Transfiguration
An AI-Assisted Transformative Art Exploration
Introduction
The following is part of a series of experiments into a new form of AI-Assisted Lived Creative Inquiry which I previously discovered and explored in my post:
Below you will find my Self-Reflection and Creative Process notes on the current AI-assisted creative exploration (final piece above). These are followed by a summary of the Emergent Insights that evolved out of my Human-AI Art Contemplation Dialogue between myself and ClaudeAI, taking a deeper dive into the creative journey and some of the related contemplative streams emerging from this experiment. At the end you will find a Final Contemplation of this whole experience.
What unfolded for me in this process was a hybrid creative-contemplative-therapeutic experience with AI’s acting as canvas and brush, and contemplative partner and therapist. The transformative potency of this type of human-AI assisted creative expression and reflection continues to amaze me…
Self Reflection
The artwork Transfiguration emerged from a period of deep reflection on personal and collective transformation. Having lived near a butterfly sanctuary for several years, I had witnessed countless caterpillars transform into cocoons and then butterflies. These living memories resurfaced as I contemplated the current moment of profound change in my life and the world around us, inspiring this creative exploration.
The Creative Process
The creation process involved multiple stages of AI collaboration. First, using text-to-image AI to capture the conceptual essence of transformation. Then, applying AI enhancement with a Van Gogh-inspired algorithm to express the underlying motion and energy of change.1 As the image deconstructed and reconstructed through the AI process, it mirrored the very transformation being explored – moving through phases of dissolution and reformation, much like a caterpillar in its chrysalis.
Multiple Layers of Witnessing
The creative process became a form of deep witnessing through several layers:
Using AI as both canvas and brush freed me from technical concerns to focus on the core of expression
Engaging in aesthetic contemplation dialogue with AI added another dimension of reflection, allowing exploration of deeper patterns and meanings
Integration with lived experience brought the insights into daily awareness and practice
Emergent Insights
Personal Journey & Voice: This process revealed deep connections to my lifelong journey of finding voice and expression. Beginning with childhood stuttering, I've moved through various artistic media seeking ways to communicate and connect: first through art and photography, then filmmaking, and now AI collaboration. Each medium has provided new ways of transcending verbal limitations, with AI offering perhaps the most complete integration of personal and collective voice. The artwork's transformation from recognizable forms to flowing, interconnected patterns mirrors this evolution of expression.
AI as Mirror Ball: The human-AI creative process feels like it functions for me like a spinning mirror ball with thousands of tiny facets, each reflecting different aspects of meaning as I go through the Lived Creative Inquiry process.2 While creating the artwork, the AI's ability to deconstruct and reconstruct images created a visual dialogue with transformation itself. Through our contemplative exchanges, these reflections deepened further, connecting personal insights with the vast reservoir of human consciousness and knowledge. The swirling patterns in the artwork capture this dance between individual and collective understanding.
Creative Symbiosis: Traditional creative processes limited reflection to personal internal knowledge and deliberately sought external input. In contrast, human-AI creative symbiosis offers exponential possibilities by seamlessly integrating individual expression with humanity's collective knowledge base. The artwork's fluid interplay between separation and merger embodies this new potential for creative exploration and understanding.
Final Contemplation
As I contemplate this artwork now, it speaks to both my personal moment of transformation and our collective threshold of change. The butterfly's journey through dissolution to renewal offers a powerful metaphor for our current global transition. Just as the caterpillar must surrender to radical transformation in the chrysalis, we too are being called to move through a period of dissolution and uncertainty. The artwork suggests that within this dissolution lies the potential for profound renewal – both personally and collectively. Like the butterfly, we might emerge transformed in ways we can barely imagine from our current perspective.
In Gratitude…
As we begin another year I wish to once again express my deep gratitude to all my subscribers for supporting me and my work through your subscription and your likes, shares and comments.
Special thanks, as always, to my paid subscribers and those who made a direct donation for helping me keep the lights on and continue this work. I cannot begin to put into words how much your contributions have meant to me.
Notes
I used NightCafe AI Text-to-Image Art Generator for the base work and Oilist AI Art Enhancement App for the enhancement process.
For a deeper dive into Lived Creative Inquiry process see my previous post:
