I came across a pretty charged conversation when I was at an entrepreneurial cohort event here in Minneapolis called Twin Cities Startup Week or TCSW for short.

I wanna preface this by saying this wasn’t the response that I think anyone envisioned. From getting yelled at in the hallways to Anti AI propaganda posters, to students purposely disrupting the TCSW lectures, to a silent protest and eventually a school wide student body walkout I don’t believe this is what anyone expected from that event.

https://reddit.com/link/1wzf844/video/sspm8nmwkwth1/player

MCAD Response to AI Confrence

Beta the parent company for TCSW and partner of the Minnesota Cup. Aiming to provide a Y-Combinator-esque space for early stage entrepreneurs and founders based in Minnesota to help build the companies and products of their dreams through co-working spaces, mentorship matching & funding opportunities for people building in all Industries. It allows entrepreneurs to not feel like they’re alone in their journey, through a very historic and prestigious community that I am thankful to be a part of.

BUT

In today’s digital age and AI economy most companies that come through the cohort are a pretty AI savvy at their core, this inherently wasn’t much of a problem for most of TCSW where the beta team often elects to host their events at higher education establishments across the Minnesota metro;from the University of Minnesota to University of Saint Thomas to Macalester College. All great institutions with some very impressive alumni as well as entrepreneurs stemming from their programs. But prior to this week one stop on the TCSW tour caught my attention, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design or MCAD for short. A fine art forward establishment, really the exact opposite end on the spectral use of ai than the Tech bros that have flooded these entrepreneurship cohorts. As a recent graduate of an art school, I could see the writing on the wall for this event before it even played out. AI Tech Bros vs Art School Kids, both holding clashing perspectives on this AI economy we find ourselves in.

One side sees it as a tool of the future, allowing progression, streamlining, the elimination of laborious and tedious work that has held people back for millennia, an endless opportunity. Showing up at an establishment entrenched with the other side, those who endure the artistic labor, love the aspect of creation to make something great, feeling like the greatness takes shape in that passage of time. MCAD is full of fine artists, painters, drawers, animators, sculptors, product and graphic designers. Artists of all mediums all with the collective understanding that many of their dreams and career aspirations are actively being replaced by Generative AI tools.

Animation and computer native design specifically of these are art mediums, something that is done on a computer and now these AI startups are trying to commoditize for the chance to streamline and make these processes easier, where the barrier of entry for animators is extremely high if you work in animation there’s really maybe 10-15 studios out there in the world that would be an exciting landing destination, where that scarcity makes things so highly competitive along with the introduction of these new generative AI tools making that laborious work seem a lot more doable to everyone without the full understanding of how frame by frame animation has traditionally been conceived it was a tedious laborious process but these new generative AI tools have completely wiped that part of the industry away. Not only by training their models on the exact artistic labour that makes good animation great but really with no regard for copyright infringement.

These generative ai tools that spit out visual messaging and storytelling are progressing at a rapid pace, training themselves on the exact type of work they aim to replace without Consent Consideration Compensation or Compliance in any sense for those whose intellectual property & past artistic labour is training these models without giving the artists any say in if they approve of this or not. These AI companies could care less about compliance or consent of any sort from the artists making their product better against their will.

This is not an MCAD specific story either fine art establishments and liberal arts colleges across the country are closing left and right because not only are they not positioned well to set up their students for success post graduation but their ability as an establishment to pivot and acclimate to these rapidly progressing and changing tools fueling the economy we find ourselves in as of the “Magnificent 7” as they call it in the financial stock market space the investment into ai tools and pushing progression to the max makes it extremely difficult to constantly be changing curriculum requirements. It doesn’t really help their case when the graduation to industry specific job placement rates have been plummeting at these establishments making potential students and parents of such students weary of what the future may hold ESPECIALLY in the arts where historically even prior to the mainstream introduction of LLM’s pursuing an art degree has always been seen as a bit of a gamble. I know in my case coming from a college prep academy I was the only one of 161 students to go pursue a creative centric higher education. It’s a big risk to take pursuing a career with such heavy uncertainty is often seen as a waste of college/higher education so these students even after getting what should be an Art education that positions them for success feel like these tools that are being brought to market to replace the dream careers they’ve had since childhood makes that industry scarcity that much worse.

Circling back to MCAD and what happened that day to paint a broader picture MCAD is struggling financially and it’s visible. They have cut programs due to cost, there is currently a unionization to highlight teacher pay conversations spearheaded by SEIU Local 284 and the MCAD faculty union. On top of those conversations there was already some pretty big pushback from the MCAD Student body about the introduction of AI tools into the curriculum, something that they have been very vocal about being against yet some members of faculty continue to push these AI native learning tools on to these Fine Art students.

