July 26

The rain patters softly against my studio window, mirroring my subdued mood. On days like these, the urge to create seems to hibernate, tucked away like a dormant seed waiting for sunlight. Yet, even in this grey stillness, my mind continues its relentless churning of ideas.

Flipping through my journal from early last year, I’m transported back to those first bewildering encounters with AI-generated art. The images it produced based on my old college collages were a curious blend of beauty and unease. It was as if the AI had peered directly into the psychological underpinnings of my work, extracting not just form but the very essence of my subconscious musings.

This experience reminds me of the Surrealists and their pioneering work in automatism¹. André Masson, in particular, comes to mind. He once said:

“Automatic drawing has become for me a perfect method to explore the subterranean life of forms, to follow its windings and detours, to penetrate the secrets of its network, to discover its pulse and hidden rhythm.”²

How I resonate with these words now! The process of automatic drawing has become my compass, guiding me through the labyrinth of my own psyche. Each stroke of the pen, each splash of paint, is a step further into uncharted territory.

Yet, as I delve deeper into these explorations, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m uncovering something far more significant than mere personal insights. There’s a weight to these discoveries, a sense of urgency that I still struggle to fully articulate.

For now, I’ll let the rain wash away my hesitations. Tomorrow, I’ll return to my drawing board with renewed purpose, ready to see what further revelations await.

• Automatism in art refers to creating work without conscious thought, allowing the unconscious mind to take control. This technique was particularly favoured by Surrealist artists as a means of accessing deeper layers of the psyche.

• André Masson (1896-1987) was a French artist associated with Surrealism. He was known for his automatic drawings and paintings, which sought to express the unconscious mind.