Identity is everything. Midjourney was undoubtedly my weapon of choice at this point, as it allowed me to obtain results quicker than any other AI model. I spent several months curating a series of prompts that were thematically consistent with each other. I combined my influences and experimented with realism to satiate the photographer in me as well. I consciously made efforts to generate images that felt different from the ongoing meta at the time. Originality often stems from a blend of multiple influences that are so deeply ingrained in the creator's work that they become indistinguishable. With increasing confidence, the creator's personality shines through and takes center stage, resulting in a unique creation that draws from the creator's personal style and the various influences that inspired them — something I learned through Geddy Lee’s (Rush) ideology.

          During this time, I was also very much into analog video synthesis. I conducted extensive research on the topic and taught myself how to establish a fully functional workstation. I spent a substantial amount of time constructing an analog signal chain that utilizes CRT TVs and various hardware to manipulate and distort images (guitar pedals, converters, circuit bent modulators etc.). In the beginning, I was glitching a variety of old films on VHS format, as well as movies on DVD. This was a niche I resonated with greatly for a long while. My time away from working in the photography/videography field allowed me to immerse myself fully into this fresh new venture.

          Eventually, my love for video synthesis and my curiosity with AI image development coincided; I began displaying my AI pieces directly onto my old CRT’s and glitching them. From this point on, I was adamant in using my AI generated images as the foundation, to which I modified, digitally painted and composited to create more concentrated and polished works. These experiments proved fruitful, as they wound up helping me find a unique style and identity. *You can find these glitched pieces here on my website in the "Glitch Art" section.

          My output in creating art was very high at this point. Due to my ability to work from indoors, I had many resources available to me to produce creative work. However, as someone with a background in more traditional mediums, I found myself unaccustomed to having such a large volume of resources available to me all at once. I began to feel submerged. Before adopting this new workflow, I used to spend lots of time meticulously planning and executing my projects. I had to scout locations, network to find the right models for each role, book studios, and have friends assist me during shoots with setting up lighting and practicing with new gear... These things all felt inherently more akin to the human experience than being alone for the most part and quickly churning out work from my office “production-line”. Although I became overwhelmed with how quickly AI as an art creation tool was developing, I remained interested in using AI as my primary medium because of video synthesis and glitching. Shifting my workflow so drastically had an adverse effect on my work, and I started to feel increasingly disillusioned as a result.

          Guilt set in. I thought to myself, “this is too easy”— I did not feel deserving of being called an artist anymore. In hindsight, I should have gone easier on myself. Without skipping ahead too much, I realized that I put so much effort into everything I set out to create and found a familiarity within the newly adopted medium. Part of why I insisted on using analog gear to create my genre of work was to marry artificial intelligence with humanity — a collaboration between the digital world, and the analog world. It was my mission to find the line that divided the two. My intent shifted briefly; I wanted to become a voice of reason for those criticizing AI generated visuals; to demonstrate how there’s more than meets the eye.