Happy (Lunar) New Year!! This is my first newsletter of 2023 and I hope to write many more…maybe with some consistency. We shall see. I love January the way a lot of people love their birth month. My years start so close to the naive optimism of the New Year, which gives my unrealistic goals a lil bit more staying power. I hope.
Art is my life, and the focus of most of my goals, so the news about AI “art” gaining popularity late last year and in some cases, authority, has prompted me to contend with the true difference between an image versus art. This shift has already affected artists negatively. Artists have lost paid work because AI-generated images are cheaper and non-artists have made money from blatant plagiarism. These images are not art. Art is the distinctly human process of intentionally synthesizing experiences (research, observation, etc). THE ART IS IN THE PROCESS. AI could be a viable artistic tool if permissions are clearly given, but as of now, it’s plainly art theft.
Putting that aside, art is more than a pretty picture (some would argue the pretty and palatable isn’t art at all). I struggle to make work sometimes with making art. Using AI to create beautiful images is avoidance. You don’t have to feel the shame of failing to reach your artistic goals over and over again. (Psst it doesn’t have to be shameful to fail...how else do we learn??) For instance, I’ve been working on a cute YA story for nearly a decade, and I finally feel like I’ve found my footing with the story and I know how to finish it!! Like actually! I’ve written and rewritten this story for years, and even tried to make it into an ongoing webcomic in 2020. I only made it to 8 pages. Now, I know part of why my projects fizzle out is ADHD and I am working out ways to work with my idiosyncrasies to actually complete projects.
Anyway doing the work informs the work and inspires more art everywhere. There are no shortcuts. So let’s keep art human, pretty please!!
….infinite love + peace … Tulani Kiara
Spider-man(2002) I love this movie!! I love Spider-man in general. He’s one of the few superheroes I pay attention to. I miss slice-of-life action movies. I miss saturated color grading. Practical effects. Aunt May and Uncle Ben being actual old people!! I love how Parker went from an uncoordinated nerd to an epic gymnast bc of the super spider. The CGI was impressive for 2002, especially the web-slinging. Some of the effects at serious moments are hilarious tho.
Sleepless by Sarah Vaughn and artist Leila del Duca – In this comic, the black princess (w a mother who isn’t the queen oop) and her knight have to thwart a plot on her life!! Also due to magical reasons knight dude took an oath to NEVER SLEEP in service of protecting her and her lovely lil pet. The illustrations and colors are gorgeous. I didn’t know I needed this, but I will always need more Black princesses. Appreciate my friend for recommending!!
Hadestown – Saw this musical at the FOX in Atlanta with my sister for my 24th birthday on January 14th!! WOW! I love tragic romance. I love seeing Black actors be absolutely in their element. Orpheus was so good!! So sweet! And the set and lighting and all of it worked well to evoke emotion. I’m so glad I realized that I chose to buy tickets after dismissing it as too expensive when I first saw the ad. Anyway, I love LOVE always.
Sort Of (Season 2) – Watched most of this in one night. I love Sabi! I love Wolf! I love art!! And explicitly welcoming queer spaces! Please seek this out on HBO Max if you have time to watch a diverse artsy Canadian show about finding your place and your people.
Honorable Mention to Jane Eyre bc I’m almost finished with the audiobook and I love that she’s also an artist who follows her heart.
here’s a bday comic I drew, as a treat, tho you may have seen it already
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