The possibilities of using Artificial Intelligence for art has been a hot topic as of late. And of course it must be! The advent of AI made images is really changing this platform and the art world in general. I see many people fearing that this will mean and end to handmade art as we know it and a loss of work for artists.
I wonder though ...
Could the advent if AI generated images and texts create a re-newed passion for hand drawn and handmade art? Just like people long for their homelands when they move far away, or sing folkloric, agrarian music once they have settled in the city, could handmade art make a comeback in spite of the increase in artificial "art"?
All my life I have been creating, drawing, and writing and that won't stop anytime soon. In fact this new form of fast-"art" is actually making my move deeper in the way I love to create - physical art with colored pencils, water colors, collage, cut & paste.
As a teenager I learned about zine culture and fell in love with the concepts of zine culture right away. The handmade imperfections of these little booklets will always be so endearing to me. But, even more than that is the counter-culture sentiments they contain.
And now that I am a blogger and publish a lot of my work digitally, I desire to continue to create physical art as a means of sharing my writing alongside my publications here on hive. Many times I have created a post that felt so inspired it transformed into a physical zine. This is the story with the zine I am working on in the images included in this post. I wanted to create a handwritten, physical copy of the recipes for skin care that I have shared on social media and here on HIVE.
But before I go on, maybe I should explain ...
What is a Zine?
Zines are handmade, self published booklets and – unlike magazines and books – can be made by anyone with a message, a bit of artistic vision, and access to a printer. Zines also have the benefit of being as short or as long as the creator wishes and can cover any subject matter and be of any style, much unlike traditional publishing.
Many different zine enthusiasts have attempted to pin point the first zines in history. It is impossible to know just when they started and by who. More likely what we now called zines is a reflection of the human desire to express oneself, sometimes anonymously, in a sea of main-stream beliefs.
Hand copied poetry, photo-copied manifestos, and the small scale publishing of counter culture information .... zines or some similar type of media have always served to shed light on subjects outside of the dominant culture.
Tools of the Trade ~
To make a zine all you really need is paper, a pen, and a message to share. In this particular zine I have collected my favorite herbal skin care recipes and included my own photography of the process in order to inspire the reader. The images add fun and color and also illustrate how all the ingredients really are natural and many of them are pretty easy to come by.
Other zines I have made are more free-flowing, artistic and have less of a pre-determined subject in mind. In such cases I tend to include my own illustrations or copies of illustrations I find interesting. In such cases I think it is best to modify any art that is not my own. This is where elements of collage come in which is a technique of cutting and pasting found images into something entirely new!
This is where I see the potential for AI generated images to be incorporated into an artist's practice. I question if we really can or should call AI generated designs art. Such generators are a tool but not in themselves art. And I fear that many artists are giving up their creative energy in exchange for the hollowness of digital and pre-made everything.
Let us get back to doing some aspects of our life, and especially our creative work, by hand.
Snail Mail and the Culture of Physical Trades ~
My handmade zines are later copied and shared with friends, sold in my shop, and traded with other creators all over the world. I think this is the aspect I most love about handmade art.
Here is a letter I sent to a friend. In back is my very own "The Handmade Zine" in the middle a lovely postcard from a ecological artist, and atop a mini-zine that I ordered from a witchy media shop in Belgium.
And here are the letters and zines I received last week in the mail. Full of collages, DIY bindings, and handwritten little details, this is the kind of art that really makes me inspired. Something I cannot currently say about the AI images I have seen as of late.
But, I am no purist, maybe one day you may see such an image as an aspect of one my collages. Balance is key!
Ok, you really have a LOT of talent, bravo! I really like what you do.
Regarding the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence in our daily lives, I do feel that it prompts deep reflection on the value and uniqueness of handmade craftsmanship. I was just talking to a friend about this a few days ago.
We came to the conclusion that handmade work carries with it a history, an imperfection and a character that can't be imitated by any machine.
I believe that more than ever, we are in search of authenticity and connection.
I can only agree with this.
Love the comments on this post!✨
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate the compliment on my work, it really helps me to keep creating zines.
I am glad that you are having similar conversations in your daily life. And, to be honest, I don't think it is all bad. For example, as someone who speaks Spanish as a second language I have learned a lot about proper spelling and where accents go from autocorrect, lol!
What you said about imperfections, history, and character are so important too! AI cannot make a handmade quilt like a grandmother or mother can!
A lot of what I was feeling when I wrote this post was fear and a rebellious desire to not go with what the tech industry desires for humanity. I listened to a podcast laying out how most hands on job will be replaced by AI but, now, after reading yours and everyone else's comments here, I don't feel that that will be our future at all. Thanks again!
I don't know if this will be our future or not. All I know is that people need this "human" contact. Right now, AI can't do that. And even when it does, deep down we'll know it's not "human".
I totally agree. This post was spurred out of an interview I listened to which detailed how most professions will be replaced by AI. He said that doctors will be replaced when AI gets better at diagnosing disease than doctors. The discussion really scared me but now, with a few days reflection, I see that it is like you say. Humans need human contact. And visiting a doctor, healer, or any other professional is about more than just a diagnosis and the cold, calculating way an AI machine gives "advice" is just not the same. Thank you for your comment and opinion!!
That's exactly it! One last thing: I'm sure that doctors won't be replaced by AI. But it will be their main tool. And that's a very good thing.
Because, you know, a doctor has a certain number of clients that he's going to follow for part of his career. This means that, in general, he'll be following the same diseases. And if a patient has a disease that he doesn't know much about, because he's not used to having it in that patient, he gives the wrong treatment and the patient doesn't recover as well as if he'd had the right treatment from the start. With AI, the parameters of each patient can be analyzed and compared with a large database to find out exactly what the customer has.
