Talking about AI Art, Imposter Syndrome, and Big Update! 

More to come! 😁

I'm trying! It's been a rough few years, it's nice to feel like I'm getting productive again.

You have a flock, that's wonderful! I loved some of the old intros too, but I also like to move the furniture regularly. I've always been this way - feeling like I need a fresh space to focus and move forward. I accept that I'm weird that way! :-) Change is indeed inevitable and I do feel like we need to adapt. I think the trouble is that AI is advancing faster than we can have a discussion about the rules it should be considered with. That creates a lot of anxiety out there, and it's showing!

Thank you!! 😊

Hi Jerr! Hope you are well! This is a thought-out and reasonable take. I'm honestly surprised at everyone jumping into gatekeeping mode over AI. It's not going anywhere, we have to learn a way to do what we love to do around it. I imagine quite a few people try and try with AI art and don't get anywhere, so end up getting in touch with a digital artist in order to finish the job, so to speak (or just do it right). Will things change when you can use AI seed values to create a repeat of a designed character? Yes. And at that point all bets are off because literally anyone anywhere would be able to create a character and use that same character in different comic panels, etc. We aren't there yet. I try to look at it from a few different angles. If I'm an author, and I create an image to accompany my work, I shouldn't be looked down upon for doing so. I'm not selling the image, I'm selling the writing. If I'm an artist, and I use Chat GPT to create a description or marketing material for my work, likewise. The "work" is original art, and the tool creating anything secondary is just that - secondary. Still, fascinating discussions to be had and I'm sure this will all change in the near future!

It's in progress and I'm still juggling Joy-Jitsu stuff, but I'm hoping early next year!

That’s wonderful! So glad to hear you are getting words down! Hope it is going well!

Spot on! The tech isn’t going anywhere, so we have to learn to live, adapt, and keep creating. Good to see you here!

Hey Val!! It is definitely a conglomeration, and I get how people are freaking out over it. Things are changing and advancing very quickly, for sure. I'll have to use that multi-footed cat for something, haha. See you again soon! Best to you!

Glad you like it!

Great to see you Cindy, thank you! :-) (And a classic tune by The Byrds!)

6th Novel! Amazing! There has been a lot of talk going around about full requests happening, only for rejections or flat out ghosting to happen right afterward. I'm not sure what's going on in the industry, but it seems really ... strange. The key to a good relationship with a beta reader is that they are a tool to help you, and you can value their honesty. Like I said - aggregating the responses is critical so you don't get carried away in revisions. I listened to feedback and made some adjustments, and at other points I was thinking, "Nope. This is exactly how I want it, and while you don't like the passage now, you'll understand it later." And I couldn't agree more - humor has gone out the window in favor of not offending anything or anyone! Best of luck to you! Keep putting those words down, I'm cheering for you!

Thanks you for responding. I love your channel. It helps this INFJ a great deal@@DavidBadurina

Hi!! 😁

Definitely agree with that last statement, but no denying everything is evolving!

"if you could make another choice you would do it" - that's the key right there. I'm not going to use AI art for a cover, ever, as I can scrape together the coin to hire a cover artist for a different work. (I'm doing my own cover for The Steward, of course). I'm not going to knock an author for making that choice, though. The cover is secondary to the words. I share your anxiety about it, and I just wanted to throw the topic out to start the conversation. I'm happy to revisit it in a more in depth way in terms of deepfakes and other implications it may have. We live in an interesting time, for sure.

I've tried creating two images that were similar in different sessions and you are right, it is VERY difficult to do so. but it has also made incredible leaps and bounds in only a short few months, and that acceleration doesn't seem to be stopping. What happens when AI art is capable of generating an actual "character" that you can re-use and re-visit? You'll have people creating comics with AI art that never would otherwise, you'll have kids books, branding materials for businesses, etc. etc. We are at the very genesis of something that has HUGE impacts across our society.

@@DavidBadurina I find it all very exciting, especially as an amateur, slightly quirky creator. I've managed a bit of AI animation so far using various apps, my favourites have been my baby cyclops red cabbage and my pumpkin head scammer.

Appreciate that! I'm very excited for Joy-Jitsu to hit the world. We have a lot planned for it and it really is a heartfelt project from friends with like-minds. You aren't wrong about society these days. There's just a lot of competition, anger, and ego out there. I tend to view everything through a lens of absurdity, so most of the time it just entertains me, but I have my issues I feel passionate about as well. Thing is, I know and expect others to disagree, and if there's a closed mind out there, I accept that I can't change it. My goal is to move forward, be better, and if warranted, share my thoughts. It's not hard to stay steady. Thanks for sticking around here!

Haha courage patience and steel nerves are part of the game there. However, I do what I think is a good job limiting my exposure to the haters on there. You're always going to ruffle feathers if you have any opinion on anything, but the reality is that random people on a social media app have no sway over me, have no control over my life, and they do not feed my kids or pay my bills. So if they're going to be awful in some way, I easily block and move on, it doesn't bother me. There are a lot of really awesome people out there too, it's just a matter of finding them!

Great discussion! I think striking about AI is silly, to be honest. It's here to stay, it's not going anywhere, and it's time for everyone to find the new normal. First, a few things ... 1) A writer using AI art for the cover of a book is fine with me. I'd prefer an artist gets paid, but some people may not have the means, and I won't knock them for it. The reason is that the cover art is NOT the main selling point of the work. That's the 90,000 words. If an artist uses AI like ChatGPT to create a blurb for a piece of art they are selling, I don't think they're replacing a writer. That's silly. So what is the main work? If it's writing, and they use cover art that's AI generated, so be it. If an artist uses AI text generation to create a blurb for their artwork, I'd have no problem, because it's the ARTWORK that is the product, the text accompanying it is secondary. If the AI Artwork is a major selling point (a picture book) or the text generation is the major selling point (a short story that's AI written), then I have an issue. You are selling something you did not create. State that it is AI generated, or you are being deliberately misleading. 2) I would not support a publishing company using AI art for their book covers. Publishing companies should know better and respect artists, but they won't, because they are in it for profit. This is different than an independent person paying for everything out of pocket and trying to find the best, most affordable way to get their work out there. AI Art (for now - you are correct) is good for one-off images. I use it for some images on my website, or maybe a "cover image" for a short story. But you can't create recurring characters. For now, it's not replacing comic books, but at some point in likely the very near future, you'll be able to create a consistent character with a seed value, and you will see comic books with consistent characters fully AI generated. We have entered a new world. I think the issue here is that things are changing too fast for anyone to keep up. Just a few months ago, AI could not draw a person with 5 fingers. Now, the images are accurate, and stunning. It is evolving very quickly. For me, if I'm going to publish a novel, I'm going to take the extra time to raise the money to pay an artist for the cover. If I'm distributing something for free (short stories, for instance) I'd be inclined to use AI. I'm not paying an artist to distribute something free of charge. Fascinating questions, and no doubt a discussion worth having!

I hear you, but AI art is definitely not going anywhere.

Further point on the subject of beta readers. Here’s a real life analogy you can bring to the table. I’ve been doing stand up comedy since 2019 (my family will argue that start date). The hilarity of debuting in live comedy 7 months before the pandemic hit aside, Stand Ups write then revise, revise, revise our jokes and sets (sometimes over years) based on audience reaction and our developing character/style. I’m not asking the audience to write the jokes. The same material can work in one city and bomb in the next based on a huge variety of factors. While Stand Up is accepted as a “customer service” or populist type of writing, I also bring new bits to comedy Writer’s Circles. What other comedians can give me over an audience is where things might be off. An audience will laugh or not, comedians can use their “ear” to suggest but it’s up to you as a writer/performer to “solve for x” in the way that is authentic to your voice. Comedians accept that it would be unwise to just add new material to a paid or headlining set without working it at a few Open Mics. Beta readers seem to serve a similar process to the realm of publishing. No one is suggesting the 10% or more of improvisation and crowd work seasoned comedians do with the audience isn’t also comedy, however, few of the great comedians don’t work their bits among their circle and on the road before filming their work.

No PR as it’s a working trip with limited time and a lot of recording to get done, but if you’re in and around Calgary at that time I might be available for a quick hello!

This is fascinating!

Thanks. I find your writing journey riveting. Calgary is my hometown. I’m back through frequently.

If you're ever in and around Connecticut, shoot me a message on IG or Twitter!