welcome to
TheSocialworker.AI
Where Humans & AI
create together
Some info
Creating Together
I have always had a passion for social work and social justice. So, it seems only natural that my artwork and writing would also embrace those two things. This section of my website is dedicated to pursuing those passions with a little help from MidJourney and NightCafe which are an AI image generators that uses text prompts to create images. I will also be testing out some poem and writing AIs. And of course, I will be using 3D characters that I create in Daz Studio.
My hope is to show how artists and writers can use the AI generators as tools that complement our creativity instead of replacing it. I will be using elements from AI in my artwork and writings, but a majority of the work will be my own original ideas created as mixed media projects.
Some of the artwork will be done completely in 3D with no AI involved. This kind of art takes me much longer because I create all the characters, props, environments, and lighting in the Daz Studio software.
And other times, when I’m tired or need to de-stress, I like to just type prompts into MidJourney/NightCafe to see what it will create with no real creative effort on my part at all. I will make sure to label both of these kinds of images in the description for you.
More Info
Artwork & Writing
The artwork and writing found here is influenced by my work in the Social Work field and full time Ministry. Over the years, I have had the privilege of joining many women and children (some men too) walk through their healing journeys. I have worked with pregnant teenagers, abused women, trafficked women, terminally ill people, and those struggling with mental health issues. Their stories play a role in the artwork and writing that you will find on this page. I’m in the midst of working on a yearlong Visual Storytelling project and some of the fictious women’s artwork and poems will also find its way here.
The Gallery
Human & AI creating
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This gallery is filled with images that combine original 3D characters that I created in Daz Studio and AI text prompts from MidJourney/NightCafe. To read about each image click on the image. A popup will appear with the information about the image.
Watching You
This is my modern day spin loosely based on the Big Brother character from George Orwell’s novel “1984.” Instead being under surveillance by telescreens (which were a combo of a television screen, security camera, and microphone in the novel) our cell phones can keep us viewable 24/7.
The men in the 3D rectangles represent others watching people on their cell phones (I only used men to keep with the whole Big Brother theme). In the middle is the satirical version of our modern day Big Brother. I made him toonish and overexaggerated on purpose. I had to do work on his eyes in Photoshop.
In the foreground are the group of people always connected and on their phones. I used blue color grading to represent the blue light that phones and devices emit. I added motion blurs to the photographs to give you a sense of movement and time passage. I have BB specifically looking at the the little girl closest to the camera (in the right hand corner) because even our young kids are connected and can be watched 24/7 because of their phones and social media.
I added hatching strokes and film grain to give a more illustrated look to the image. I also used color fills, motion blurs, and other textures. The final touch was to add the horizontal lines and noise as an overlay for a more vintage television tuner look.
Until our ones and zeroes shall meet again
Taming The Beast
For this image, I pulled from my love of Anne McCaffery’s Dragonriders of Pern as inspiration. I used text prompts in MidJourney to create the big dragon image. I then created my female character and the 3 smaller dragons (aka Fire Lizards) in Daz Studio. I added all the color grading, dust, fire particles, and other atmosphere in Photoshop.
As I was creating the image my mind drifted to how addictions can become these huge dragonlike beasts in our lives. The addiction becomes so large and controlling that we become tiny in our own sight. We need Someone stronger to help us fight the battle with the beast of addiction.
For me, it wasn’t until I was in a relationship with the Lord that I was able to tame that beast of addictions in my life. It was His strength that enabled me to be strong. Standing my ground. Just like the young girl in this image. Not bowing down…standing firm.
Until our ones and zeroes shall meet again
Will You Stay
In the realm of my imperfection,
When melodies falter filling with dejection,
Will you stand tall or turn away?
When my song falters, will you stay?
When all I can do is lament and complain,
Will you listen, or be overcome by the strain?
Can you withstand the weight of my despair,
And see the flicker of hope hidden there?
But oh, the fear that grips my core,
To let someone close, to open the door,
To expose the broken, battered within,
A woman scarred, tainted by sin.
Will you gaze upon me, disgusted and cold,
Judging my past, as my stories unfold?
Or will you see the strength in my survivor’s eyes,
Embracing my scars, and my battle cries?
I tremble, terrified, to let you see,
The real me, the one I long to set free,
The broken, beaten, and filthy soul,
That’s yearning for love to make me whole.
So tell me, when my tune goes astray,
When all that’s left is a dissonant sway,
Will you still stand by my side, come what may?
What will you do when I sing out of tune – will you stay?
