How to build an NFT series using AI (Part 6)
ICYMI: Chevy is feeding his original photos to an AI to create an NFT series (and documenting it all here). Follow on IG and Twitter for first looks.
Help!
I've fallen ass-backwards into meaning (and can’t get up).
Here’s what happened:
When I started this thing, I didn’t intend on taking any clear direction, or work to any particular theme. The point was to tinker.
I wasn't about to attach any meaning to the photographs I was helping create.
Nope! The plan was simple: find a style I liked and end up with 30 photographs to mint as NFTs. That was it.
But I quickly learned that if I wanted to end up with 30 photos I loved, I was going to have to create hundreds that were just kind of ’meh.’
And the more trial and error I went through, the more I started to recognize an overarching theme with everything that ol’ Billy Chadison was pumping out...
Fair warning: this is going to come off as either insane, painfully high concept, or both.
In fact, it’s pretty much a sci-fi dork’s wet dream.
…but you're talking to the guy who was hand-crafting replica lightsabers at 16 (instead of, idk, dating?), so it’s kind of fitting…
Here’s the concept I accidentally stumbled across:
What if, halfway through the last century, aliens landed on earth and gave us technology that just kind of…solved all of our problems?
It’s starting to feel like the photo’s Midjourney is spitting back at me are depicting that alternate future.
Wait - no, don’t leave - I swear I'm not crazy! Think about it:
The technology looks like it’s straight out of the 50’s/60’s, there are these alien looking deities in a bunch of the photos, and all of the humans look like they’re bored as hell.
Which would make sense in this world, because:
If technology had nowhere to progress, the look and feel of it would probably stay the same.
If aliens with god-like technology showed up on earth, some of us would definitely end up worshiping them.
And if there were no more problems left to solve, life would get kinda boring for us humans. Nothing would ever be that bad, nor would it be that good - it’d just be…fine.
👇 See what I'm getting at?
Now, here’s the problem I have with all of this:
That concept?
It’s starting to feel a lot like an attempt at analogy…an analogy to what we (in the real world) might be about to experience with artificial intelligence:
A (seemingly) alien intelligence coming along and solving all of our problems.
I know, I know - I'm just as disappointed with myself as you are.
This was meant to be a fun excuse to tinker - and it’s all of sudden become laden with dork-fueled meaning.
That’s on me.
The good news is: as of this writing, I've finished the series!
Tomorrow I’ll run you through the upscaling process.
Follow on Twitter and Instagram for first looks on each NFT release.
Want a chance to win a 1/1 NFT at release? Enter here.
P.S. Want to try making your own AI images?
Sign up to our newsletter and invite a friend using the referral code in the welcome email.
You’ll then be invited to our Discord, where you’ll get free access to Midjourney (the AI tool we’re using for this project).