As 2023 came to a close, I found myself searching for a new direction. Having spent decades leading retail design teams for large corporations, I realized I didn’t want to return to the world of endless meetings, travel, and emails that required me to delegate the creative work I love to others. This was a choice I had made as a young man assessing the financial risks of a fine arts career, but now it was time to pursue something more personal and meaningful.

By April of 2024, I had made the decision to rekindle my passion for making art in an intentional manner. I wanted to reconnect with the joy I had felt as an art student and to explore the potential of digital media and creative tools.

My initial foray into digital art was driven by experimentation and exploration. I approached AI tools by thinking of them as junior designers who were generating ideas that I could refine and build upon. I quickly realized that, while AI excels at generating options and sparking ideas, mastering its technical complexities wasn’t my ultimate goal. Instead, I wanted to harness its randomness and speed to expand my creative toolkit.

Early on, I realized that AI’s preference for familiar subjects drawn from its vast reference databases of drawings, paintings, and graphic styles made it difficult to leverage as a primary tool. I didn’t want to ‘generate’ artwork; I wanted to create something uniquely my own. To achieve this, I began layering digital photos, textures, and sketches to craft multilayered collages that blend different techniques.

Over time, my focus shifted toward a more painterly approach, revisiting the traditional techniques I had once studied while integrating the possibilities offered by digital tools.

As I continue this journey, I am learning to balance the technical demands of digital media with my desire for artistic expression. The process has been deeply rewarding, filled with moments of curiosity, discovery, and, yes, even frustration. But it has also reconnected me with a sense of joy I hadn’t felt in years.

Sharing my work with friends and family has been an important part of this process. Their feedback and encouragement provide accountability, pushing me to overcome challenges and continue climbing a steep learning curve. My ultimate goal is to develop a distinct approach that leverages the best of digital tools to create compelling and meaningful artwork.

This journey has reminded me of the power of returning to your passions, even after years away. Art, for me, has become more than a vehicle for expression, it is a way for me to reimagine how I approach challenges and convey ideas. As I move forward, I’m excited to keep exploring, experimenting, and evolving. The possibilities feel endless, and for the first time in a long while, I feel truly connected to my creative self.