It Starts, Again
2024 = Starting year one of Eric Imagines full-time!
Frank Herbert said “beginnings are fragile things.” But there’s strength too.
2024. The future. Well, it was the future when I was walking home from school in the 80-90s. With all those Stranger Things, small-town vibes I just regarded as everyday life. On TV, the commercials dripped with optimism about the future. In 2024, everything would fly and or be wireless. Clean lines and slick threads would dominate fashion. Food would taste better and be better for us!
So, what do you think about where we are? Right.
Strength to begin
If you’re starting something new this year, give yourself some credit. It’s tough to start stuff. Especially the things that matter a lot. On October 31st 2023, I waved bye to my day job to focus on my creative studio. Who knows what 2024 will bring. I’m feeling strong so far and have reasons to be optimistic about my business.
But I also know some days will be better than others. Cause that’s life. Here’s what I’m doing to stay ready for opportunities and make some of my own.
1. Invest time
When I don’t have a client project on the desk, I’m actively developing and making products of my own. Digital products, tabletop game experiences and print-making are key areas of focus. I’m also recalibrating my time to minimize social media distractions.
2. Promote connection
Speaking of which, social media is not connection. I truly believe most people know this, but we’ve got to come to terms with the time we’re giving away to Instagrub, Facebark and all the other channels. So, curating is in order. Virtual calls can work, but I’m favoring experiences that bring us together. In-person collaborations, in-person chats with clients and friends and tabletop gaming too!
3. Build community
As creatives we need to encourage each other to keep growing and keep going. Mentally, we’ve all been through “extra” these past few years. Listening to others tell their stories, being a resource for them and offering perspectives is top of mind for me.
4. Make ideas happen
In prior years, I allowed distractions and procrastination to sneak into my mindset. I struggled with taking on too much stress and falling prey to myths around “multi-tasking” as a creative. No more. Getting anything done that matters to us, is a choice involving work.
We have now
Real quick, I tried running my business full-time before. Yup. In 2009. It went ok, but not well. After a couple years, I accepted another in-house design job. What happened? Well frankly, I still needed time to collaborate and learn from others in a business setting. I needed to pay off more debts and establish a greater network as well.
It’s 15 years later. The future is here. Now. It’s a sorta strange, upside down or inside out world. But regardless, we can’t spend time being too concerned about the future. Or the past. We have now. And that’s the best time to start again.
–E
EI vs AI
We are not the robots we’ve created for ourselves.
Artificial. Intelligence. Take a moment. Just think about those two words.
Running Eric Imagines as a business owner and doer, I’ve been watching and learning about AI. And I’ve been asked lots of questions lately about it too.
Examples: “What do you think of AI? Do you use AI? Have you added AI to your workflows? Oh you’re an artist / designer, that means you use AI right? Why aren’t you using AI for X, Y, or Z tasks yet?” I don’t have all the answers, but I have my answers.
Dueling truths
In the broad context of “art” AI is positioned as “enabling more people to express themselves creatively.” (Words from the Adobe MAX 2023 conference keynotes.) Further, AI is useful for “removing mundane tasks from creative workflows.” For instance with photo-editing in Photoshop. Why would any of these things be bad? Right?
But there’s another side. AI welcomes new levels of mediocrity and laziness into product development. It enables more piracy of others work. And for some, it’s just a way to make a quick buck. And yes, I hear the “those things have always existed argument.” But never before has something held the potential to permanently damage our view of creativity as the human gift it is. The implications are deep.
So far, my instincts tell me to walk carefully next to AI. Doing enough research to understand its capabilities, but using enough caution to remain balanced in my views. To me, the champions of AI often come across as icy opportunists. Some use grandiose rhetoric about AI elevating us to god-tier levels of productivity. It’s not surprising. After all, there’s big money to be made and stakeholders to please.
But where does this new reality leave the gentle artist? Or the eager creative, who’s perhaps just starting to ponder a body of work? Or the designer who still believes their work is the gift?
Drawing lines
Each of us in the creative professions must decide how deeply we will allow AI to influence our creativity. It’s a personal decision. Here’s where I’m at overall:
I’ll use AI to edit, not author – One example is writing. I do all the writing for the fictions I create. Whatever measure of good I achieve as a writer, it’s my work. AI comes in at the copy editing stage to help me scrub for errors and refine grammar. Additionally, I work with copy editors when it comes to getting perspectives on style and overall writing spirit.
I do not use AI to generate final art assets – Not for my clients. Not for the products I create. If a company or individual uses AI to generate a final product for sale, they promote goodwill by disclosing their use of AI and passing on any savings to supporters. As an example, if a tabletop game company uses AI-generated art to save money, being transparent and reducing retail prices shows respect for customers.
