My interest in the visual arts has been, and continues to be, all over the place. Though narrowing it down for brevity, I tend to gravitate towards genres involving landscapes, scenery, and architecture.
Amateur photography has been my initial gateway to experiencing these concepts. Be it a scenic vista or the hustle and bustle of a city center, I'd be snapping up photos left, right, and center.
When AI art first exploded on the scene, one of the first images I generated was that of a cozy indoor living room, much like the ones you'd see on realtor sites. I was astounded by the capability of the then fledgling DALL-E. Despite the imperfections in the image, I did acknowledge at the time that this was the technology's worst iteration and that it would only get better from there. Lo and behold, here we are.
Ever since then, I've been "exploring strange new worlds" with the help of AI. My interests didn't have to be limited to what I could capture with a camera. Alien sci-fi worlds, fantasy settings, compelling post-apocalyptic scenes; no place was off limits. If my mind could imagine it, the AI would take me there. I even took a shot at marketing my whimsical image generations on stock image sites. While my earnings from that little experiment weren't going to pay all the bills, the fact that I was getting paid at all was surprising. Besides, supplementary income for something I enjoy doing on my free time is something I'd always welcome.
In short, I'm a shutterbug and a kid at heart. AI allows me to let the latter let loose more while still being an adult with responsibilities. To quote Károly Zsolnai-Fehér: "What a time to be alive!"
