Landscape Painting Will Only Get Sexier
Forget AI. Go touch some grass.
I sat down for coffee with a pale-faced engineer who recently left big tech. He was agitated, "I'm obsolete. What won't AI replace in 10 years?"
"It's simple," I responded, "forget AI. Go touch some grass."
Landscape Painting
My roommate Bryan is a 24 y/o painter. I claim he's a "young Bob Ross," and that he has the most secure job amongst my friends - the latter isn't obvious. Midjourney, an AI art system, instantly generates images from simple text inputs and rings like the crack of doom for young creatives. It feels like insurmountable competition for young artists like Bryan - but, this is a false narrative.
If you have creative aspirations, ignore self-doubt and remember that the water rises for all ships. AI isn't a threat, so continue to practice and push content.
Contrast AI's ability to mass produce against the time and effort that went into Bryan's landscapes. AI commoditizes art, but it won't displace traditional painting. We put premiums on "local X" or "handmade Y" because familiar, human touch matters to us. Landscape painting will only get sexier.
This isn't to undermine the impact AI will have. The game for mass production, from the printing press to assembly lines, is often winner takes all and happens without warning. But it isn't reason to fret, either.
If you want to trash your career, go chase trends. You've probably thought "I'm going to sprint through a coding bootcamp," or "time to become a crypto trader!" - pause, take a lap, and reevaluate your motivations. Catching the wind is a sucker's game.
Technological Regressions
Technology is a tool. It's not meaningful in and of itself. Without your input or interaction with it, it has no purpose. Technology's illusion is that it makes life better. But, life is meaningful because you share it with others.
20th century assembly lines have shockingly similar sociological backlashes to 21st century remote work. Workers felt more social alienated and bored from doing the same specialized tasks all day. Today's Silicon Valley superstars - Zoom, Twitter, Uber - pigeonhole us. At what point are we regressing?
How you spend your time is who you eventually become. So if you want a long, fulfilling career, flip your narrative and find a professional outlet for what you enjoy in your free time. If it's DJ'ing, get involved in your local nightclub scene. If it's photography, go be a creative consultant. If it's writing, publish to Substack. This newsletter is part of my attempt to walk my talk.
AI has already infiltrated music, photography, and storytelling. It will continue to do so. But, it can't displace your enjoyment of those things. There's a reason why nostalgic interests are increasing. For example:
- Interest in camera film has doubled since 2012.
- Interest in vinyl has tripled since 2012.
- Interest in podcasts has quadrupled since 2012.
Technologies will come and go. AI models will continue to dethrone each other. You get older and then you die - so go touch some grass and do what you enjoy.