How AI "Artists" are making money with Midjourney right now

Mango Street
30 Jun 202306:03

TLDRThe video discusses the impact of AI-generated art and its potential to disrupt traditional beauty ideals and the fixation on youth. It introduces a platform called Mid-journey for creating generative art and provides a step-by-step guide on how to use it, emphasizing the importance of descriptive prompts. The video also touches on the debate around the value of AI art, suggesting that while AI can be a useful tool for creativity, the true art lies in the human touch. Finally, it promotes Squarespace as a platform for selling art and managing online presence, highlighting its features like member areas and professional portfolios.

Takeaways

  • 🎨 The video discusses the impact of AI-generated images on the art and photography industry, challenging the notion that only a select few can create such content.
  • 🖌️ It introduces 'mid-journey', a subscription-based Discord platform for generative art, which is accessible and affordable, starting at $10.
  • 📸 The process of creating AI art involves being descriptive with prompts, specifying details like camera, lens, composition, and lighting to guide the AI.
  • 👵 The video uses the example of creating a series of images inspired by Iris Apple, an American fashion icon, to demonstrate the AI art creation process.
  • 🎨 The importance of experimentation with different variables in AI art creation is highlighted, such as color palettes and outfit changes.
  • 💡 The video suggests that AI-generated art can be a valuable tool for photographers and filmmakers, particularly for mood and storyboard creation.
  • 💰 It challenges the idea that AI art should command high prices, arguing that the value lies in the tools, not the artist's human touch.
  • 🛠️ The video promotes Squarespace as a platform for artists to showcase their work, sell prints, and manage their business online.
  • 🔗 Squarespace is presented as a long-term solution for the creators, with the video creators themselves being customers since 2013.
  • 🚀 The video encourages creators to use Squarespace's new member areas to monetize exclusive content like video classes and digital downloads.
  • 📅 Squarespace is also recommended for its ability to facilitate appointments and client meetings, making it easier for artists to manage their schedules.

Q & A

  • What was the initial reaction of the speaker when the lady looked back at them from the screen?

    -The speaker put down their pen and just sat watching her for a few minutes, intrigued by what she might be trying to communicate.

  • What discussion did the video spark in the speaker's home?

    -The video sparked a discussion about aging, beauty ideals, and the culture's fixation with youth.

  • How does the speaker feel about the work they want to exhibit?

    -The speaker feels passionate about the work they want to exhibit, as it reflects their views on the societal perceptions of aging and beauty standards.

  • What is the most impressive platform for generative art mentioned in the script?

    -The most impressive platform mentioned for generative art is Mid-journey, a subscription-based Discord server.

  • What is the basic plan pricing for Mid-journey?

    -The basic plan for Mid-journey starts at $10.

  • How does one become a 'prompt engineer' in the context of Mid-journey?

    -To become a prompt engineer, one needs to message the Mid-journey bot, type 'forward slash imagine', press enter, and then type a prompt to generate art.

  • What are some factors to consider when creating a prompt for generative art?

    -Factors to consider include the camera and lens, the image's colors, composition, lighting, and other stylistic preferences.

  • How does the speaker feel about the exclusivity of AI-generated art?

    -The speaker believes that the value of AI-generated art does not lie in the exclusivity of the human creator but in the tools used, and they see it as a starting point for creativity rather than the end product.

  • What is the role of AI in the creative process according to the speaker?

    -According to the speaker, AI is better served as a jumping-off point for creativity, helping in creating mood and storyboards, rather than being the final product.

  • How long has the speaker been a customer of Squarespace?

    -The speaker has been a Squarespace customer since 2013.

  • What are some features of Squarespace that the speaker finds beneficial?

    -The speaker finds features like selling access to gated content, showcasing photography with professional portfolios, customizing the layout and look, and scheduling and booking appointments from the website to be beneficial.

  • What is the special offer mentioned for new Squarespace customers?

    -New Squarespace customers can save $10 by going to squarespace.com/mangostreet or using the code 'Mango Street' at checkout.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 AI and Art: Challenging Beauty Ideals

This paragraph discusses the impact of AI-generated art on beauty ideals and cultural fixation with youth. The speaker shares a personal experience of watching a video of an elderly woman, which sparked a conversation about aging and societal standards of beauty. The paragraph highlights the commercial aspect of AI-generated images and introduces a platform called Mid-journey, where users can create their own generative art by becoming 'prompt engineers.' The speaker provides a step-by-step guide on how to use Mid-journey, emphasizing the importance of detailed prompts to achieve desired outcomes. The paragraph also touches on the ethical considerations of AI art, questioning the gatekeeping in the art world and advocating for the value of human creativity and storytelling over the use of tools.

