Art Archives - Taryn Tyler

September 22, 2023September 22, 2023

Can AI Create Art?

Intelligence

A flickering screen with words typed from

knowledge in a chip.

My mind’s ability seems obsolete

compared to its hip,

quick clicks, and artificial information

made of binary

synthesis, but machines will never learn

to write poetry.

I wrote this poem many years ago in college (2010 I think). AI was already in use, but it was not nearly as prominent as it is today. AI can do a lot of things, including mimicking poetry and other art forms. But is it really writing poetry?

There are many discussions on whether or not the use of AI is ethical. It takes jobs from human creatives. However, even apart from the ethical concerns, AI simply cannot create poetry or any other form of art.

What is Poetry?

“Poetry”, according to romantic poet William Wordsworth, is “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings; it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.” (Lyrical Ballads, Preface) Poetic devices such as rhyme, alliteration, and meter patterns have fallen in and out of fashion over the years but, at its core, poetry is human expression. The poet is expressing a piece of themselves to the reader or listener and the reader or listener finds something meaningful in sharing that experience with the poet.

Art is not merely an image or words strung together in a certain way. Art, from the Latin artem, is a skill or a craft. Skill and craft are both words referring to the process not the end result.

This is why nineteenth-century French philosopher, Victor Cousin coined the phrase “L’art pour l’art” or “art for art’s sake”. True art has never been about the end result. It has always been about the process.

There are many ways to define art, but intention and expression are always an integral element. The act of creation cannot be separated from the creation itself and the act of creation cannot be separated from human emotion.

According to D’arcy Hayman, “Art is the essence of that which is human; it is the embodiment of the human experience and goal.” (The Arts and Man, A World View of the Role and Functions of the Arts in Society). Ultimately, Art reaches beyond the body and physical needs of the human race in search of a deeper existence. It is the scream of humanity. Pieces of ourselves reaching out to be heard.

To put it in simpler terms “We read to know we are not alone.” (Shadowlands, 1994) We experience art in order to experience one another.

Can AI Create Poetry?

How then can a poem written by an unfeeling computer mean anything at all? There is no connection to another human being (or lifeform or even consciousness), no emotion pouring out from one soul to another. It might have all the same pieces as a poem, but it is essentially meaningless. A computer cannot feel or express. It can produce a product, but it cannot create art

That isn’t to say a poem assimilated by AI cannot invoke emotion. On the contrary, many do. A reader might not be able to even tell it apart from a poem by a living (or once living) poet. And if it is indistinguishable from art is it not art?

In a way, everyone who experiences a piece of art is part artist because we each experience it in our own way and thus participate in its creation. We bring our own experiences to the art and interpret it accordingly. In that sense, art is a catalyst for feelings and the reader, the viewer, or the listener, is the true artist. Cannot art -poetry- by a computer be used in this way? A bridge that connects people without needing to be created by anyone at all? It still invokes feelings. It still shows us that we are not alone. Could AI be the scream of humanity? An imitation of ourselves that we now strive to imitate?

Not every poem assimilated by a poetry program, however, can invoke emotions. The poems assimilated must be sorted through and gleaned for meaning. In that sense, they could perhaps be called pieces of found art. Something a human found meaning in and chose to showcase. It can still connect us, and it can still enrich our lives, but the computer is never the artist. It is only a tool like a paintbrush or a blender.

A computer can be programmed to imitate art but it will never be the artist. It could be argued that the programmer is the artist but the programmer only assimilated the tool. The program itself requires the works of hundreds and thousands of past writers. Anything created by AI was created by every single artist whose work was used to create the program. All it can do is mimic what has come before. It cannot create anything new.

Creative Innovation and Imagination

Art will suffocate if nothing new is added to the mix. According to Phillip Sydney and many other philosophers, Art is a teacher. We create from imagination in order to envision what could be. This is both why art is so important to society and a big reason why it cannot be created by a computer. A computer can only copy patterns. It can only mimic what is. It cannot innovate. It cannot dream of things that have never been.

Art is an important tool to escape conformity and improve society ( Hayman) It is the genetic variation in the evolution of society. True art is born of chaos. How then can an orderly program be expected to create it? Without innovation, it will only ever be a pantomime of art.