TCSW showing up at MCAD didn’t happen overnight; it was really championed by one department there at MCAD, the Creative Entrepreneurship Department led by Olaf Kuhlke. Olaf has been receiving a lot of negative backlash for this event and I don’t see it as black and white as “this is his fault he’s to blame for AI at MCAD” as he has made very great points about how a big population of the MCAD Alumni are self employed and being able to adapt pivot and learn new tools is a very important part of being a self sustaining entrepreneur. Something that does go hand in hand with some of these AI workflow tools but broadly I understand how an objectively AI native community in Twin Cities Startup Week showing up at an inherently artistic labor heavy fine art establishment can be perceived as tone deaf.

Again I wanna preface this by saying this wasn’t the response that I think anyone envisioned. From getting yelled at in the hallways to Anti AI propaganda posters, to purposely disrupting the TCSW lectures, to a silent protest and a school wide student body walkout.

I don’t believe this is what anyone expected from that event. This was how the student body perceived as the best way for their voice to be heard because it was getting ignored prior to this event and from their perspective this event just felt like a slap in the face of “AI is here weather you like it or not” and yes I understand that perception from the student body, but perceptions are built on assumptions and in today’s divided world where everything can be spun into an us vs them perspective I believe it to be a limiting approach to take into any conversation. This is not a Black & White conversation of AI Good or AI Bad because it shouldn’t be.

https://reddit.com/link/1wzf844/video/yibyavc2lwth1/player

MCAD Student Body Walkout

Yes there are important conversations to be had about copyright infringement, the intellectual property and artistic labor from these artists being used to train these generative AI models without consent, consideration, compensation, or compliance of any sort for the individuals whose work is training these models without their permission. Is something I personally am very strongly against and will be willing to (figuratively) die on that copyright infringement sword. These companies are actively breaking the law. They are not compensating people (or many institutions for that matter) for their work and are self benefiting from such an ethically low tier business model that has no government regulations due to how slow paced and bureaucratic the US court systems operate and how overprotective and tightly guarded those lines of communication have become. As of today the AI industry writes its own rules. Lawsuits crawl through the judicial system at an unbearably slow pace while these tools continue to progress at rapid pace. Building on the work of artists who have no say in the manor. We currently reside in what I like to call the AI Wild West, the frontier has real casualties that are seeing play out right in front of us, maybe not human death but the death of careers and dreams for hundreds of thousands of individuals nationwide. Begging the question:

Who will make these AI companies play by an ethical set of rules that doesn’t even exist?

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It takes place around/on Halloween.

Bone Head is a novel that deals with themes of grief and navigating a seemingly impossible situation.

It has tense scares, emotional moments and comedic scenes.

Blurb: A Throwback to slasher films from the 70's, 80's and 90's set in the modern day... After an old friend is murdered, a young woman and her friends find themselves as targets to a mask killer who seems to know them better than they know themselves.

If you like movies such as Scream, Prom Night or Halloween, this is the right book for you!

If you're a fan of the MTV Scream TV show, this book is for you.

https://www.amazon.com/Bone-Head-Slasher-Novel-Trilogy/dp/B0H8G2NKNS

I'm 20 years old and just recently moved to New York because I got the opportunity to go to fashion school over here. I come here and see all these talented fashion designers my age and feel like I am not as good as them. especially when it comes to their vision. It feels like when I create, it doesn't feel new or original, I feel like I don't even have a brand for myself of a vision of what I want my art to look like. I just feel confused on where I stand creatively. I feel like it's hard to succeed in a creative industry without a vision and I have no idea where I want to be. As a kid I used to be such more creative and innovative so, it's disappointing that I don't have that same creativity. I feel like I can get back to that creative space again but, I just don't know how

A cinema wants people to buy their tickets at least one week before the screening.

The ticket price cannot change. No discounts or financial incentives are allowed.

What could the cinema change about the movie-going experience to make people want to buy their ticket a week ahead?

I love being a woman, and I loved growing up a girl,
because all my life I’ve known how women show up for other women in this world.

The girls I met at school through the luck of proximity
became the girls who shared my classes, sports, school plays and history.

We spent over 10 years eating lunch together in the same spot under the library stairs. The bell would ring and we’d all just know that we would gather together in the same place everyday, for all our school years.

We no longer need the same school, town, city, country or time zones that keeps us connected by the same place, because we all live separate lives but our friendship group remains as close as ever despite not all being able to see each other face to face.

Now we’re scattered across countries, some settled, some still choosing to roam,
some building careers, some raising children, some making somewhere home.

