ALL ART IS GOOD ART !

all art is good art

when it comes from 

eager hands,

open mouths,

and burning souls

with the goal of 

spreading the joy

of creation.

eyes open wide

to the worlds

left untapped

like rich gold

on mountaintops

buried in landscapes

i wouldn't reach

otherwise.

all art is good art.

unless, of course

it comes from the maw

of the machine --

then it is bland

and tasteless

and should be left 

to burn

like the horizons

we sacrifice

for moments of flickering 

acknowledgement

from those none the wiser.

all art is good art.

unless, of course,

it isn't art at all.

Author's Note

AI poetry is a disgusting thing.

Reviews

[Davidgeo]

The machine will be coming for all that you do here soon. We are kind of sort of indirectly training the AI with our poetry right now. They will scrape all of this data eventually and these random poems will be absorbed into whatever that thing ends up as. We all get to have our little part in the apocalypse... isn't it awesome!?

[Emunah June.]

Sadly, I wish we didn’t. I just wanna make my little poems and be happy for awhile.

[Betty Hermelee]

I hope creativity in art does not blow away to AI... just like in poetry... I think there is no place for it...pure, creative art is special, haunting, beautiful....it moves us in different ways...different feelings... we treasure pure art forms, but not if AI is in the way....
NICE!
Warmly, B

[s.azeem]

beautiful take on the joy and whimsicality of humanity and creation. Let us keep it.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

A poem about something distasteful done very tastefully.
j.

[QuietOptimism]

Love the last line! Feels very 'final'. The last line of a poem generally makes the poem for me, it's the thing that leaves the impression kinda like how the last bite of a meal is the one that leaves the taste in your mouth.

Probably feels very relevant to you as an artist and a writer on this website (I've heard whispers of lots of AI generated content on here). It's the silver lining of this crisis of generative AI that it has taught all of us (at least those of us who don't use it to generate art) to care a lot more about human art. When we care more about the art we make and the people around us make, we're more compassionate to the creativity of ourselves and others, I like to think. And since art tends to form community, I hope this period of AI nihilism will lead to humanist optimism.

[Chris Shaw]

unless of course
it comes from the maw
of the machine

Sadly AI is creeping everywhere. It stifles creativity in my opinion Emunah. Your poem is beautifully penned. Fine choice of wording, and visually pleasing. Well done poet.

Chris

[FlatDaddy]

Well, Emmy, I can't say that I write with the "goal of spreading the joy of creation," not even once, unless it is to spread the joy of MY creation. I do not think my work is for the multitudes for there is much of my work that the multitudes would no doubt abhor. Indeed, when I write it is for ME, and I share so others can bask in my brilliance. Okay, that last is meant to be satire, but if I am honest it strikes at least a glancing blow to honesty. At an attempt to clarify, I indeed write for no one but me, but do hope that others enjoy it or at worst, get inflamed enough by it to demand my head. Either works for me so long as no one with a sharp axe knows where I live.

[Ook]

I agree with the 2nd half of your piece, Emunah. Generated art defeats its own purpose, at least in my opinion. But I disagree with the the 1st portion somewhat.

Art for me has always been a reflection - a mode that seeks to express an idea that the artist encounters, or better yet understands, as they navigate the world. The difference between good art and bad art, at least for me, has always been in the quality of that expression - how closely the artist can capture the thing that their medium is trying to reflect.

Though an AI can master the quality, the tools or the techniques, it's always lacked the experience that is ultimately the purpose that art serves.

Anyways, just my two cents (or five). I've always maintained that your art lands on the better side of the good-art continuum, but I got hung up on the idea that in order to be good it needs to come from a place of joy.

Nice to see you still kicking around here - I hope you don't mistake my disagreement for a lack of enjoyment.

[Emunah June.]

Hey!

No no, I always appreciate outside opinions (when they are not callous and cold). But I would make the counterpoint that just because a piece of art does not resonate with us, doesn’t mean it won’t resonate with SOMEONE. I have read many a poem / story on this site that I did not particularly find enjoyable, but then I see others did, and that’s what I find so heartwarming.

Going off of your point, about how closely an artist can reflect their medium, I believe is closely tied to how inspired, determined, or joyful the writer was at time of creation. Writers who are passionate about their subjects will create passionate pieces. Whether or not I like it, ultimately, is inconsequential. I’m sure I myself have written a few things some have not liked, but others have, and I’d like to believe my work is all set because I poured my heart into every single one.

But! I digress! I appreciate the review and sincerely appreciate your input. Yes, I am still kicking around … unsure if that’s a good thing yet!! Haha.

[Ook]

All fair points, for sure - though there are times where readers seem to resonate more with the work that's written off the cuff than they might the really impassioned stuff. I'm not sure why, and to an extent it feels like a roll of the dice as to whether or not they will. (assuming, that is, that the reason we write is for the reader's enjoyment).

And same, Lol. It's a strange website, in a lot of ways, but so long as it serves a healthy purpose I don't think that there's harm in doing so.

Appreciate your sharing, regardless.

[Brandon Houser]

I loved this take on sacred and profane. The first stanza alone sings and hooks you in.

[Emunah June.]

You flatter me! Thank you for the review!!