Collaging Beautiful Imperfections with AI (Issue #34)

An interview with artist littlecakes

“the feels - sixteen” (image credit: littlecakes) (still from video)

1/1: Please introduce yourself.

littlecakes: Hello! I’m littlecakes. The name littlecakes is a thinly veiled pseudonym that goes back many years. I’m a Japanese woman living in the United States.

1/1: What art have you been working on lately?

littlecakes: I’ve been mainly focusing on AI video, in particular making videos to be released through the Daily program (Fellowship), but there are some still image groupings I would really like to edit and present as small series before the summer is over.

1/1: Can you describe your workspace and how it influences your art?

littlecakes: This is a funny question for me. At the moment, I have a very needy elderly cat who insists I sit in bed if I want her to settle and not bother me, so a lot of the time I’m propped up there to keep her from pawing or screaming. It’s a terrible way to work but less stressful than sitting at my desk. I guess it influences my art in the sense that art-making is constant, rather than if I had a studio elsewhere or even just tended to shut myself in another room to concentrate.

The line between everyday life and art is blurred, but that’s always been the case with me. I used to run a gallery out of my apartment—moving all of my living room furniture into my bedroom every weekend—and my dog and cats were in the gallery all the time. I guess it’s still the same thing.

1/1: What tools do you use? Do you work with any special devices or tools unique to your creative process?

“i haven't figured out where i am going or what i am doing” (image credit: littlecakes)

littlecakes: I’m a person of simple means. When not working digitally, I’m using found objects, fabric, sewing/embroidery, paper, and paper mâché. Currently, with my AI work, I’m using Emprops Openstudio for still images, while I use Pika, Runway, and Luma for video. I don’t dare try figuring out Comfy UI and other more personal/customized tools because I’m already a disorganized, messy person with my work. I need simple, easy tools.

1/1: How would you describe your aesthetic?

littlecakes: Sticky, messy, sweet. Beautifully imperfect, one hopes. A lot of people tell me my AI work is scary. I don’t mean for it to be scary or infused with horror, but I come from a place where spirits, ghosts, shapeshifters, and angry/sad gods are a part of the culture, so that’s where it seeps in from.

I like to make imagery that’s blurry—not just in the visual sense but in terms of emotions or ideas. Someone called it “the in-betweens.” And I think that’s right. Funny and horrified. Comforted and scared. I believe that existence is neither black nor white, so my storytelling and aesthetics live in a gray space and straddle worlds and styles—much like how I’ve grown up in very different countries, navigating and finding my place in both.

1/1: What draws you to AI art?

littlecakes: When I make (or made) physical work, I don’t come at it as a draftswoman or painter. There’s also a problem with where the work goes once it’s finished. Storage is a major problem, so working digitally in general has really helped me feel free to experiment and make as much as I want.

“the lights seven” (image credit: littlecakes)

AI has been great because at the moment, I live in the middle of nowhere. I get inspiration from the back and forth that occurs when creating with AI. I’m prompting and inputting images and videos half hoping for a certain kind of outcome, but it interprets it in its own way, of course. Rarely do I get an output 100% like what I had in mind, which is the fascinating part that makes me want to play with it for hours on end.

The thought just occurred to me that as the tools get “better,” I wonder if I will find them as interesting. I’ve never enjoyed having a plan and working close to it for a specific outcome in art. I get most of my inspiration and joy from the playfulness, mistakes, and happy accidents linked to the current state of these tools.

I do really wonder how I’ll feel when these tools achieve “perfection.” I guess that might be when I take the time to customize and personalize my own tools.

1/1: How do you approach developing an idea into a finished piece? Can you walk us through your workflow?

littlecakes: I work more in a collage style. I don’t storyboard. I have ongoing themes and a general sense of color and light I’m drawn to, so I just go with whatever interests me in the moment. I go down whichever rabbit hole and make lots of images or clips. Later, I determine how they relate to one another. Basically, I make my own material for collage, if that makes sense.

1/1: Can you describe a typical day in your artistic practice, including any rituals or habits?

littlecakes: Lots of green tea (my preferred beverage). Silence, if I’m in the process of assembling or editing—these require my full concentration. If I’m in the process of play or exploration, then I listen to music in the background. Like I said, I’m very simple. Nothing special.

