Going beyond 'Making it Pretty'

For me, using AI isn’t about what the machine can spit out—it’s about what I can smuggle in. As a visual artist, I’ve spent years developing a sense of mood, tone, and texture that feels consistent to my aesthetic. If I don’t push that into the prompt—if I don’t twist the knobs until the output carries my fingerprints—it’s not art. It’s AI slop.

AI is a collaborator at best, but only if you wrestle it into your orbit. Otherwise, you’re just a spectator watching the machine riff on clichés.