Meet Ariel!
Step into the enchanting world of Ariel (IG:@ephemeralariel), a talented art director and designer based in Oakland, California, whose dreamy, pastel-hued AI artworks are a testament to her lifelong passion for creating. With a background in photography and a deep connection to nature and water, Ariel's unique artistic vision invites viewers to immerse themselves in the captivating interplay of light, color, and emotion.
Through her AI-generated pieces, Ariel explores themes of nostalgia, memory, isolation, and connection, reflecting the ethereal beauty of the world around her. As a beloved member of the AI art community, her work has garnered admiration and inspiration from fellow artists and enthusiasts alike.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got interested in AI art?
I’ve been working as an Art Director and Designer for the last 15 years and currently live in Oakland, California with my partner, pets, and plants. I grew up among artists and makers, and creating has always been intrinsic to my being. Outside of my work as a designer, I have a photography practice and enjoy exploring different creative mediums.
I studied Art + Design at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, and lived there for many years after. I spent much of my time in and around the water, wandering with my camera and exploring the beauty of the coast where the rolling hills meet the ocean and walking the quiet foggy seaside towns. It holds a special place in my heart and still inspires a lot of my work.
My introduction to Generative AI came through a work-wide mandate to start learning and using it in 2022. Initially, it all felt a little unsettling—waking up to a world and career that had shifted overnight. I grappled with existential questions about the role of artists and the perceived devaluation of images and creative work in the eyes of non-creative audiences, a theme already felt widely in the agency world. However, after beginning to use it, I realized that AI was just another tool for creatives, not a replacement for them. And that the power is in you and what you use it to bring to life. With my first creations, came a flood of ideas and dreams I had been keeping inside without a place to put them or the time or energy to properly explore them. It sparked a renewed energy and sense of inspiration and desire to create for myself again, and for that I am grateful.
Who or what are your artistic inspirations, and if you had the opportunity to collaborate with any artist, who would it be, and why?
I find that I get a lot of ideas when I am outside, walking, and feeling connected to nature, observing the details around me, my thoughts, and emotions. Growing up as a swimmer, water has always been one of the places where I feel most alive. I am inspired by bodies of water, the sea, and the worlds and life beneath them, by light, color, sensory experiences, quiet spaces, nostalgia and memory, isolation and connection, and expressions of complex emotions or feelings.
When I am creating, I typically lead with a feeling or an idea that stems from the emotions I am trying to express. The feedback and funny hall of mirrors with something else in there with you, and the unique interplay between written and visual expressions, are some of the things I find the most fascinating and fun about AI as a creative tool.
How do you approach the creative process when working with AI?
As someone who constantly has ideas, images, projects, feelings I want to express swirling in my head or stuck in my body—Midjourney became a place where I could spill them out and start to sift through and process them.
I usually start with a pretty vivid image or feeling in my head, often a series, world or story in mind and start writing. I love the feedback process and collaboration with AI where I can work out ideas, make those images, and also get inspired to follow new curiosities and threads that land me somewhere else entirely.
So far, the blocks for me have come from the perfectionist in me creeping in or simply the physical ones of spending too much time on screens and needing to step away. Often when I start on a new idea, it helps influence or lead me back to something I was stuck on or trying to solve for earlier or see it differently and realize I was meant to let it go.
For me, no matter the creative medium, the most important thing when feeling blocked is remembering to take care of yourself. A lot of times for me, blocks are burnout sneaking in, and I often act when it's too late. I’m trying to get better at honoring those signs and striking balance.
How do you balance your work in AI art with other professional or personal pursuits?
This is my favorite question, and one I am most eager to hear about from other artists, as it is something I am always trying to 'figure out.'
Balancing my creative career with my personal art practice has always been a struggle, and Gen AI has helped spark joy after burnout and been such a freeing creative outlet for me. It has helped me hone my voice, create things I’ve always dreamed of, and execute on a level that I previously might not have had the time or energy for. It has inspired me to start to act on all the ideas and projects I'd pushed aside in the past.
On strategies—one thing I am practicing is saying no more (and saying yes to myself and opportunities that feed me creatively or challenge me to show up for myself). I am a recovering people-pleaser, and early in my career, I spent a lot of my free time doing freelance projects for other people. While I enjoy that work (most of the time) and helping people and causes I care about, I knew deep down that I craved and desperately wanted that time for myself, to explore and follow my own artistic interests and curiosities. Saying no was always an internal battle that consumed me, but so was saying yes... it has gotten easier and i get better at it each time.
How has working with AI in art influenced your mental and emotional wellbeing?
Midjourney was a lifeline for me after burnout and I have found AI art as a medium to be incredibly therapeutic and cathartic.
It serves as a healing space where I can express myself without fear or hesitation and creatively explore things i’m feeling or dreaming of and get the rush of bringing something to life.
In the past, I’ve struggled with sharing my work, but embarking on this AI journey and showing up in a community has challenged me to let go, go with the flow, and not overthink. Art has always been crucial for expressing myself, and AI has helped amplify the volume of my IRL “too quiet” voice, allowing me to dive deeper into my emotions and ideas.
How do you engage with the broader AI and digital artist community?
It feels exciting to be in a period of collective learning with other creatives and with something that is evolving and changing so quickly and equally new to everyone. I’ve found a lot of community, support, and knowledge sharing across the internet and in real life, which is refreshing and encouraging.
I have immense gratitude to WAIA and everyone in it who helps make this such an inspiring, supportive, and inclusive space. As an introvert, engaging in communities is something I have shied away from in the past, but I challenged myself to try this time and I'm so happy i did. I've felt nothing but joy, support, and inspiration from connecting with the other genuine and amazing artists here. I've made connections and friends both personally and professionally from all over the world whom I would not have met otherwise, which feels especially rewarding. Opportunities have also come with putting myself out there. Seeing all the people share my work and hearing that it makes them feel something gives me confidence and makes me excited to keep sharing and also engaging and supporting others.
What advice or encouragement would you give to aspiring women and non-binary folks who are interested in pursuing AI art?
Don’t overthink and jump in—have fun, embrace the weirdness of it all and your unique perspective and voice, lead with your heart, bring to life your wildest dreams whether it’s just for you or something you want to share with the world. Stay open and curious to change and consider joining a community like WAIA for support
For more of Ariel’s incredible work, make sure to visit her Instagram account: @ephemeralariel