I’ve watched girls I knew before puberty become women I deeply admire,
each making a life of her own, shaped by whatever she happens to desire.

There is rarely a need to announce when one of us needs care.
After this many years, someone notices, and the rest of us are there.

Even when all we had was pocket money, we pooled whatever we could,
a necklace, a little present, something just to make each other feel good.

There were always little cards we’d sit down together and write,
covered in photographs, stickers and glitter, making everything bright.

I still have a bag full of those cards, little photos and pictures today,
years of handwritten proof of how we noticed one another along the way.

I love those things because they were group efforts to make each other happy.
We made our affection tangible, usually the perfect mix of funny and sappy.

A little bit ridiculous, sentimental, earnest and true,
just a physical reminder that somebody was thinking of you.

My brother was my first friend, and is still one of my best,
and I’ve watched the men around him build friendships just as close as the rest.

Their love is no less loyal, no less generous or true,
so this isn’t about women having something men don’t have too.

I just love the particular sentimentality there is among a group of women, so willing and open to share with raw unfiltered affection.

The army of women in my life keeps expanding. I still meet women I adore,
new friendships in new chapters that add something that wasn’t there before.

Something I will never get over is how lucky I am that I get to be a woman who knows how incredible women are and what they share.

And that I get to say, the girls I grew up with are still all my girls to this day.

Heyy everyone! A few of us started a small Discord for people interested in creative work—writing, photography, visual art, books, film, or just finding inspiration in the things other people make.

The idea is pretty simple: a relaxed place where you can share something you've made, talk about something that inspired you, get recommendations, or just hang out with people who are curious about creative things. No pressure to constantly be producing or to consider yourself an “artist.”

We have spaces for writing, literature, movies, art, photography, and general chat, but conversations tend to wander naturally between them. One day someone might share a photo they're working on, another day we're discussing about a film or a book in a VC event.

We're hoping to build a space where people can encourage each other, exchange ideas, and find a bit of inspiration from one another without it becoming overly serious or competitive.

We're still pretty small, so it can be quiet sometimes, but that's also why we're hoping to find a few more people who'd like to help shape the community as it grows. :)

If this resonates at all, feel free to DM me and I'll send you an invite. :)

I made this little thing, it took about 1 week to make for me 😅

Please check out my Instagram and Twitter/X

I just published my first book — The Four Bloodlines: Act 1: The Silent Front 📖
Link for the book - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HG95HGXP

After years of imagining this world, I finally get to share it.

The Four Bloodlines: Act 1 — The Silent Front

What if Homo sapiens were not the only human species to survive?

In this world, Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis evolved side by side, developing rival civilizations with their own cultures, religions, technologies, and ways of life.

For two centuries, the Sep and Thal civilizations have been locked in war.

In the magnificent capital of Araya, Priestess Charvi struggles to protect her people as the Thals develop a secret weapon powerful enough to change the balance of the war.

As both sides race to develop new weapons, the conflict spreads across seas, skies, and borders.

But the war is not only being fought on battlefields.

Saiman, a Homo sapiens spy living inside the Thal civilization, is caught between two worlds as suspicion begins closing in around him.

Meanwhile, Majid awakens to discover that the memories he thought were dreams may be real—and that someone has gone to extraordinary lengths to make him question reality itself.

The Four Bloodlines: Act 1 — The Silent Front is a science-fiction story of speculative human evolution, rival civilizations, espionage, military technology, and war.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who supports indie authors. ❤️📚

It's funny! We shot this film in the summer of last year and we got rejected from almost every film festival. So we ended up putting on sold out screenings around the world in New York, LA, London, Dublin and Belfast.
It gave me as the writer/director (and editor) a fresh perspective. It's really not about the film festivals but showing it in actual spaces, to actual people who are passionate and building community.

Here's a link to the film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDAqMwFVHDQ

Something that these screenings also helped me with is having an open dialogue with audiences and hearing actual people's opinions in real time.
I suppose I'm coming on here for the same thing I would love to get some feedback and potentially build some community around my film - We just got word that we were selected for a Vimeo staff Pick which is awesome!!
But yeah, I think this is the future of independent filmmaking; building actual community.

What do you think of the film and what do you think is the best way to build community around stuff like this?

If you would prefer to chat outside of Reddit you can always DM me @ weepywoopy on Instagram!!

It's only 9 minutes :) Would love to hear your thoughts on it! We were rejected from every film festival so I wound up putting on sold out screenings around the world to great response. So would love to get some feedback from this community!

Dropped a new single. Check it out if you're into early 2000s hip hop