I'm not an expert in this field, so I can't explain it properly, but I find it fascinating all the same. What can be frightening about AI is all the misuse it can be put to. But that's the same for any innovation or discovery.
Thanks for your explanation. Somehow it is making me feel a LOT better hearing how professions can partner with AI instead of being replaced by it. I truly appreciate the time you have spent to share your thoughts & perspective on this important matter!
These are so beautiful, I looove them!
You reminded me of an era I was looking all over Athens with a friend to discover new zines, especially music fanzines. I love the feeling when you get them in your hands, the energy they carry, the treasures they hide. Yours look amazing! Thanks for sharing and I have to confess that you put me on thoughts of starting one, haha!
As for AI, I don't think it can replace art. Some people will turn to it as they turn to fast food or fast fashion, but there will be always people who appreciate craft and art made by souls :) And AI does not have a soul!
Thank you!!! I really think you should make a zine of your own, about your life, about weaving!! it doesn't have to be a tutorial, it really doesn't have to be any way at all besides how you feel like expressing yourself.
Also I really appreciate what you say about the soul, it is such an important part of art and you are so right, AI doesn't have that and never will. Thank you for these reflections!
I have a project in mind about how to share my work in terms of feelings as you describe through a series of postcards (I am old-fashioned as well:), and now zines come as an interesting addition or combination or a project on its own. Even if I don't do it, just by reading your post I felt so nice and inspired, thanks so much!
It is always about the soul in art, isn't it? The technique yes, the idea yes, so many things matter, but it's the soul of the artist that you will resonate with or not. A form of magic :)
Oh I hope you do!! I think the postcard idea is great because then that gives someone else a challenge to write out a heart felt note by hand!! Maybe you can make some small little zines of thoughts and feelings and leave them around in unique spots during your travels. I feel certain that the lucky readers who find them will be very inspired.
Exactly! That's why I love postcards so much :)
So many beautiful things to think about! That was a very motivating conversation, much appreciated :)
xxxx
I don't know what AI will do to human creativity, but your zines are gorgeous and handmade will always have value.
Maybe when the energy grid shuts down and we can no longer access the internet, zines will be an invaluable source of information
Making zines are also a great way to create a parallel society that will be alright now matter what happens - energy shortages or AI revolution. So, I am feeling extra motivated to keep creating them in English and in Spanish, or maybe more likely, in Spanglish. Thank you for your wise reflections!
I'll consider making one with my dark fantasy doodles :)
Hear hear!✨
Hahah that did sound prophetic...
I used to be a prophet, in a previous life,,,
From my point of view,AI can never replace handmade.
There’s this originality and emotions that handmade come with which I’m yet to see in AI creations.
I have been doing this for so long but didn’t know it was called zine. Interesting.
I love that you say this! It is really encouraging to hear other artists and crafts-people affirm that AI can never replace the human touch.
It is also very interesting that you have been making little booklets like this for year! Zine is just one name for them, and the name I learned to call them growing up in the United States. What do you call them where you live and what do you make your booklets about?
We call them chat books ,because we write all forms of messages in them and the good part is the booklets don’t judge our thoughts.
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@willendorfia(2/10) tipped @calendulacraft
I love it that you are keeping zine culture alive! I remember when zines really took off in the 80s and early 90s (after being popularized in the punk scene of the 70s). They were strange and beautiful, but most of all they seemed like a reclamation of individual expression after too many decades of publishing homogenization.
I like this modern take, and it is definitely a style that bucks the trend of AI art and writing. It's also interesting to note, however, that zines have always represented a democratization of information & art dissemination, whereas AI creation has sort of democratized art creation. That is, anyone with time & a printer can create a zine, even with no publishing experience, and now anyone with a computer (even the pocket-sized versions we all carry around) can create art, even with no innate artistic talent. Seems like an interesting, simultaneous, convergence & divergence.
The trading is a wonderful aspect as well. Back when I was deep into scrapbooking we would trade supplies like fibers and ribbons as well as "artist trading cards" all over the world, and it was fascinating to see what others could get and make, that I could not. I'm sure you make many amazing discoveries reading the zines of others (and they, yours)!
Thank you for sharing!
!PIMP
!PIZZA
You must be killin' it out here!
@willendorfia just slapped you with 5.000 PIMP, @calendulacraft.
You earned 5.000 PIMP for the strong hand.
They're getting a workout and slapped 2/2 possible people today.
Read about some PIMP Shit or Look for the PIMP District
I love what you have written here! I grew up in the 90s and got a little bit of a tale end of the zine culture but really experienced it around 2010 when, in my little town there was a zine library. It was and is very much as you say "a reclamation of individual expression after too many decades of publishing homogenization". That is a great way to put it!!
It seems important to reclaim the individual expression when now it feels that there is a force in the world attempting to homogenize our thoughts. I don't want to live in a world where everyone is in lock-step and I hope that freedom of expression flourishes, even if the root is rebellion.
Interesting what you say about AI has democratized art. I am not so sure I agree, or at least, I don't see it that way. I have always felt that art is inherently democratic. One can make art with pencil and paper, or a sculpture with clay found in a mountainside. But, I do agree in that the common-ness of cellphones and the digital tools they provide gives people from all walks of life the ability to be content creators and send their words and work out into the world much more than in the analog world.
I hope you get back into scrapbooking and making such trades. I hope scrapbooking makes a comeback! That is something I miss from the 90s and early 2000s, scrapbooking parties were definitely a big part of my childhood.
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Helloo @celendulacraft it is really interesting looking at your handmade zine, it gives me some inspiration for keeping the medicine or cooking recipes. Thank you very much