Started using Midjourney to generate quick thumbnails for my paintings instead of spending hours on Pinterest. Feels like cheating sometimes but it saves so much time. Is this acceptable in the art community or am I being lazy?
Using it as a reference tool is totally different from claiming AI-generated work as your own art - you're still doing the actual painting which is the skill! I'd say if it's saving you time on the reference hunting part so you can focus on your craft, that's just smart workflow, not lazy 🎨
Most professional artists have been using reference tools forever - photographs, other paintings, even tracing - so Midjourney is just the modern version of that.
The thing nobody mentions though is that relying on AI refs can sometimes lock you into a certain "look" or style without you realizing it, especially if you're generating dozens of similar prompts. I'd say lean on it for composition and quick inspiration, but make sure you're still pushing your own choices in the actual painting - that's where your skill shows anyway.
I don't think you're being lazy at all, but I'd reframe the whole "is it acceptable" question - that's putting the cart before the horse. The real thing to watch out for is getting so comfortable with AI references that you stop developing your own visual intuition. It's easy to lean on generated thumbnails and accidentally train yourself to copy compositions and color palettes without understanding *why* they work.
The thing that catches people off guard is that using AI for reference is genuinely useful, but there's a point where you need to step back and work from your own sketches, your own eye, your own mistakes. Those mistakes are where you actually learn. So yeah, use Midjourney to jumpstart ideas when you're stuck or saving time on a deadline - that's just smart workflow. But maybe set a rule for yourself where you're still doing some percentage of your pieces from straight imagination or real-world observation. Otherwise you'll end up with a portfolio that looks polished but starts feeling derivative.
The art community's way more chill about this stuff than it was even a year ago. Nobody's going to call you out for using a generator as a reference tool the way they would if you were posting AI images as finished work. The skill is still in your hand when you're the one actually painting it.
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