AI Away

All this AI stuff freaks me out. To be fair, it has done some amazing things to help researchers solve problems, etc. 

But then you turn to the creative side. I've been on Deviantart almost 15 years, posting my art regularly. But recently artists have been leaving in droves for a number of reasons. Especially because Deviantart has pretty much turned its attention from real artists to AI artists. It features people who are selling AI art, which is made by a program built on the stolen artwork from people who have worked countless hours on honing their craft.  It's disgusting that Deviantart has become a place that supports people who don't do art, and instead steal art from others. I'd join the droves of real artists that are leaving, but I don't know of anywhere better to go. And how long would it take to transfer over ten years worth of artwork?But I still regularly consider it.

And then people are trying to use AI to write tv shows and such, which lets them fire the real writers who have always done it (previous post about it). It's at the point where there's mass speculation (no idea how much evidence there is, but I can definitely see their point) that Disney used AI to write Wish. Disney.

And of course, welcome to the world where people can use AI to take the faces and voices of other people and use them to make whatever they want. Thinking of people making videos using me, or using AI to copy my writing style makes my skin crawl. 

It's such a freakish world we live in where anyone can fake anything.

The Fictional Company you Keep

I recently read an article that talked about the people we're around. Of course the friends you hang out with are very important. The wrong people can bring you down, or even start to destroy you. Sometimes when I'm around people with a certain trait, it brings that trait out in me (for better or worse).

 Here's the quote from Paramhansa Yogananda:

“The company you keep is important. If you leave your coat in a room where people are smoking, pretty soon it will smell of smoke. If you leave it outside in the garden, later on, when you bring it indoors, it will carry with it the fragrance of fresh air and flowers. Such is the case with the mind. Your garment of thoughts absorbs the vibrations of those with whom you mix. If you mingle with pessimists, in time you will become a pessimist. And if you mingle with cheerful, happy people, you yourself will develop a cheerful, happy nature.”

The article continued on, expanding the concept to include fictional characters:

"We generally think of friends as the people we choose to be around. But we also spend time with the characters in our books and films. The next time you read or watch something, ask yourself, “Is this character smoke or perfume?” You might want to show the smoky ones to the door."

I too have felt fictional characters have an impact on me. That's one reason I hated almost everything we read in high school - most of the characters were awful people. But I've written about that before.

Guira cuckoo (keeping good company)

Everything Stays - in memories

I stumbled upon this video Rebecca Sugar (creator of Steven Universe) made about Spinel. 

Stories from you childhood can be great prompts for your own stories. Like losing your favorite toy in the garden. I've already written about how Spinel's story resonated so powerfully with how I felt.

The bunny didn't have a name. But now the bunny is Spinel.