05:01

💡 Squarespace for Creatives and Businesses

The second paragraph shifts focus to the practical applications of Squarespace for creators and businesses. It describes how Squarespace can be used to build professional websites, manage appointments, and sell digital products or access to exclusive content. The speaker shares their personal experience as a long-time Squarespace customer and promotes a special offer for new users. The paragraph emphasizes the ease of use and customization options available on Squarespace, making it an attractive choice for podcasters, photographers, and other creative professionals looking to establish an online presence and monetize their work.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Squarespace

Squarespace is a website building platform that provides templates, tools, and hosting for individuals and businesses to create and manage their online presence. In the context of the video, it is mentioned as a sponsor and is used to showcase how creators can use the platform to build their websites, sell products, and manage their content effectively.

💡AI generated images

AI generated images refer to visual content created using artificial intelligence algorithms that can produce original artwork based on given prompts or data inputs. In the video, this concept is discussed as a way for individuals to create and potentially profit from digital art, challenging the notion that only a select few can generate such content.

💡Mid-journey

Mid-journey is a platform for generative art, specifically a subscription-based Discord server, where users can interact with a bot to create AI-generated images by providing prompts. The video highlights this platform as a tool that makes the process of creating AI art accessible and affordable, starting at a basic plan of $10.

💡Prompt engineering

Prompt engineering is the process of crafting detailed and descriptive text inputs for AI systems to generate specific outputs, such as images, based on the given prompts. In the video, the term is used to describe the act of creating prompts for AI to produce images, emphasizing the importance of descriptive language to achieve desired results.

💡Beauty ideals

Beauty ideals refer to the culturally influenced standards of physical appearance that are considered attractive or beautiful. The video script mentions a discussion sparked about aging and beauty ideals, highlighting the cultural fixation with youth and how it can be challenged through different forms of media, such as AI-generated images.

💡Youth fixation

Youth fixation is an obsession with youthfulness and the belief that being young is inherently more desirable than aging. The video touches on this concept as part of a broader critique of societal norms, suggesting that AI-generated images can be a tool to question and redefine these norms.

💡Iris Apple

Iris Apple is an American fashion icon known for her unique and age-defying sense of style. In the video, she is used as an example to illustrate how AI-generated images can feature individuals who challenge conventional beauty standards, showcasing the potential of AI art to promote diversity and inclusivity.

💡Wes Anderson color palette

The Wes Anderson color palette refers to the distinctive and aesthetically pleasing color schemes often used in films directed by Wes Anderson, known for their vibrant and symmetrical compositions. In the context of the video, this color palette is suggested as a creative variation that can be applied to AI-generated images to give them a unique and stylistic look.

💡Combat boots

Combat boots are a type of footwear characterized by their sturdy and practical design, often associated with military wear or punk fashion. In the video, they are mentioned as a stylistic choice to add to the AI-generated images, demonstrating how small details can significantly alter the overall vibe and message of the artwork.

💡Squarespace site

A Squarespace site refers to a website created using Squarespace's platform, which offers a range of templates and customization options for various types of online content. In the video, the creators discuss uploading their AI-generated images to their Squarespace site to sell prints, showcasing how the platform can be utilized for e-commerce and online portfolio purposes.

💡Member areas

Member areas on a website are designated sections that provide exclusive content or services to registered or paying members. In the context of the video, Squarespace's new member areas feature is highlighted as a way for podcasters and content creators to monetize their work by offering access to premium content, such as video classes or digital downloads.

Highlights

The lady in the video sparked a discussion about aging, beauty ideals, and the cultural fixation with youth.

The video discusses the potential of AI-generated images and the misconception that only a select few can create them.

Mid-journey is introduced as an impressive platform for generative art, accessible through a subscription-based Discord server.

To use Mid-journey, users message the bot with a prompt, aiming to be as descriptive as possible to achieve the desired image.

The video uses Jonas Peterson's artwork as inspiration for creating an AI-generated series featuring a spunky old character.

Variations in the AI-generated images can be achieved by adjusting elements like color palette, lens type, and clothing.

The video suggests using the AI-generated images for creating mood boards and storyboards, rather than as a finished product.

The value of AI-generated art lies in the tools, not the human input, challenging the notion that it's worth thousands of dollars.

The video promotes Squarespace as a platform for selling prints, offering member areas, and showcasing portfolios.

Squarespace's features include customizable layouts, appointment scheduling, and easy client availability management.

The video creators have been using Squarespace since 2013 and currently maintain four websites on the platform.

A special offer is mentioned for new Squarespace customers, providing a discount with the code 'Mango Street'.

The video emphasizes the importance of traditional, human creativity and storytelling in art and photography.

AI technology is seen as a tool for enhancement rather than a replacement for human artists and creators.

The video concludes by encouraging people to make money the old-fashioned way, hinting at the value of hard work and genuine creativity.