I've been working on a new project—actually, an old one that I put down ages ago and recently picked back up. Apocalyptic and sci-fi images have always fascinated me. I read tons of sci-fi books and watch many films. The vistas and world-building that can be established with a single panorama, whether it’s an establishing scene or a book cover, always blow me away. These aren't just about setting the scene; they capture and cement the zeitgeist, drawing you back to revisit favorite fictional worlds again and again. Take "Earth 2," for example. I still don’t fully remember the plot of that series, but the world, its creatures, and the compelling camp-like setting with oddly European and sophisticated tech prefab buildings still linger in my memory, even though I found the plot a bit boring.

The origin of this most recent iteration of my deep dive into this genre is practical. I’m designing a tutoring landing page for my art teaching business. I want my student splash page to tell kids who I am by showcasing my recent years in Hong Kong and my ability to pick up new styles and techniques. It also makes a great first lesson, encouraging students to think about the creative process as a menu rather than a zero-sum game (good artist or bad artist, right way and wrong way). This approach also helps make my unconventional methods more intuitive. Students will see why they need these techniques because they will need them for this project.

One reason I love taking on these challenges as a teacher is that I become the student again. I have no idea how the masters in this field of art compose their works. The tools have changed radically with AI and digital painting tools, which I only partly know how to use. Yet, this pulls out my core learning toolbox:

• Researching the best artists in a style
• Diving into interviews, videos, and sketchbooks to analyze insights, patterns, and processes
• Creating my own process shortcuts
• Scouring how-to videos to learn the range of approaches, however cursory, until I get a good first iteration of my own.

OpenAI is an amazing tool for drafting but also raises concerns about plagiarism. It becomes a tool for compacting artist research into my ideation and drafting phases. This means I have to develop visual comparative search engine strategies I've never used before. Then, there are digital painting techniques, finding source photos to collage my first image to avoid accidental plagiarism, and reviewing how far I can go with borrowing in digital painting. A lot has changed in ten years, and it’s hard not to plagiarize at times.

So, one day in, I’m not just adapting old tricks and tools; I’m creating entirely new ones. The tools of self-taught artistry are hard-won. Everyone should take on the challenge of working in a new style and medium as an imitator every so often. It gets to the core set of learning skills that make us aware that the creative process is a series of choices and that working processes are things we can and must create for ourselves. I’ll post back with some results soon.