ends and the floor starts, throw and pillow glued together. But sooo cheap! Good deal for your buck, ah? And actually so sadly awful….What are we doing, people????? Why????

I won’t lie. I’m guilty of using a few of AI generated mockups myself. Especially at the start of my journey. It was kind of exciting, so fast, so cheap, to be able to see my work mocked up on a budget… But I’m steering away from this now, intentionally. I’m realising this is not who I am and not what I want or stand for. And not how I want to go forward.

I’m hearing more and more about my friend creatives artists, photographers, designers, art workers, copywriters losing clients because of AI. Struggling. Daily. It’s sad. It’s scary, trust me, I though of it many times myself. I don’t want this. I don’t want this for us. I believe we empower these things ourselves by letting them in and picking them, slowly. Everytime we opt for this easy cheap ai generated option, somewhere another creative lost income on a real project. And this wheel keeps turning and turning and getting bigger. I want to choose us, humans, artists, photographers. I would rather have a smaller mockup library and more repeated images on my feed. I would rather pay a little more, but I want to support artist who actually took time to learn their craft, years to perfect the skill, made a setting with his own hands, invested so much into their gear, took time to photograph, clean up and create this image. I want to support every one creative, maker, writer as much as I possibly can. And I know every little purchase they created counts towards them being able to run their business and put food on the table. Because if we don’t support each other, who will?

You know, I think of art created by us and AI as real vs fake. Like touching real grass vs touching fake plastic one. Or putting a fake plastic plant on your desk to look at and inspire you when you work instead of a real living flower. Or mum’s saggy breast vs silicone boob. Fake eyelashes you can glue on vs the real tiny ones I was born with. Or Fake tan vs sun kissed skin from the beach with a sand stuck on your feet.

Photo by Anastasiia Malai @unsplash

And I think - why would you even use or want something like that? Why would you want fake art on your walls or printed on your wallpaper? Why would you dress your kids with clothes printed with fake art print or fabric with fake repeat? I would hate it, I couldn’t even look at that wall. I would rather paint it myself, even if it’s patchy. But it would be real. and It would be me.

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not all against AI. Ai is great in some things while running my business, planning tasks, cleaning up the emails, getting organised, calculating boring mundane things. It would be even better if it would learn to do my laundry, clean my house, improve my washing machine’s cycle so we could save energy and help the planet! Or locate and treat the cancer that our generation is dying from! I just don’t want it nowhere near my art. I don’t want help with my art or ways to make it faster or easier. I want to live and breathe and create the REAL STUFF. Otherwise what’s even a point of being a creative?

AI generated patterns are still kind’a ugly. I think they will always be, at least to me. But it won’t be long until AI will spit out a ‘perfect’ repeat. Unfortunately without heart.. And these won’t be based on real human lived stories, created from experience us as humans, drawn in the late night or sunrise hours trying to perfect the detail, hours spent learning the craft, the drawing technique, testing paint, colours, learning the software.. Because there’s nothing that replaces the real human made art for me.

If you are looking for a good pattern print and thoughtful collection, I’m confident - you will skip the AI art. Because a real experienced designer will give you much more than just a ‘perfect’ repeat. A good designer will spill their heart and soul into the collection, share all their life long knowledge to advise you the best way forward, support you on any questions you have. Advise you on product materials, matching colours, finishes, guide you to the right material suppliers drawn from the real life experience. And it may take few minutes for AI to generate ‘perfect’ repeat, it may take many hours for a designer. But you will have a real, unique collection created from heart.

Silly Flamingoes - my sweet mini collection for little ones.

It’s coming at us. With a real speed, actually! We want it or not. But it’s UP TO US - what do we choose - our friends? Our colleagues? Real connections, real human conversations, help, advise, being able to pick each other’s brains. Or artificial stuff that’s not real, actually doesn’t even exist. It’s all just a written code learned and adapted, possibly taken from other artists’ work shared online, ripped off from us, our minds and our own creations, spat out in our faces in seconds…

I apologise for spelling mistakes and grammar. I wanted to keep it real. And not ask chat gpt to rewrite my broken thoughts for me.… :D

with love,

Ausra

If you are looking to collaborate with A REAL Designer and create REAL, HEARTFULL Unique prints I would be honoured to help.