The Creative Shift : Digital Art.

Several years ago, I was a firm believer that visual art, outside of the realm of film, had to be meticulously created by physical elements on tangible, physical mediums. This stance grew even stronger as NFTs gained immense popularity in the art world. I began to see digitally created works as merely a product designed for business rather than as genuine art forms. While I certainly recognized that there was undeniable skill involved in the intricate creating process on applications like Photoshop, InDesign, and Procreate, I just didn’t feel like the end results could truly be classified as art in the traditional sense.

My unique definition of art is something that communicates directly to my very being and resonates deeply within me. It wasn’t until I took a moment to step back and deliberately reframe my appreciation for the intricate ways logos appeared and how thoughtfully posters were designed that I truly began to realize that I was feeling the same joyful sensations as I did while looking at a beautiful painting. The way my mind enthusiastically processes the composition and layout of a striking magazine cover is remarkably similar to how I immerse myself in the experience of exploring a captivating sculpture.

Then I learned about typography.

That pushed me fully into the camp of appreciating and understanding that I no longer felt quite the same way about digital art as I once did in the past. The psychology behind choosing the right typeface for a specific situation is deeply fascinating and remains a captivating aspect of design. In my shift of perspective and understanding of digital applications as an exciting new outlet form, I have become increasingly humbled by the ever-evolving creative process. Digital illustration, poster and merchandise design, along with the millions of type options available to creatively convey messages that I have only known how to express through physical media in the past, has truly driven me into an entirely new and exhilarating area of creativity.

In short, utilizing technology as an additional tool to further enhance my creative pursuits has been incredibly fun and enjoyable, and I genuinely hope to nurture and cultivate that exhilarating feeling going forward into the future.

My job as an artist is to allow myself space to not only think critically but adapt to new information and act accordingly. That includes broadening my insight and perspective to expand what art is to me on a personal level and use it as opportunity to grow out of old concepts that no longer serve my current creative pursuits. Like my shift in using digital tools to grow my creative output, I have also grown from being anxious and worried about Artificial Intelligence and it’s threat to art to full embracing its capabilities to mentally offload structured plans so I can reshift my energy into being spent more on my art and less on my executive function

As always, ‘til next time,

-AF