AI might be used to help create poetry, but it cannot replace the poet. It has no investment in or comprehension of what it is assimilating. If the computer never feels or understands the words it is stringing together it cannot be true expression or creation. It cannot be poetry. It cannot be art.

AI does not necessarily need to be abolished in the creative world, but it is important that we use, and more importantly consume, it ethically. A computer does not need to be fed but an artist -a poet- does. An artist (or multiple artists) is still needed to create. There just isn’t a substitute for human emotion and imagination in creative work. A human (or feeling entity) will always be needed to create art.

February 29, 2020April 16, 2024

Keeping the Human Spirit Alive Through Romanticism

Romanticism. The word might inspire thoughts of roses and candlelight. Long walks in the countryside or lyrical prose. Perhaps it puts you in mind of someone who is out of touch with reality or who caves in to their emotions too readily.

Romanticism was an intellectual movement at the beginning of the nineteenth century that has greatly impacted our literature and media. It is often associated with idealism and “softening” harsh truths, but true romanticism invites us to embrace darkness right along with the light. It is a philosophy that seeks beauty and depth in all experiences and encourages us to embrace life with complete abandon.

Romanticism was birthed at the beginning of the nineteenth century right at the onset of the industrial revolution. Rural life, which had remained more or less the same for centuries, was turned upside down as people moved to cities for jobs in factories. The familiar world of tending the land gave way to standardized time and machines. People who were used to spending large amounts of time outside were now cooped up indoors for long hours completing repetitive tasks. Philosophies such as utilitarianism gained popularity as things -and people-were valued based on their usefulness and efficiency.

Romanticism was a counter culture to this new way of life. It emphasized nature and emotions and doing things for the sake of doing them rather than for a practical purpose.

The romantic poets, who were the major forerunners of the movement along with painters and musicians, were like rock stars in their time. Most of them died early deaths from their passionate, aimless lifestyle but they were able to capture the intensity of the human spirit in their work and inspire not only the people of their own time but generations of people after their deaths.

There are several components to their philosophy that allowed them to capture this spirit. One of which was the celebration of nature.

Gothic novels from the romantic era, paintings, and romantic poems are littered with rich, elaborate depictions of lakes and trees and birds. The romantics believed that nature was a soothing and therapeutic source but they also celebrated the darker components of nature. Earlier generations often saw nature as a dangerous reality that must be conquered but to the romantics a deadly storm or hungry beast could still be beautiful.

Caspar David Friedrich’s “Wanderer above the Fog” is a perfect example of how the romantics depicted dangerous pieces of nature as beautiful and awe inspiring.

“Wanderer Above the Fog” by Casper David Friedrich

Monster’s, both real and supernatural, were also depicted as fascinating, awe inspiring, and sometimes even sympathetic. Both Dracula from Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster from Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein are described in fascinating and tantalizing detail. Frankenstein’s monster (or Frankenstein Jr.) is even described with sympathy. He is not monstrous by nature but a tragic hero who is pushed into murder and terror by an ostrosizing society.

This idea of romanticizing darkness is often misunderstood by today’s generation. Our minds are so trained to label things as “good” or “bad” that the idea of seeing beauty in something harmful is hard for us to comprehend. It is, however, the very act of embracing things that we fear that gives us the power to overcome them.

This is illustrated when Van Helsing, the man who studies vampires, is the only one with enough knowledge to defeat Dracula. Similarly, depicting Frankenstein’s monster as a tragic hero does not condone his murderous deeds. Rather it serves as a caution for us to consider the pain we inflict when we osterosize and be more aware of what path we may be heading down when we find ourselves ruminating against those who have harmed us.

It is in our nature to be drawn to frightening things. Romanticism acknowledges this. This is not the same as calling them “good” or pretending that these things are safe. On the contrary, the acknowledgement of the allure of darkness allows us to explore ourselves and our world with more depth so that we can understand them more. With understanding comes the tools we need to overcome.

Another way the romantics explore this need for acknowledging the darkness is through their emphasis on emotions. William Woodsworth called poetry an “overflow of powerful feeling.” (Lyrical Ballads) Some such contemplations feature happy, listless feelings but many feature dark emotions or, more frequently, a combination of dark and light emotions that more accurately represent the human experience.

Keats’ “Ode to a Nightingale” is one such poem in which Keats – who lived much of his short life knowing that he was dying of consumption- lauds the beauty of a bird’s song in comparison to his painful and fading life. The beauty of the song reminds him of his plight and serves as a wake up call to reality.

Forlorn! the very word is like a bell
To toll me back from thee to my sole self!

And yet the beauty of the song also reminds him of his own spirit. The piece of him that recognizes the beauty of the song and fills him with longing.

Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!
No hungry generations tread thee down

Emotion is not something that is regulated in romanticism. It is not controlled or fought against. It is embraced. Experienced. Chased. It is let loose in passionate declarations of love, perilous journeys through storms, and dark laments of despair. Emotion cannot be harnessed or manufactured by a machine in a factory. Rather it is a wild and beautiful part of the human experience that cannot and should not be tamed.

This belief in intense emotions was one of the ways the romantics manifested their belief in keeping the human spirit alive. Particularly the spirit of the “common man”. They were hearty supporters of the French Revolution because of their admiration of commoners who stood up to the aristocracy. This is depicted most clearly in Robbie Burns’ “A Man for A that”, a poem written in beautiful Scottish vernacular declaring that any man, no matter how poor, is still a man.

Is there for honest Poverty
That hings his head, an’ a’ that;
The coward slave – we pass him by,
We dare be poor for a’ that!

This unapologetic celebration of the common man is in direct opposition to one concept that is often mistakenly associated with romanticism: Idealism.

We often associate the word “romantic” as being out of touch with reality or imposing unrealistic expectations on a person or situation. In actuality the idea that there is a perfect mean that should be conformed to has more to do with classicism than romanticism.

While the Greeks and Romans sought perfection and symmetry in their art the romantics sought to depict what is. To the romantics imperfections are beautiful because they are a part of the truth and truth, not appearance, is most valued. The reality of what is, not the ideal of what should be, is what they strive to embrace and understand.

This is most succinctly expressed in Keats’ poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn”. In the ode he admires an ancient Urn from Greece. His admiration, however, is not for its perfect shape and pure white color but for how it cannot be altered by time. This unalterability is reverent to him in a world that is constantly changing. He ends the ode with the line

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

The romantic ideal is to embrace reality, to revel in it and see the beauty in it. This is why they write so seductively of darkness and savor even their most brooding thoughts and emotions. Romanticism is not a glorification of darkness nor is it a blind belief in pretty ideals. Romanticism is to chase life with complete abandon, to embrace every moment of it and revel in the irrepressible fire of the human spirit.

At the onset of the 21st century we find ourselves once again at a crossroads in how we live our lives. The digital age, like the industrial revolution, has greatly altered the ways in which we earn a living and how we interact with each other on a daily basis. Bars and public houses have given way to social media and online forums as sources of gossip, information, and social interaction. Large portions of our days are now filled with spreadsheets, org charts, statistics, averages, templates, and autocorrect. So much that cold, detached words like “longevity” are now used to describe our relationships with friends and family while we are constantly encouraged to look for ways to “optimize” our lives as if it were a computer program.

For all the conveniences and mobility this digital world has given us it can leave us feeling detached or even deficient for not adhering to the statistics we read or being able to perform with the uniform precision of a computer. We stare at our devices, not living out the promise of possibility and connection, but out of touch with the reality around us. Numb. Strangers to ourselves and to each other and unable to face or acknowledge the inevitable darkness in our lives.

It is time for a new romantic era. Don’t let statistics and averages shape who you are. Chase the things that scare you. Explore your emotions without judgement. Look around you and appreciate, savor, and embrace the things that are. Find the beauty in each moment. Because you -the common man, woman, or anything in between-matter and your spirit deserves to be kept alive.

Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!

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September 10, 2019October 18, 2021

The Vulnerability and Authenticity of Poetry: A Case Study With Cesar Yuriar

I first encountered Cesar’s poetry at the Lyrical Exchange open mic at Queen Bees in North Park San Diego. Attending an open mic is a bit like taking the pulse of a city. Dozens of vulnerable artists stand up in front of you and lay their souls at your feet. To be mocked. To be loved. To be understood. And –with any luck –to help you feel more understood. To connect. To be real. It’s a direct channel to the city’s heart. Why it beats and why it bleeds.

