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In 2018, a painting by a computer artificial intelligence sold for $432,000 at Christie's.   

Being in both the art and the technology fields, I've kept an eye on AI and art.  And, to be honest, I've seen increasingly good "paintings" being created entirely by computers that have been trained through "machine learning" algorithms.

Many of these works have been good enough that

1. I'd hang them on my wall and
2. If I didn't know they were created by AI, I would have easily believed it they were painted human artists.

These algorithms will continue to improve.  So, how are you going to ensure that you, as an artist, don't get replaced by a computer?

Time for a story.

Throughout the middle ages and, even later, alchemists tried valiantly to find a chemical process to turn lead into gold. Obviously, they failed.  Even modern science can't turn lead into gold.

But, through proper framing, through proper storytelling, we can make lead more valuable than gold, which is the end goal after all.

Don't believe me? Let me show you how proper framing can make even lowly iron more valuable than gold.

Consider this excerpt from the book Alchemy by Rory Sutherland:

In nineteenth-century Prussia, a glorious feat of alchemy saved the public exchequer, when the kingdom’s royal family managed to make iron jewellery more desirable than gold jewellery. To fund the war effort against France, Princess Marianne appealed in 1813 to all wealthy and aristocratic women there to swap their gold ornaments for base metal, to fund the war effort. In return they were given iron replicas of the gold items of jewellery they had donated, stamped with the words ‘Gold gab ich für Eisen’, ‘I gave gold for iron’. At social events thereafter, wearing and displaying the iron replica jewellery and ornaments became a far better indication of status than  wearing gold itself. Gold jewellery merely proved that your family was rich, while iron jewellery proved that your family was not only rich but also generous and patriotic.  [Emphasis Added]

Add Some Alchemy to Your Art

Purchasing art is not a logical, rational pursuit. It is a psychological pursuit.

People purchase art for a myriad of reasons beyond covering their walls. And, the way you frame your art with your story is of paramount importance. It will determine how much you sell. It will determine if you sell at all. And it will to a large degree, determine how much you can charge.

The time is coming when a computer can likely produce a painting as competent as any living artist.  And, if art was just about logically purchasing pretty pictures, that would be a big problem. But fortunately, art is about much more than that.  Art is as much about the story of the artist, and the meaning that story creates in the purchaser, as it is about the content of the artwork.

To protect yourself from being replaced by AI, double down on things AI can never do:  Spend time telling your human story. Be human. Be vulnerable. Be real.

Show us WHY you create as much as WHAT you create.

I'll leave you with another Rory Sutherland quote, "We don’t value things; we value their meaning. What they are is determined by the laws of physics, but what they mean is determined by the laws of psychology."

Until next time, please remember that Fortune Favors the Bold Brush.

Sincerely,

Clint Watson

BoldBrush/FASO Founder & Art Fanatic

PS - Learning to craft a great artful story is central to our BoldBrush Art Marketing Playbook.  Learn more at https://www.faso.com.