The future is here.
You’ve seen the rise of AI hitting the media over the last year or two, certainly a topic that’s ramped up over the last few months.
From text and voice generation and creating award-winning pieces of art, we’re truly living in an age of unprecedented technological advancement, and the art world is no exception.
Innovations like 3D printing, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence are transforming how artists create – as well as what they can create – making it possible for us to experience art in ways we never imagined before.
From museums to galleries to individual studios, these advancements have opened up a whole new realm of creative possibilities that shape the way we engage with art from here on out.
In this article, we’ll explore just some of the innovations currently revolutionizing the art scene and beyond. So read on to learn more about how technology reshapes our view of creativity!
Back in 2022, Jason M. Allen won the Colorado State Fair Emerging Digital Artist Award with a stunning piece titled “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial,” which you can find below.
The crux of this was that the piece was actually computer-generated using text prompts via a Discord application known as Midjourney.
Midjourney is a controversial AI tool that allows users to use a /imagine command followed by whatever text prompt they want to generate images.
This article’s header was generated using it simply by typing “/imagine an illustration of a computer creating art.”
Love it or hate it, this is just one of the ways the art world is being transformed by technology, and we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible in terms of innovation and the future.
Innovation bridges past, present, and future, allowing us to explore ideas beyond our wildest dreams.
It’s been around for centuries, from early inventions such as printing presses and steam engines to modern-day technological advances such as robotics and artificial intelligence.
Put simply, innovation is any idea or concept which introduces something novel or improves upon existing processes. Innovations are often seen as revolutionary because they challenge traditional ways of thinking and doing things.
This innovative mindset drives progress forward; without it, we would remain stuck in place with no room for growth or development.
Those who embrace innovation can stay ahead of the curve and find creative solutions to complex problems – setting themselves up for success now and in the future. With this in mind, let’s focus on digital technology in the arts.
Digital technology already revolutionized the art world decades ago, thanks to the rise of Photoshop, GIMP, sharing photography, and digital pattern generators.
Even today, millions of people use digital solutions to create artwork, display it online, share it with a global audience, and even sell it in virtual auctions.
We can now bring our artistic visions to life quickly and cost-effectively – something that would have been impossible just a few years ago.
Today’s digital tools are incredibly powerful, allowing artists to manipulate their images in previously impossible ways.
We can adjust colors and contrast levels, add layers of effects or textures, warp shapes, and transform imagery into entirely new forms.
You can literally create anything you can imagine from a blank page.
When we talk about digital technology, however, most people think of it in its most basic form.
Art software platforms like Adobe. Graphics and drawing tablets. Animation software.
While impressive, this is only the baseline of where we’re at right now, as we’ll explore during the rest of this guide.
Technologies like augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) are having a profound effect on the art world.
These technologies are continuously offering new ways to experience art while increasing engagement by allowing viewers to interact with it in an immersive environment.
This has opened up limitless possibilities for artists, who can now create interactive experiences that are more engaging than ever before.
Just take a look at these art projects for yourself;
The AR/VR revolution has made it easy for museums, galleries, and other institutions to display art digitally without shipping physical artwork around the country or even internationally.
By creating digital environments that simulate real-life galleries, these organizations can easily share their collections with people worldwide at any time of day, even from the comfort of their own homes.
This is big, and is much more likely to get people engaged in the art world when they can see what’s possible.
Ah, the future.
A time when technology has made it possible for artists to hawk their wares from the comfort of a laptop!
No longer do painters and sculptors have to brave the elements in search of potential buyers; now, they can simply log onto one of many online platforms and, voila! Start raking in those all-important sales.
The opportunities seem endless – but how much good is all this tech really doing?
For starters, these platforms often come with hefty fees attached.
Etsy is perhaps the biggest platform for selling art and homemade crafts, and they even charge a 6.5% fee which comes from your earnings.
If you’re selling a digital service, like offering commission artwork through freelancing marketplaces like Fiverr or Upwork (which are best for commercial projects), you’re looking at fees of 20%.
However, with plenty of platforms out there, regardless of fees, this does mean there’s a ton of new markets for creators to see their work, and it’s still likely to get more attention than hosting their work in traditional venues, such as galleries.
Then again, while there are many fantastic artists producing fantastic work, there are also many aspiring artists and scams where the quality is simply not there. That’s the problem with anyone being able to post anything online.
This has caused an overwhelm of content to flood the online space, creating a market where it’s incredibly difficult for people to find what they’re looking for, and legitimate good content can be pushed to the side.
The jury is still out on whether digital selling options truly benefit artists in terms of financial gain – so far, there’s no clear consensus either way.
What is certain, however, is that these technologies represent a fundamental shift in how people view art consumption and buying behavior.
Social media has revolutionized the way people interact with art.
Just look at Instagram.
It enabled artists to connect directly with fans, curators, and other creatives without the need for a middleman, giving everybody the ability to share their work with potentially millions of people.
As a result, there’s been an explosion of creativity in this space as more and more creators share their work on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, with a ton of art-based platforms popping up, like Sketchfab, Deviant Art, and ArtStation.
The power of social media is such that it can be used to start conversations about issues facing the arts sector today.
People can now share stories from all over the world about marginalized voices being heard and celebrated through art – something which wouldn’t have been possible before.
Additionally, many organizations are using social media as a platform to draw attention to causes they’re passionate about, finding new ways to engage with audiences outside of traditional channels.
From crowdfunding campaigns raising money for projects to virtual gallery shows allowing viewers worldwide to see artwork online – these technologies have made art accessible in ways we never could’ve imagined just a decade ago.
You’ve probably heard of the blockchain, probably in the form of cryptocurrency and NFTs.
So we’re on the same page, blockchain technology has a distributed ledger system that enables secure and transparent transactions to take place while providing a unique platform for creative expression.
Through the use of tokens, artists can now create new forms of digital artwork that are stored on a shared public database, immutably secured and verified through smart contracts.
For artists, this means they can directly monetize their work without having to rely on intermediaries or traditional methods of payment.
Blockchain-based platforms provide an unprecedented level of transparency in terms of who owns what piece of artwork, making it easier to authenticate and track ownership rights.
Furthermore, since these platforms are decentralized and trustless, users have more control over sharing and managing their artwork with others.
Of course, the fleeting rise of NFTs came from this.
People creating unique works of art to ride the hype of the new technology made some people millions, but this industry is undoubtedly chaotic at best.
As such, it’s clear that blockchain technologies will continue to shape the future landscape of commerce and creativity alike.
In conclusion, innovation is a driving force that has forever changed the art world – and beyond. We’ve seen how digital technology, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, crowdfunding platforms, social media networks, blockchain technology, and video games are all transforming the way we create and experience art.
Imagining an artist of the future brings to mind someone with their finger on the pulse of multiple disciplines: from coding to storytelling, from engineering to drawing, and from music production to 3D printing.
It’s an exciting time for artists and creatives alike as they explore new technologies and find ways to incorporate them into their work to push boundaries even further than before.
It can sometimes be overwhelming, but it also offers us unparalleled opportunities.
The sky is no longer the limit – our imaginations will take us places never thought possible just a few years ago. Innovation has given rise to endless possibilities for creativity which have already transformed the art world – now let’s see what lies ahead!
