/imagine
As the world shifts becomes more invested, interested, and dependent on Artificial Intelligence, it will become critical to understand intimately the way it works and how its power can be best utilized to suit the needs of creatives.
With growing concern that it will be used to replace roles, how can creatives harness it as a tool rather than a competitor?
Using Midjourney, I began this deep space exploration by trying to better understand how the technology worked. I decided to limit my prompts to include the same subject. This allowed me to really focus on what the tool was doing and the assumptions it was making.
Introducing the brave little AI-stronaut.
01
“An astronaut stands in a greenhouse at golden hour surrounded by tropical green plants.”
NOTE: The arched doorway was an interesting decision—perhaps inspired by the rounded shapes usually associated with spacecrafts.
02
“An astronaut stands at the helm of a wooden pirate ship during a storm.”
NOTE: I assumed it would take a typical astronaut and put them on a pirate ship. It clearly was unable to do that and instead hybridized that with a steampunk sea captain.
03
“A macro image of a toy astronaut stands in a scene made of legos.”
NOTE: Though the prompt was to have a scene made of LEGOs, the program still rendered what looks like a sandy lunar surface.
04
“A macro image of a toy astronaut in standing on a pile of legos in primary colors. the astronaut is holding a small plastic flag in one hand.”
NOTE: By giving more detail, I was able to get what could easily be identified as a LEGO Minifigure, though the rocky surface was still rendered.
05
“A minimal 3D image of an astronaut made of silver covered in diamonds floating against a simple white background.”
NOTE: This render was the closest to what I had in mind so far. The decision to have some of the diamonds floating next to the astronaut was interesting—perhaps it pulled reference that had stars?
06
“A weathered stone covered in moss with a simple line carving of an astronaut on it.”
NOTE: I assumed it would draw something more like a stick figure, but instead it rendered a relief carving. Again the circle motif was included.
07
“An astronaut drawn in the style of a scientific exploration illustration on old parchment.”
NOTE: It did an impressive job on the line-work of the illustration. I think the quick drawing of Earth was a magnificent decision.
08
“An astronaut in an 80's film style stands on a neighborhood street with a retro bicycle.”
NOTE: Unsurprisingly a moon was rendered in the sky, but the color palette is very much pulled from the 80s.
09
“A synthwave astronaut playing the trumpet.”
NOTE: This one seemed to be a particular challenge. It had to reconcile how an astronaut would play a trumpet through their helmet and the idea of integrating it into the structure of the helmet was a brilliant solution rather than having them (dangerously) lift the visor.
10
“A vintage black-and-white photograph of an astronaut selling newspapers on a new york city street in 1920.”
NOTE: Though he or she is not “selling” the newspapers—per se—the render is very close to the prompt. The car is a wonderful addition for a reference to the time period, but the exploration on type is very interesting.
11
“An astronaut floating in a martini glass with an olive in the shape of the moon.”
NOTE: Not at all what I was expecting from this prompt, but I love the way it integrated the moon shape into the curve of the glass.
12
“A stained-glass image in a cathedral of an astronaut.”
NOTE: It clearly pulled religious iconography in its exploration of this concept. The removal of the helmet replacement with a traditional halo is excellent.
13
“A child's drawing of an astronaut in crayon on a piece of white paper taped to a refrigerator in a kitchen with dramatic lighting.”
NOTE: Adorable.
14
“A theatre performance with beautiful ballerinas on stage. In the center of the group is an astronaut wearing a tutu.”
NOTE: It was unable to render the astronaut wearing a tutu, but shape of the stage’s proscenium is clearly indicative of the window of a spaceship. That paired with the planet-like orbs in the sky and the galaxy on the backdrop is an excellent combination of themes.
15
“A high-fashion photograph of an astronaut in a helmet wearing expensive jewelry.”
NOTE: My first encounter with a bias. By giving it a prompt related to fashion, it determined the astronaut was female. The style is very high-fashion and the orb on the side of the helmet is almost earth-like.
16
“An astronaut plush sits on a retro sofa with warm light coming in though a window.”
NOTE: Possibly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. It is interesting to note that its idea of a plush is clearly a teddy bear. Also, the rounded edges of the window are very aeronautical.
17
“An astronaut made out of plants in the middle of a perfect garden.”
NOTE: It is interesting it could not render the astronaut out of plants like a topiary. The circle is very evident here, perhaps a moon reference. The composition lends itself to the idea of “perfection.”
18
“An astronaut wedding cake topper.”
NOTE: Very clearly a cake-topper. Obviously, it determined one character should be male and the other female, but it did this by changing the proportions to be more traditionally feminine.
19
“The reflection of a giant cat in the helmet of an astronaut.”
NOTE: I suppose I didn’t specify that the helmet would still be attached to the astronaut, but I think it’s amazing that it gave the cat it’s own spacesuit.
20
“A video game where an astronaut must save a cat from a large tree.”
NOTE: It would be unusual for a video game character to hide their face, so it made that a part of the design. The art style and palette are very similar to concept art that may be released alongside a game.
21
“A video game where an astronaut must save a cat from a tree in a pixel style.”
NOTE: I am impressed at the way it could render something so complex using such a simple medium. It seems there’s a logo in the bottom-right?
22
“An astronaut holding an umbrella standing on an empty city street in the rain with a bokeh background and city lights.”
NOTE: It was unable to give him or her an umbrella perhaps because there isn’t any source material for such a prompt. The lighting, rain, and composition are perfect.
23
“A steampunk astronaut in a large aquarium surrounded by treasure and gold coins. The lighting is dramatic coming from the aquarium.”
NOTE: I assumed it would put the figure in front of the tank as if it was an aquarium building, but my lack of specificity put them inside it. The lighting and treasure create a wonderful visual composition,
24
“A muppet astronaut sits on a log in the forest holding a small banjo with the sun overhead.”
NOTE: The texture on the character is incredible. It is interesting that it gave them a face, but perhaps not unsurprising if the reference images all had one.
25
“A simple logo combining an astronaut and a magnifying glass.”
NOTE: As I thought about this as a series, I wondered it if could create a logo. I love the use of orange and circle behind them and the tiny piles of dirt are both motifs that showed up through all this work.