Memory and Truth
I’m reminded constantly these days that memory and truth are not immutable. One of the first lessons one learns when taking up photography is that capturing a fraction of a second in an image does not represent truth. It is just a moment in time. It is equally true that memories are liable to change by the very act of recall. Life, love, past deeds whether heroic or dastardly get rewritten in time.
By the same token tools used by artists do not define the validity of the work created. Art is not in the expert use of tools but the ideas brought forward by the artist. New methods of working, even AI automated tools are not the death of human creativity. They are just another way of working.
Technical skills such as drawing are sometimes said to represent art. It seems to me that art is much more that dexterous tool use. I’m careful not to define my images as art. However someone using the same tools could produce art. It’s all about intention.
