In awe of the banal

‘It’s valuable not only because of its content
but because of its intent.’

There’s only one way to make something new,
by listening to, reading, watching
something old.

We don’t make things anymore:
we just consume stuff.

Hit by a wave of depression, then nausea,
as he got a first-hand look at what this technology
threatened to do to his craft.

Molested by tools that boil a hard-earned methodology,
the artistic struggle, down into component parts,
to be strip-mined by anyone.

Today most of humanity’s collective creative endeavour
has been encoded into phone apps.

Snug in your pocket.

Dialled up in a moment.

There’s no soul or spirit, no insight, no humanity,
no feeling, or anything. It’s f@#$ing soulless.

‘Humans are interested in intent,
in the agency of their fellow human
behind the art, struggling, striving,
making choices, and errors.

AI might come for the perfectable stuff
but never for our flaws. Our flaws are
our humanity. Our art reflects our struggle
to do better within our limitations.’

Wouldn’t it be nicer if everybody aspired
to becoming really good, to becoming soulful,
to becoming extraordinary, as opposed to
leaving it to teaching machines
how to copy?

I’m indebted to Andrew McMillen and Tim Minchin for this week’s (AI) inspiration. No AI was used in the writing of this piece, or any other piece I write.

Dream intentionally - while you’re awake.