“that little memory from long long ago that can still make you smile” (image credit: littlecakes)

1/1: How do you feel about the impact of generative AI on the creative process? Do you have a favorite AI tool?

littlecakes: Since I don’t have immediate access to studio mates who might wander over and critique my work, and since I no longer live in the city–where I might just walk down the street and run into someone who spurs some thoughts—it’s been really easy to stay engaged with creating because the AI is the “other,” and I’m not just in a blank box creating on my own. It works with my personality and the need for micro reinforcement to keep my interest up.

Currently, my favorite tool is Pika Labs, which is very versatile and lets me get weird while still holding things together. I hope they keep it that way as they continue to evolve it.

1/1: What’s an exciting collaboration you’d be interested in pursuing?

littlecakes: I would LOVE to work with sound artists or musicians. I really enjoy working with sound. I would never call myself a musician, but I did tour once with a performance group that was music/sound-based. I just haven’t had the attention span needed to get proficient myself.

I’ve recently been playing around with Udio and Suno for music/sound. I prefer Udio on manual mode to get the more weird or experimental sounds to come out.

1/1: Are there any specific works of art (music, literature, film, etc.) that inspire or have significant meaning to you in your artistic practice?

littlecakes: Experimental, punk, and noise music as well as the scenes that spawned them. Japanese folktales and children’s music. Showa and early Heisei-era anime (Japanese years are counted in Emperor eras, so those are time periods.) The mood that Koreeda Hirokazu gets in his films! He does beautiful & dark with such warmth and humanity—that’s what I strive for. Experimental films from all around the world that are more visual and non-narrative. And all sorts of dolls and automatons.

“the feels - seven” (image credit: littlecakes)

1/1: How do you come up with titles for your work?

littlecakes: Stream of consciousness with the mood of the piece in mind. I try not to belabor the thought too much.

1/1: What draws you to NFTs and how do you see them as different from traditional art markets?

littlecakes: Just the ease with which an artist can present digital work for sale or transfer ownership—there really isn’t an equivalent. Like, for example, I have some VHS tapes and DVDs given to me by artist friends long ago. Now that some are “famous,” what rights do I have as the owner of these things if I didn’t even pay for them? I have no idea!

I told someone I knew peripherally years ago that I found a CD-R they sent me (unsolicited) with some old video pieces, and they immediately asked that I send them back. They didn’t have the files anymore. It was the only copy. So, of course, I sent it back. At the same time, this person’s work goes for a pretty penny nowadays. If this was the only copy of old work, it had value, but who was the owner?  And they didn’t even offer to reimburse me for the shipping! ;)

Traditional art markets generally have an intermediary between the artists and the viewer or buyer, and there is a lot less of that going on in NFTs. That can be good for some reasons, but much of the work to market and sell is on the artist. Some great artists really suck at that. So some of the ones who rise to the top are just…different.

I used to hear lots of people within NFT spaces saying how galleries were bad because they took money away from artists and also were picking and choosing who gets to show, but if one is talking about a quality gallery, they are putting in lots of work themselves, not to mention paying rent on a physical location. In those cases, the money part makes sense and it allows the artist to focus more on their work and less on marketing and selling.

Whoever is the intermediary, either a curator or gallerist, if they are doing their job well, separately from financial stuff, they are helping to build the story around artists, themes, movements, etc., and even if their view is one-sided or self-congratulatory, I do feel like it helps viewers frame what they are seeing and helps to educate. I think that’s important for anyone new to art, whether within NFTs or outside of them. It’s great that some entities straddle both sides.

“the feels - ten” (image credit: littlecakes)

1/1: Have you gotten into Warpcast? What’s your take on that?

littlecakes: Yes, I’m actually one of the co-moderators in the /AI-art channel on WC. My take at the moment is just that it’s a good social media alternative to X for anyone involved in NFTs and thus crypto. I really liked how channels worked up until last month or so when they changed how channels run and are seen. With this feature, I felt like you could find or be found by people with similar interests much more easily than on X.

At this point, I’m less sure. I feel like channels are messy now, but things change quickly. Who knows, they might find a better solution. As an artist, it has been helpful to connect with people who I somehow hadn’t linked up with through X, so that has been huge. But I was lucky to get in just before it blew up, so it’s easy to maintain my visibility. I think it’s harder for newer accounts now.

1/1: For someone just getting into NFTs, what advice would you offer?

littlecakes: Have no expectations. Make friends! In NFTs as well as in life, relationships and connecting with people are the most important things. Be suspicious of all links. Think multiple times before clicking on links. Be safe: don’t get your wallet drained.

