Fighting against AI

 

I trained my mind to believe that all hand-made stuff has high value vs those low-value stuff fabricated by AI. This is why hand-made craftworks cost more. Unfortunately, DIY-users don’t think this way. Sigh.

AI makes things complex

 

I asked AI to interpret this artwork and state what message is it trying to convey. AI’s lengthy narratives just want to impress & make things complex!). 

Co-pilot’s output:

This piece conveys that life and art gain meaning through novelty and exploration. By exaggerating Norton’s features and pairing them with his words, the artist suggests that creativity, whether in acting or visual art, is fueled by curiosity and the willingness to embrace new experiences.

Human vs Artificial Intelligence

 

My artworks don’t sell. My caricatures have never won any award. It does not matter. I just keep going.

I still want to keep my mind active using art for storytelling, turning visuals into narratives to express my thoughts, emotions, meaning and imagination. All narratives are written by a human, not AI. I don’t want to be a lower-value human!

Living with AI

 

Can AI express their own thoughts? I think probably not. They are just hallucinating or giving out answers mined from their data bank that copied from others without their knowledge!

The more we rely on AI, the more we lose our critical thinking skills, cognitive capability and decision-making ability.   

AI or no AI?

 

With the advent of AI and cheap tools, anyone can now produce caricatures easily and fast without learning how to draw. I still prefer the traditional and old-fashioned way of creating art from nothing. I still find that drawing by hand is an enjoyable process and it always thrill me to see the final artwork emerges gradually, stroke by stroke of the paint brush on a blank canvas.

Create your own

 

If you use AI tools to produce art or other stuff, can you call it your own? Can you still call yourself an artist or creator? The answer depends on which side you’re in. I prefer to create art from a blank canvas or digital blank space. It’s therapeutic to take my time to learn and enjoy the process of creation than manipulate something from nothing fast.  

Hate them and like them

 

AI offers many possibilities limited only by one’s imagination. Now everyone talks about AI as everybody has run out of new ideas to solve real problems. AI has many flaws,  yet they make us look artificially intelligent and becoming more lazy with our minds!

AI are very dangerous tools. Anyone can use them to create and do good or fabricate fakes for scams and deceptions! They are double-edged weapons.

AI: Good or Bad?

 

I had visualized my art in animation for years before AI.

But it’s very tough and time-consuming to create them. Now, it can be done with so little effort and at very low cost. AI tools are making human lazy in their thinking, learning and creating by hand. 

But many had disagreed. I just let them. Time will tell.

Like them or hate them?

 

I cannot forgive AI-creators whose tools are causing serious threats to my art and are trying to take over my job. But they also reduce my time, effort and money in learning motion graphics and animation skills and made my art comes alive! Damn! Should I hate them or like them? 

Forgive and forget

 

Can we really forgive and forget those who had caused us pains, sadness, regrets, miseries, hardships and sufferings? Some said they could and can move on. Honestly, I may forgive but can never forget. I am human, not AI or robot.   

More difficult times ahead

 

I only managed to make enough to meet the minimum sum for my retirement account. Had nothing extra to top it up. The estimated monthly payout I’d expect to get is equivalent to just $46/day. I learned too late that topping-up close to drawn-down date has no real financial benefit. How to cover the ever-rising costs of living, escalating insurance premiums and the monthly bills that keep coming? I have no choice but to keep working and selling my stuff! More difficult times ahead!

Difficult times

 

We are now living in difficult times in this turbulent and chaotic world. Many problems and negative impacts are beyond our control. I am too forced to accept, adapt, adjust and alter my living to endure this very challenging time with no end in sight.

Doing my best

 

Life is not always smooth-sailing.

There are many challenges and setbacks.

They often appear as disruptions to test our character and inner strength. But I don’t always have the calmness and resilience to face and deal with them! The only way out for me is to find positive words to encourage and lift myself up so that I can move forward during difficult times.

戏如人生

 

导演和老板喜欢你时，你就是宝。
若他们都不喜欢你， 你便成草。
在工作场所，员工只是一件工具。一种配角。
没用时可以丢弃，可以更换！这就是打工仔的命运。

人生如戏

 

某人说:戏如人生。我说:人生如戏。
人总要经历不同人生阶段，要扮演不同的角色。
人的命运往往要靠运气。
导演喜欢你时，你可能会成功。可出人头地。
要是导演不喜欢你，你如何努力都不会成功。
要问自己: 继续忍受吃苦演下去？还是要寻找别的出路？ 或着试试自导自演，演自己的戏？
每个人都有选择和行动的权力。只需要勇气走出第一步！

Hoping for the best

 

Every year this time, I always pray for good health, smooth-sailing and safety for self and family. It’s the same wishes every year. 

My motto is: Hope for the best. Be prepared for the rest. But I can never prepare for every event as I will never know what is to come!

Growing older and moving slower

 

Every year this time, I reflect on my past year’s events and mistakes. Some were uncontrollable, others were caused by slow thoughts. But  I am grateful for the ability to eat, sleep and run though I have to accept the fact that I’m getting older and moving slower each year. I try to console myself: growing older means getting closer to the monthly payout and moving slower may be a good thing to avoid being scammed fast!

Happy Lunar New Year

 
          Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and horse-spicious lunar new year.

Biggest regret in life

 

The biggest regret in life is not what we had done. It’s what we did not do when we had the chance.

And there is no second chance.

Letting go

 

Everyone starts their life journey with nothing.

Along the way, we acquired and accumulated lot of stuff. Nobody really knows how long is this journey but our baggage gets bigger over time. One thing is certain: at the final stop of our journey, we could bring nothing with us. It’s wise to plan ahead and put efforts to gradually let go of our stuff to reduce the burdens of those we leave behind.  

Mixed feeling

 

In loving memory of our beloved little sister

 景物依旧，人去留空。命运难预测，但愿人长久。

 

Setbacks

 

One stroke survivor once said: “A setback is a setup for you to come back.” But for some setbacks, there’s really no coming back! We can only accept and adapt to setbacks.

Reading from the Japanese’s Wabi-sabi thinking and the Zen Buddhist’s teachings, we have to accept impermanence, imperfection and incomplete nature of everything and the short-lived nature of our existence. 

Coping and healing

 

It’s still very tough to let go the feelings of grief and sorrow.  Trying to cope and manage this difficult time by distracting the mind with exercises, getting enough sleep (though not easy), practise mindfulness and occupying spare time with art. The self-healing process is slow to dilute emotions during such difficult time.   

Re-start

 

After many months of a hiatus, I pick up the paint brush again to distract myself from grief and sorrows. It’s not difficult to re-start this activity but it’s not easy to put down the fact that one of my loyal Fan is no longer around to support my art. Tears still flow, emotions still choke up every time I think of her short life story and the memories she had left behind.