Art that Works

In the year 2025, technology shapes how we create art, especially for work.

Technology and the Artist’s Choice

Digital tools open up new possibilities, making it easier to experiment, refine, and share our work. But as we embrace these tools, we have to ask ourselves: Who’s really in control?

As artists, we should be the ones deciding how technology influences our creative process—not the corporations that develop these tools. Their priorities are efficiency, profit, and scalability, which don’t always align with what makes art meaningful. Whether we’re creating for personal fulfillment or as a profession, we need to be intentional about how we let technology shape our work.

Capitalism and Creativity

Technology and capitalism go hand in hand, just like art and meaning. While digital tools have made creativity more accessible, they’ve also turned art into something that’s easily packaged and sold. The more our work is shaped by commercial interests, the more we risk losing its soul.

It’s not that making money from art is wrong—it’s that when profit becomes the main goal, creativity takes a backseat. Many artists rely on tech to make a living, but if algorithms and trends drive our choices, how much of what we create is meaningful? The challenge is finding a balance between using technology to support our work and letting it take over.

A Garden, Not a Factory

One way I think about this is through the metaphor of a garden. A gardener doesn’t just let nature run wild, but they also don’t force it into rigid, unnatural shapes. They cultivate with care, working with the land instead of against it. They are hoping for a beautiful variety, not uniformity.

This same idea applies to art. Throughout history, humans have shaped their surroundings with intention. But since industrialization, we’ve gone from working in harmony with nature to exploiting it. There’s a big difference between thoughtful shaping and aggressive control. Artworks that grow organically tend to feel alive, while those forced into rigid structures lose their spark.

The Difference Between Gardening and Farming

This brings me to another comparison—gardening versus farming. Gardeners create on a small scale, often for personal or communal nourishment. There’s freedom in how they shape their space. Farmers, on the other hand, produce on a much larger scale, often dictated by industry demands rather than personal vision.

In the same way, artists who create for themselves or their communities have more creative freedom, while those making work for mass consumption often have to follow industry rules. There’s nothing wrong with either approach, but the question is: How much of our art do we want to be shaped by external forces?

When Art Becomes a Product

One of the biggest risks of making art for the marketplace is that it can start to feel contrived and formulaic. The more we create to fit a mold, the more we lose what makes our work unique.

That doesn’t mean structure is bad. Sometimes organization and refinement make art stronger. But when creativity is squeezed into a template just to sell, it stops being art and becomes a product, a job, or just “content.” If we’re only making things because they’re expected or trending, we lose the very thing that makes creating so powerful in the first place.

What Our Art Says About Us

How we use technology in our creative process says a lot about what we value. Some artists use digital tools to bring their vision to life, while others find themselves bending to algorithms, engagement metrics, and influencer trends. The important thing is knowing the difference—recognizing when technology is helping us express ourselves and when it’s steering us in a direction we didn’t choose.

So, it’s worth asking: Are we using technology to make better art? Are we creating from a place of inspiration, or are we just making what we think will sell? Do we ever prefer art that is not generated by humans, and why? These questions help us stay grounded in our artistic integrity.

Artists as Sacred Gardeners

At the end of the day, we can be both working artists and free creators. The key is being intentional about how we balance those roles. Yes, sometimes we need to take on structured projects that pay the bills, but we also need space to make things that are truly ours.

That’s why I love the garden metaphor. We might have to play the role of the farmer now and then—meeting deadlines, following trends, making strategic choices. But at our core, we’re not farmers. We’re sacred gardeners, tending to creativity with care, passion, and purpose.

👩‍💻🎨🖱️ digital mixed media composition: ethereal, 2025

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Thanks for reading! By the way, this blog has experienced a delightful redesign. One of my goals this year is to spend more time blogging and creating art for it. With that said, I encourage you to take a look at the blog on your desktop and read posts there. Doing so actually makes it easier to sip your favorite hot beverage while you read because it’s more or less hands-free reading!

I will make occasional enhancements to improve mobile viewing, but I must honor my commitment to slow living first. Keeping up with visual design specs for mobile is feeling quite challenging these days, and I’ve felt disillusioned with social media algorithms for quite some time. This blog redesign is my intentional creative response to those feelings. Gardening in my own websites and my blog feels like ownership and creative freedom. I hope that makes it a good experience for you, too.

If you like this post, you may also enjoy TED talks by Sarah Lewis on How Images Shape Our Understanding of Justice and Creativity & Social Justice.