TECHNICAL DETAILS:
I used Poem AI to write a text prompt describing what I wanted the poem to say. Then I chose to have it write the poem in free verse. Once, the AI wrote the poem I spent a long time rearranging the order of the stanzas. And I also rewrote several of the lines to make them sound more human. The experience was very similar to writing a poem with one of the other members of a poetry group. The good part was that no one got their feelings hurt in the writing of this poem!
Until our ones and zeroes shall meet again
Abandoned
In shadows cast by callous souls,
An abused woman, broken and unseen,
Her pain concealed, her spirit worn,
Yet, the world walks on, oblivious, serene.
Oh, how the world turns a blind eye,
To the bruises etched upon her fragile frame,
Her silence screams, a desperate plea,
But their indifference fuels the silent shame.
For until we open our hearts and truly see,
The shattered souls that dwell beneath our gaze,
The abused woman will continue to suffer,
While the world passes by, lost in its own maze.
TECHNICAL DETAILS:
I used some MidJourney elements, stock photo elements, and lots of different textures in Photoshop to get the gritty look. The people walking by ignoring the woman were all created in Daz Studio. I then added a motion blur to them in Photoshop. I did several levels of color grading too.
Poem AI was my poetry partner. I then rearranged the stanzas and changed the wording of the lines. Basically tearing it apart and then carefully stitching it back together.
Until our ones and zeroes shall meet again
Beauty For Ashes
A parent’s duty,
To protect and nurture life,
Yet, harm is their gift.
Oh, painful sadness,
When love turns sour, hearts break,
Childhood dreams destroyed.
Tears fall like raindrops,
Broken bonds, shattered promise,
Love turned bitter, cold.
But beauty will rise,
From the ashes, love will soar,
Finding peace, healing.
TECHNICAL DETAILS:
For my Visual Storytelling project, I needed a piece of artwork that was created by a child. So, I used a bunch of different elements that I created in MidJourney. Extracted them out then composited them into my main piece of artwork. Next it was poetry time. The poem is obviously not created by the child. It was created through a partnering with Poem AI. I prompted, it wrote, I broke it apart, then put it back together.
This is a story about kids whose childhoods are stolen from them by a parent. Their version of love becomes broken and dark. But the end of the poem offers up hope that with the Lord’s healing touch what was the ashes of death can be transformed into beauty that will rise up to soar.
To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
Isaiah 61:3a-b
Until our ones and zeroes shall meet again
CyberBullies (3D Only)
This image was created after hearing of the struggles many of my friend’s kids were having with bullies online. Even though the bullying was happening virtually their children felt physically attacked. Meaning they were having the same symptoms physically and emotionally that kids bullied in person have. It was literally like the other kids were reaching their hands through the computer to bully them.
While the internet can be used for good things, as a parent it concerns me how the buffer of the internet seems to have brought out the bullies in full force. It is much harder to monitor what is happening online than in the schools. And now the bullies have a much larger audience to watch them harass people which makes them feel even more powerful.
TECHNICAL DETAILS:
This artwork was created entirely 3D characters, props, emissives, and lighting in Daz Studio.
I had the young girl sitting in the chair pushing against the desk and twisting to get away from the bully’s grip. All the little people are the others that join in on the bullying. I think sometimes they join in because they are scared if they don’t then they will become the bully’s next victim.
Until our ones and zeroes shall meet again
AI Apologia
What is AI Apologia?
Apologia is the Ancient Greek word meaning speaking in defense. In the Greek court system, the prosecution would give the charge called the kategoria and the defense would then offer the apologia. Basically, it is the rebuttal of the charges against the defendant.
In this AI Apologia section of my website, I will be offering a creative rebuttal of the “charges” being brought against AI generators. It is crucial to acknowledge that AI, like many other advancements in the art world throughout history, is not inherently negative. Instead, it can be viewed as a tool for artists to create exceptional works of art and writing. A creative collaboration between a human being and a machine. Ultimately, the decision to leverage AI remains within the hands of individual artists – a testament to their creative autonomy.
AI Thoughts
have to confess that when I hear AI there is one word that always pops into my mind, Skynet. Most of you will get my Terminator reference. The day Skynet comes online the machines begin to take over the world. We have finally reached that day in...
AI, Or Not To AI
n the past year, AI seems to have become the villain of the art world. Artists are in an uproar about the usage of AI Generators that create art, write poems, and write stories. Much of the noise is about the unregulated training of the AI that...
PLEASE NOTE: Most of the images used with the blogs in this section are simply created by typing a prompt into MidJourney or NightCafe. I’m using it exactly how I use Pixabay or UnSplash royalty free stock images for my blog posts in other areas of my website. This is the only way I will use an AI image straight out of the box because it is exactly how I use stock photos. If an image is not from an AI Generator I will note it in the title which shows up when you hover over the image in the actual blog post.