Philosophy

Introduction

This section is for those who want to delve deeper into my philosophy as an artist.  In it, I've laid out my longer-form ideas on various topics here that I hope you find interesting to read.  I intend to keep adding to this section when I have a burning idea I need to lay out.  Please take into consideration that I'm not a writer or a philosopher, but I have always been a deep thinker (to my own detriment at times). 

Pledge for Human Expression

June 8, 2024

The topic of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in the arts has been a hot topic for a while now.  Here, I'd like to explore some of my thoughts on it, while also giving more insight on what you can expect from me as an artist.

Disclaimer:  The question "what is art", will never be answered, nor should it be.  To me, trying to define art is like trying to answer the biggest questions on how this all came about - the universe, humanity, nature, life itself.  Art is something that humans just do, much like how blossoming is something a flower does, or metamorphosing, something a butterfly does.  It is a result of having a more complex and intricate form of awareness (though it is only a need for some).  Thus, when attempting to define art, we can really only define it for ourselves in a way which enhances and furthers our own relationship with it.  The views in this essay then, are thoroughly based on my own definition of art, and I have no interest or desire to change others' point of view.  I simply feel obligated to externalize my perspective and send it off into the churn of artistic thought, in hopes to create connections.  

The arts, for most of my life, have been my main interest.  To me, this interest has everything to do with my deep interest in the human experience, human expression and creativity.  This interest comes in two varieties:  1) experiencing others' unadulterated expressions through art, and 2) witnessing my own experience when being immersed in it.  The second variety is similar to my interest in dreams, and how immersed we can become in other worlds.  I enjoy art which explores questions like "what is the extent of human experience?"

With that said, I cannot separate the human factor when talking about and appreciating art,  so my definition of art (note my disclaimer above) requires it.  It requires that a sentient being felt urged to externalize something that had become too much to hold in.  That urge is a testament that what is being said is intrinsic to human experience and is an attempt to communicate it.   It's a vital ingredient in the recipe.  This definition of art then makes it impossible for a non-sentient object to create art.  It can only mimic the creation of art based on a collection of data.  Artificial Intelligence is just that - artificial.  As exciting as this field is for many, it leaves me feeling empty when used as a replacement for human expression and connection.  

Will A.I. ever become sentient, and as a result meet my definition of art?  No one can answer that question, but I remain open to the possibility in the same way that I'm open to the existence of anything outside my limited knowledge.  Though I must say I find it doubtful, despite my love of fiction involving androids and sentient robots, like in one of my favorite movies, A.I. (2001, Speilberg/Kubrick).

In terms of my own creative process, I'm a little extreme on the opposite end of the spectrum in that I feel very uncomfortable with using anything that I didn't fully create myself.  I am not often even comfortable using samples that I did not record myself, or compose the notes, chords, and rhythms for.  This is because authenticity is at the top of my value system when looking at others' art.  That isn't to say that I don't value artistic mediums such as collage, that uses previously created images in a new way by greatly altering them and changing their meaning.  Music genres like vaporwave have helped opened the door for using previously created music and greatly altering it.  While I enjoy these genres, I believe that they've helped muddy the waters a little in that, it's become more difficult to ascertain authenticity as the viewer/listener; One can no longer tell what the artist did, versus what was already created from their source material.  The same goes for artists who might have only used A.I. partially in their work.  

Because of this, I will continue to advocate for authenticity, and the human element in art.  I am personally not interested in using A.I. for anything creative.  I can pledge to you as my audience that everything I create is composed by me.  Further, I avoid VSTs (virtual instruments) which compose melodies, chords, or rhythms for me or have these preset.  If the VST has a built in arpeggiator, I always either turn it off, or alter it to fit the composition of the song rhythmically and harmonically.  I will only use A.I. as they are used in programs which help with technical tasks, like that embedded in programs for mixing and mastering (iZotope, etc.).  

The Balanced Approach to Art

May 30, 2024

Here are some personal thoughts I have regarding the topic of how hard to push when creating art.  Note that I use the terms artist and creator, art and creativity, interchangeably in this essay.

When pursuing a goal, there are times to push hard, and times to know when to rest.  Part of what factors into which path to take in a given moment depends partly on the pursuit itself.  If the pursuit is not dependent on mood for instance, one can keep pushing through, even when individual mood suffers and fatigue sets in.  It’s hard, but can be done; though you might not always be fun to be around.  Sometimes, pushing beyond our limits against all odds, we can achieve incredible things, but we have to make sure the sacrifices made are worth it.  This can be applied to many pursuits where the end result is a mechanism of sorts to be built where mood of the creator is not reflected in that result - pursuits like body building, engineering, or various technical accomplishments.  I might even say that this can be applied to most any goal, with the exception of art.

For an artist, however, mood and personal well-being can be a big factor.  This is because the truly creative and expressive process is like trying to catch a fleeting butterfly, ever-so evading the net.  True creative gold is created in a perfect storm of circumstances.  And within this perfect storm, only a certain number of factors can be set in motion by the creator.  The task for the creator then, is to do everything in their power to control the parts of that storm that they can over and over again, day-in and day-out, simply waiting for the uncontrollable factors to line up with their own work, like stars aligning.  Artists have to commune with nature, external forces, and a bit of chaos to create something beyond themselves. 

Mood, energy level, and well-being can then become a make-or-break factor in creating that perfect storm or star alignment, because all it takes to disrupt a creative flow state is one ingredient missing from the mix.   To cultivate this, one must take into consideration what it takes to maximize mood and energy, thus maximizing the duration of time one has for potential creative flow state - again, quite a fleeting state.  An artist must ensure that their life is in balance, and prioritize physical and mental health when they can.  They must take breaks and rest at strategic times to give themselves a better vantage point on their projects.  They must maintain a support group and a sense of community, as well as other aspects mentioned in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. 

Of course, the primary goal of the artist is to create authentic and true art.  But this is not something you can necessarily just push through to achieve through hard work and sacrifice alone, and still somehow maintain a creative flow state.  This state is perpetually fleeting, chaotic, and unstable.  It must be cultivated and coaxed out into the open, just to get a glimpse of its majesty – like spending weeks deep in the ocean hoping to catch a glimpse of a rare and beautiful deep-sea fish.  An artist must cultivate the environment around it as much as possible in order for it to come out.  In the meantime, there are more mechanical skills related to the art which can be focused on and pushed through, such as working on brush technique, piano technique, or video editing skill. 

The last topic I wanted to mention is the apparent contradiction with what I’m saying, and artists who burn bright and burn out (Jimi Hendrix anyone?).  True unadulterated artistic expression can be created in an extremely tumultuous and self-destructive environment.  So how is it that one can create such true expression, through cultivating the opposite of that type of environment?  I believe that these are just two ways (of probably many more) of getting to a similar place of flow state creativity.  But the difference is that the balanced approach requires that other aspects of your life to be in order and focused on the cultivation of creativity.  The benefit of this more stable path is that when established, it can be a gift that keeps giving for a lifetime.  Furthermore, your fans get to enjoy your gift for that much longer.  Luckily, some artists who burn bright and burn out were lucky enough to survive the burn out and end up becoming more stable artists later (Trent Reznor anyone?).  The primary challenge, however, with the balanced approach is to avoid stagnation at all costs, which is its greatest nemesis.

To summarize, I can imagine the balanced approach to creativity in the form of a pyramid.  At the top is the gleaming prize of creative gold yet to be imagined.  It is held up by a mountain of other life aspects, all focused and honed into that prize at the top.