Artists generally do not work from prompts

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We do not work from prompts

I find it strange that this hasn’t been emphasized more in all the writing about the artfulness of generated images – the vast majority of art is not created to satisfy a prompt. Even in fields where prompts are part of the process, artists are not expected to fulfill it word for word, changing their output according to specific terms. Professional designers are expected bring expert [conceptual labor] to bear on the task, not simply turn an executive’s words into image. As a designer, if you find yourself simply implementing the demands of the client, one by one, without applying your own judgement, that typically means relations have broken down beyond repair. Or take The Exhibit [xxxx], an MTV show in which contemporary artists competed for prize money and a prominent exhibition by making artwork according to a series of prompts. Here we can see an example of [[ locating ]] “artistry” or “artfullness” outside the bounds of a prompt. I mean this in the sense that what was being judged – and thereby valued – about the art and the artists was what they added to the theme that they were given. While “accuracy” to the prompt was part of the criteria, the prompts were themes, not descriptions of artworks. The work was not expected to look generally the same, with the best one being the most correct. That is how we interact with image generators, not art that we make ourselves. The most common exceptions are when we are making art as beginners, or to achieve a specific commercial goal, such as a competition.

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