This is true with any performance art be it music, comedy, dance, or theater. Each is a unique and beautiful expression of the human soul but listening to someone read or recite their poetry in front of a live audience is particularly raw and intimate.

Perhaps because there is not the safety of fiction, humor, or melody for the poet to hide behind. Perhaps because poetry is so unmarketable that any thoughts of fame or fortune must be banished from the poet’s motivation. Regardless of the reason, having someone trust you with the words in their heart –not on paper or screen with time and distance to protect them but right there, in that room, at that moment –is a true honor.

Not all the poetry you hear at an open mic is good mind you. Not in the literary or performance arts sense. It doesn’t always have clear cadence or distinctive metaphors. Still, it’s a piece of a person who is willing to stand up and share and that by itself is beautiful.

Sometimes, however, –often even –the poetry you hear is masterfully crafted poetry in the literary and performance arts sense as well as the raw, vulnerable sense, and that’s when the real magic happens. These are the jewels that stay with you for weeks or even months after they have been performed.

What puts magic in poetry? It’s hard to say. Each poet –each poem really –has it’s own unique rhythm and flavor. Any rule you try to ascribe will quickly be discredited by an example of when it was broken successfully. There are no, and never will be, any rules to art. Art is anarchy. It is authenticity. It is a willingness to give up anything you think you know and experience life as if for the first time every day. It is abandon. It is surrender.

Still, one can abstract what one loves about a particular poem or poet in an attempt to understand what makes it it’s own unique kind of magic.

In spoken word or performed poetry there are two elements: the presentation and the poem itself. The performance is equally as important as the poem if not more. Some spoken word poets don’t even call their pieces poems. They call them scripts or simply pieces. These pieces don’t necessarily contain any of the traditional poetic devices like alliteration or simile (although, of course, they can). They tend to be more direct with a repetitive rhythm and many spoken word poets have a background in rap or hip-hop. Each word is conveyed with emotion and conviction like an actor’s monologue with an emphasis on engaging and entertaining the audience. A good performance can be downright sobering to watch as the poet takes you with them into every crevice of their piece.

I was drawn to Cesar’s poetry because it contained many of the elements from traditional poetry that I love, like lyrical phrasing and obscure metaphors, while still maintaining the directness that lends itself so well to performance. His work deals largely with themes of love and mental health with deep echoes of longing for connection and healing. He wrote his first poem in high school when he entered a deep depression after almost becoming a father. Traces of “what if” and “what could have been” still make appearances in his pieces today.

In Amanda Palmer’s book The Art of Asking she talks about how artists create with pieces of themselves. You are the raw material of your art but the degree to which you blend and puree that raw matter before sending it out into the world is up to you. Cesar says his work his mostly just him with only a moment or two in the blender before it is released. Perhaps that is another element to the charm of his work. His openness in relaying his own struggles in the hope that they might help others face theirs.

After all, isn’t that what artists have been doing for centuries? Giving voice to the things that keep us up at night. Speaking the truths that we don’t dare tell our parents and bosses and sometimes even our friends to remind us that we are not alone. That we are all human. That at the core we are all fighting the same monsters and none of us are instagram perfect.

The best poetry gives us permission to be broken along with the freedom to heal. It finds beauty in the darkness instead of trying to hide it so that we can become strong enough to create our own light. Our own magic.

A beautiful example of this comes from one of Cesar’s poetic heroes, T.S. Elliot. Elliot’s poetry about his life as a bisexual helped Ceasar come to realize and accept that he himself was pansexual. This is a brave thing to own about yourself even today but in Elliot’s time the stigma was far more universal and pockets of acceptance were much harder to find. Writing about his sexuality and then proceeding to publish what he had written was nothing short of heroism and Cesar is not the only person who I’ve spoken with who has found it easier to be themselves because of Elliot’s work. My first girlfriend admired Elliot for the same reason.

In the end it all goes back to the rawness that even the “bad” poetry has at a reading. Without that underlying current of vulnerability and authenticity none of the metaphors or rhythms or even stellar performances have any real meaning. Without the feeling and honesty behind the words they are only sounds. It is the humanity that makes them magic. It is me. It is you. It is us.