Quote:

You might say, “Well, if AI gets good enough and the product is the same, what’s the difference?” The difference is that the books aren’t the product. They aren’t the art--not completely. And this is the point. The most important thing to understand is that the process of creating art makes art of you.

My friends, let me repeat that. The book, the painting, the film script is not the only art. It’s important, but in a way it’s a receipt. It’s a diploma. The book you write, the painting you create, the music you compose is important and artistic, but it’s also a mark of proof that you have done the work to learn.

Because in the end of it all, you are the art.

When I'm appreciating art (including the written word) and come across something that makes no sense to me, that intentionality means that I can trust that the reason it seems nonsensical is because I'm missing something, not because it's actually nonsensical. Then I can ponder what it is that I'm missing. A different point of view, a different interpretation, etc., will make the piece click, leading to a moment of enlightenment.

This is perhaps my favorite aspect of art. It's a moment where, maybe just for a fleeting instant, I become aware that I have experienced the world through another person's mind. It's amazing.

But I have to be able to trust there is intentionality there, otherwise why bother actually deeply contemplating the art? Lack of it drains the art of importance. It just turns it into pretty pictures, sounds, words, etc.