This is follow up discussion to my earlier discussion about AI and traditional art making.

Last time: The importance of embodiment

I discussed how the invention of photography, instead of destroying painting, highlighted what makes painting unique (hierarchy of emphasis, mark making, non-realistic yet authentic treatment etc). AI generated images, and automation in general, similarly highlights what matters about the hand made and human - that it was made by an embodied human, and is experienced by an embodied human. The imperfect bespoke but human trumps the perfect but automated.

This time: The importance of flow, meaning and community

the future (assuming we survive the transition) looks like one in which there will not be automatic sources of meaning in the form of work - the meaning that comes from developing a craft, and being part of a community who cares about this craft, will be all the more essential. Flow states, meaning generation and community sharing love of embodied craft, will require intentionality in order to keep us sane.

Exercising the imagination and studying nature from life, the evidence of error and the struggle of creation will become choices I suspect we will need to lean into.

I was inspired with some of these ideas by the work of several thinkers. In particular, if you liked this video essay you might enjoy:

- John Vervaeke’s “Awakening from the Meaning Crisis” lecture series

- Iain Mcgilchrist’s “The Master and his Emissary”

- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s “Flow: the Psychology of happiness”