Creator Spotlight: Thruinfinity
Below is an interview with Thruinfinity, an AI artist and the very first member of our Discord community.
Pixja: Please provide a brief introduction of yourself. Feel free to include where you're from, your background, and what led you to explore AI art.
Thruinfinity: I am from a lakeside town in Northwest Pennsylvania. I have been making art for as long as I can remember. For one reason or another, after graduating high school, I felt like I had to put the paints and markers away and find “a real job”. I went through a lot of them. I felt as if I was wearing a costume for 8 hours a day. I never felt whole. At some point in my early 30s, my manager came up to me and told me I had to shave my beard. I’ve always had a bit of an authority issue. The concept that I was in a position where another person could tell me what to do with my face dug into my core that night. The next day I walked away from all of it, vowed to never have a boss again, went to graphic design school, and never looked back. Being 100% in control of my own time is far more valuable to me than a large paycheck.
Pixja: What sparked your interest in AI art, and how did you begin your journey as an AI artist?
Thruinfinity: My interest in AI started one day when I was having a creative block. I was trying to come up with a T-shirt design for a job I had taken at a local amusement park, making a T-shirt graphic of a haunted house. I knew AI art existed but had never tried it. I knew Midjourney was considered the best, so I joined the server to try it out. At the time didn’t understand exactly how it worked. I thought I could put in a photo of the haunted house, and it would provide essentially the same image in different styles. The result was nowhere close, but the images were awesome. I spent the rest of the day prompting things until my credits ran out
The first AI Image generated by Thrufinity.
Pixja: How has your approach to creating AI art evolved since you started?
Thruinfinity: The evolution was natural, I knew I wanted to learn how to speak to this thing, so I began by letting it speak to me. I tried a lot of one-word prompts, then I would add a word or two, just paying attention to how these words affect the result. I read the user’s guide once a week (I still do), gradually adding new tricks from there. Practice, practice, practice. Eventually, I reached the point where I could envision something and do that vision justice through a prompt.
Pixja: Who are your top three favorite human artists, and why do they inspire you?
Thruinfinity: Salvador Dalí, because he taught me the beauty of bending the rules, Alex Grey because he taught me how to look inside myself and Banksy because he taught me to be fearless if there Is a statement that you want to make.
Pixja: How do you blend inspiration from human-created art with the capabilities of AI in your work?
Thruinfinity: Most of the human-made aspects I like to pull into my work are from photography. I get very descriptive with eyes. This is the part I love about AI. If I want human eyes projecting sadness, Midjourney references thousands of photos of sad people. Maybe even a photo of me or the viewer. There is a little piece of all of us in most of the images I make. I love that idea.
Pixja: What is your favorite AI generation tool or platform, and what makes it stand out to you?
Thruinfinity: Mid-journey is my favorite. I like the fact that at the very end of the prompt, you must surrender control. I use a few other AI generators for work, and they are pretty good at giving me exactly what I ask for, but that doesn’t move me. I enjoy push and pull. Midjourney is the wild horse I want to tame.
Pixja: Besides your primary AI tool, are there any other technologies or software you use in creating your art?
Thruinfinity: I use a lot of programs for graphic design work. For art, usually just Midjourney. Occasionally I will do some editing in Photoshop.
Pixja: Can you walk us through your process from idea to final piece? How do you decide what to create?
Thruinfinity: Almost all my ideas start with an emotion I want to evoke, very rarely is there a scene I have in mind. My method hasn’t changed much from the way I learned. I start with very few impactful words, that evoke the feeling I’m looking for, and then I build around them until I find a sweet spot.
Pixja: How do you view your role in the creation process in relation to the AI? Do you see it as a tool, a collaborator, or something else?
Thruinfinity: I see AI as something else entirely. I see it as the opposite of a blank piece of paper. It’s a canvas that starts with everything and I’m the sheepdog running back and forth trying to keep my idea contained so it can fit through the tiny opening at the end of the prompt.
Pixja: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced in creating AI art, and how have you overcome them?
Thruinfinity: I knew early on that I wanted to make at least a decent supplementary income making AI art. So, my biggest challenge was more of a double challenge. 1) Figuring out how to do it, and 2) Not getting discouraged while I was figuring it out, because it took about 6 months until I made my first dollar. There were a few nights up until then when I questioned if it was worth the time, I was putting into it. The other thing I struggled with but am now much better at is the rejections. Watching art go unsold, applying for a gig, and not getting picked. I’ve learned to look at all the “No’s” as one step closer to a “Yes”. To this day, I land 1 in every 10 jobs I go after. Knowing that makes the 9 rejections a lot easier.
Pixja: What do you hope to accomplish or achieve with your art? Are there any specific themes, messages, or ideas you want to explore?
Thruinfinity: Most of my work explores the tricks our minds play that hold us back. What it looks like to succumb to the Ego and what it looks like to take back control. I hope my work connects with people on that level. I just want people to overcome their fears.
Pixja: Where can our readers find more of your work? Do you have any upcoming shows or exhibitions?
Thruinfinity: https://thruinfinity.art
Pixja: What advice would you give to someone just starting out in AI art?
Thruinfinity: Have fun. You are now part of the most welcoming and supportive community on the internet. Make connections. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t focus on numbers and stats. Focus on finding your voice and contributing something unique to the space. Don’t stop and the rest will work itself out.
Pixja: Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers at Pixja.com?
Thruinfinity: Take chances.
Pixja would like to thank Thruinfinity for taking time out to do our interview for this post. During this time he was very busy with commission work,, creating art and providing graphic design for various clients. He is an example of taking advantage of a moment in time and seizing opportunities in this new art space. We wish him the best of luck as he continues to grow his following and career.