1/1: Do you have a view on the creator royalties debate?

littlecakes: Ah…it’s something I feel spoiled with minting on Tezos. It’s a no-brainer that of course I will get royalties from secondary. But since I am used to no-royalties in the trad-art world, it’s nothing new to not expect anything from resales. One just needs to take whichever setup into account with the overall pricing and minting strategy.

“throwaway doll 7” (image credit: littlecakes)

1/1: How do you approach the balance between accessibility and exclusivity in selling your work? (in terms of open editions versus 1/1s, etc.)

littlecakes: This is hard! Especially across platforms and across different token ecosystems. I’m not relying on my art sales for 100% of my livelihood, and that helps me be flexible and cautious. Once you get into this being your full livelihood, there is financial pressure, and that’s regardless of whether you are selling art as NFTs or in the trad-art world.

My husband was an artist assistant to many working artists. Having to not only make a living but also pay your team can really become like having a factory and employees. And the trajectory is not only up but down and all around—not just with sales but with the price of the different cryptocurrencies, so it’s like trying to solve an evolving puzzle.

I do have a background as a clothing and accessories buyer, so I can kind of just “eyeball it” with vague numbers in my head like inventory. Doesn’t mean I get it right, but I do feel grateful that I have some non-artist skills to help me.

1/1: Who are some of your favorite artists in the NFT space?

littlecakes: Santiago (@neymrqz)—All of the most important opportunities that I’ve been given to grow within NFTs are because of Santiago. And so first, I am just grateful to be friends with him. Second, he is the most prolific, experimental, do-it-all person I know, period. It really is mind-blowing to me how many things he does, can do, or is willing to go out on a limb and learn how to do. I love how both specific and whatever-the-fuck he can be.

Ed Marola (@eduardopolitzer)—He is the reason I started minting work. I couldn’t afford a 1/1 that was screaming to be mine, and he just said to make something and trade him for it, so I did, and that was the start of NFTs. He makes work with pixels that always feel so warm and cozy, and I like inhabiting and feeling that emotional spot he creates.

Hasdrubal Waffles (@kuujeb)—Someone who has gone by several names and whose handle may or may not exist by the time this comes out because he changes it or closes accounts so often. We come from the same music scene IRL, although he still is anonymous to me. He has made work that has resonated with me in a deep and natural way, like a good friend telling you an inside joke that no one else will understand.

I could go on, but then I’d end up leaving someone out. The three above have made me feel safe and comfortable to be myself, to experiment, to make mistakes, and to have fun.

“life of the party peko-chan” (image credit: littlecakes)

1/1: What are you working on next?

littlecakes: I will probably try to use up my extensive Luma credits they gave to testers before they expire. I haven’t had luck getting something that fits my aesthetic yet with it, but I can always save clips to run through some other tool later, so maybe I’ll experiment with that more for a bit.

And I want to try to finish one or two small still-image series that mainly just need to get edited and packaged up. I meant to re-do my Tanamonster performative series (not AI) last summer, so I don’t know, maybe I’ll do it this summer again before it gets too cold to take pictures outside.

1/1: Could you show us some of your favorite work you’ve done and tell us what it means to you?

littlecakes: 

1.)

“Tantamonster copy shop job record #013 - pocket chip” (image credit: littlecakes)

The materials used in the copy object can be seen here.

This is one of several pieces from my above-mentioned Tantamonster project, where someone would post a picture of an object to be copied on X. If accepted, I’d make a physical copy of it with whatever I had in my house—with a time limit of one hour—then mint it. The whole idea and inspiration can be read here.

The project meant a lot to me because it made me better friends with some of the people who participated, and it showed me that people were willing to play and experiment with this funny idea.

2.)

“Soft Sounds 1” (image credit: littlecakes)

This project was my first fully formed AI seriesI think this image also represents the start of what has become my visual style using AI.

The background on the project can be read here.

3.)

“the sleepover” (image credit: littlecakes)

Some of my pieces are intended to be like one liner jokes, and this is one of those.

4.)

“Past the moon” (image credit: littlecakes) (still from video)

My latest finished piece. (Went up for auction on July 4th, with a few hours left as of publication time on July 5th). It feels like a small visual evolution happened to get to this piece, and I’m really happy with the sound I got using Udio.