I put in the work – I create things from scratch. Whether it’s illustration, design, writing, or other, I’m the author. The work is me. AI comes in when I want to color-correct a piece, explore color variations and edit photos. However, I don’t type searches into online AI tools to help me generate ideas, create derivative images or help me draw vectors.
All work performed by owner
I saw that phrase on a painter’s truck once and it stuck with me. What a sincere and honest way of saying to the world: “Hey, when you hire me, you’re hiring me.” It bears repeating – as an artist and creative for hire, I do the work! I don’t see AI as a stand-in for my process or thinking ability.
The main concern I have with AI is organizations and individuals who see it as a replacement for art, for thought, for imaginative effort. This mindset represents a new enemy of creativity. Those who would replace human creativity with AI, demonstrate a belief that art is merely an expense to them. They see the process of creating compelling art as a waste of resources, rather than an investment in our collective creative culture. While it can be a useful tool, AI does not promote our humanity.
To sum things up, beauty has always been about more than the colors, forms or compositions present in a creative work. It’s about the perseverance, thought and imagination of someone. The commitments and sacrifices we make to bring good things into the world.
––––
UPDATE as of 12/20/23
Regarding #1 above – language translations are another area where using AI would be very beneficial! Especially as I develop new products to share. I’m researching options with the help of experts in the field.
–E
PHXDW – Unite
Things to remember from Phoenix Design Week 2023!
These things happened at the Ph0enix Design Week 2023 conference. Good things. Funny things. Creative things.
I drove to the conference feeling a little anxious, also hopeful
My friend Sheila said hi to me from the stage in Whitehall, with a microphone, I waved
Melissa said some things that made me feel truly appreciated
Bob and I shared some grouch-isms, laughed and caught up
I had an idea for a game, I sat outside for a bit to write all my ideas down
Rebekah gave me a hug and expressed interest in how I’d been
I learned I’m one of Amy’s “cousins”, we all are, which is cool
Nikita said: “people desire comfort, community and connection”, it’s true
I tripped in the hallway, I looked around to see if anyone noticed
Scott reminded us of the importance of “play”, so glad to hear him reinforce this
Kaitlyn smiled and we recalled other creative events we’d been at
I reconnected with my long-time creative friend Jen, we talked about in-house design
I met Jen’s colleague Shelby, we also talked about in-house design
A museum-goer asked me what the conference was about, I felt lucky to tell ‘em
At one point, I wondered where I’d be a year from now
I heard someone say to another “I’ve missed you, it’s been so long”
My buddy Bobby and I ended up having lunch and getting cosmic about art
Garren asked “What does success mean to you?” I think about that a lot
I decided to start meeting up with others once a week to co-work
On 10/7 at approximately 10:17am while eating a snack, I felt confident
While waiting for a session to start I thought about what serving others means
Always cool Justin won a prize, sometimes I think he coulda been the fourth Beastie Boy
At lunch one day I saw a bird fly off with a potato chip
I ate a turkey wrap that had mayo in it, which for me is a big deal
Chris talked about artists making the unseen be seen, I like that idea
On the second day of the conference I gave some zines away, giving felt good
I listened to Mack and thought more about community and working with good people
Saw a shy person trying to talk to someone new, I felt compassion
I made up my mind to care less about being validated by others
Safwat’s story and art exhibit moved me to tears, two times
Fellow designer and teacher Matt said I should come chat with his students
Chad thanked me for the Daft Punk screenprint I sent him, I’m grateful for music
Julie and I encouraged each other as fellow parents
I let go of some things to make room for new things
I thought about an AR event I hosted at Phx Art Museum in 01/23 and had new ideas
Adele gave a presentation about each of us being a treasure, it helped me
Carissa’s keynote got me to sing for the first time in years
My friend Brian and I laughed, we should hang out more
I decided I still really hate mayonnaise
Kathy got emotional, then I got emotional, again (See #30)
Bob won two “Best of” awards, so deserving that guy
I saw myself in a mirror and I looked… happy
Someone said to me: “Nooo, you’re not to old for TikTok”, that was… reassuring?
I was so proud of Yuxin winning a “Best of” award, such sincerity and humility
Seandean made me feel more assured
Steffan’s work inspired me as a fellow vector artist
I made some realistic goals for 2024
One of my goals = Collaborate on three projects with local creative / agency friends
This year I missed seein’ Will and Michelle and Jon and the Monomyth team…
I left the conference feeling excited about what I learned and the possibilities
If you read this far, thanks for reading. I made this list for me. Lists tend to be useful in my world. One day I’ll look back at this post and I know it will help me!
Be well.
–E