The “pure souls” collection was remastered at the brink of March 2024 and it there has been some time elapsed since the release of the covers for that collection that we can now talk about its meaning.
But first, the artworks.
the collection
Before we go on, I would encourage readers to view the entire collection on the website to fully understand the discussion here today. You can also view the original version of the artworks, compare and contrast and time-travel back to the simpler times of Asycd I would say.
JPEG1 — “blank mind”
The original premise around the collection was the idea of being pure when it comes to actions and deciding what you do with your life. The collection was meant to be quite love-spreading and even light spreading. I remember during the release of the original collection, I used to carry a lamp around in real-life as a symbol of peace and light just like a pure soul would do. The lamp idea came from prompting AI for symbols of pure souls and it listed a lamp and since I had one lying around, I carried it around for a few days.
They do what they thought was right and intentions would overshadow any distinct drawbacks that might follow.
This artwork was meant exemplify those actions being depicted by a head enclosed by a set of curly set of brackets to represent the fact the mind was blank like an empty set. I think you would have to had some knowledge of set theory to understand the artwork but it was there!
The artwork was used as the main graphic for the blank mind syndrome article I wrote in 2022 which is garnering significant attention till to this day.
JPEG 2 — “Saturn” (Used to be “idk yet”)
By adjusting the prompt used to make the original ever so slightly, we was able to create an artwork with the same infinite wave feel but out of this planet hence the name “Saturn”. I guess this is what the artwork was meant to be titled back 2023 but I did not have the words for it. Blank mind maybe?
The prompt for this image is so unique and produces so many images of this nature that I have considered creating tools or thematic image generator that takes prompts but those prompts are just condensed and input into this prompt to see all the different variations of this artwork.
JPEG3 — “THE CORE”
This artwork is entirely new but is definitely one that we will ook back on and marvel at for both its simplicity but intricate details. It is a digital oil painting generated using the TEV1 but it also feature crayon lines on the outer edges but also on the distinctive yellow and blue patterns near the center.
There is no specific meaning for this artwork but it resonated with me so I decided to include it in the remastered version of the collection for all to see “THE CORE”. Check out the post below to view the animated clip of the artwork made using AI.
our first collection
The pure souls collection was our first try at putting together a body of work using ai-generated artworks and I was pleased at the time with how it turned out but months later it was already feeling outdated especially with how “CARNAGE” looked in comparison. I am always looking to improve the end product so I decided to remaster our first collection using the tools and experience we accumulated within the year time difference.
Your first time is always special and that stands for all things in life but it is about keeping it fresh and making sure your work is up to the standards we operate at in the present.
working with AI as a creative partner
The original collection played on the fact that AI at the time was not being used creatively as back in early 2023, very few people were in the space. I am actually very proud that we started to with AI image generation so early as the collection would allowed us to flex our prompt engineering skills which were quite novel at the time.
We was able to call on AI for ideas around artworks, inspiration, general learning and so much more and while AI generated at least the base layer of the project, it was directed by our intentions and thoughts. We believe AI should be used in this manner. It should be used to automate away the tasks that we are not good at in favour of giving you more time to focus on what you are good at.
I have never been an artist or good ‘sketcher’ if that is word but I know what looks nice (in my opinion) so using AI to generate images and validating how they look came quite natural to me.
The collection was basically that, generating artworks and editing them in the light of the core theme which was of course, the pure soul.
AI was merely a partner in achieving and portraying the vision.
Now we have Asyra but back then it was just ‘AI’ haha.
what is a pure soul?
I will be honest, the idea to make the collection around the concept of pure souls came about because I liked a song by Kanye West titled ‘pure soul’s and till this day it is one of my favourite songs. A marvellous performance vocally from Roddy Ricch who I think had his best feature on this song in fact. To add to that, the ending repeating section by Shenseea was beautiful!
What is a “pure soul” and does it even matter to have one? Pure intentions are hard to come by in the system we all reside in but I think pure souls don’t act in line with typical societal values. Their actions might come across as either heart-warming or terribly idiotic or even malicious but they are pure at heart. There is no end goal in mine when they act it’s just off the cuff and fluid.
That is my interpretation of the concept and the viewpoint I tried to portray in the artworks not only in this collection but in all the ones that followed.
To conclude, the pure souls collection was fundamental in formulating our ideas at Asycd of always learning and trying new things creatively. If you want to view our other, check out our website.
