Reimagine Childhood Imaginations w/ AI
A connection across space and time
You may have the experience of looking at a 4k rendered remastered version of a game on PS5 or latest PC, and thought this was exactly how I remembered the OG game looked like when you were a child. I had that experience when I played Final Fantasy 7 remake. I remember it exactly the way I was playing the pixelated original on PS1. Nostalgia and imagination upscales things way better than silicon solutions.
With AI capabilities evolving by the hour, I suddenly had the idea - what if I reimagine my imaginations from the past with AI - to have this connection through space and time? It reminded me of one recent example:
My parents brought a picture I drew when I was in the second grade, from years ago. My daughter, in her second grade, finished some colorings and made this picture complete. I wouldn’t have imagined as a kid that it would take three decades for this picture of a playground to be finally complete.
But we can go even further. We can ask AI now to imagine what this would have looked like in real life. Sometimes I feel I can see a broader world in my mind, but my physical capabilities are constraining me from bring my imagination to life. But AI could help - it’s not perfect, but it’s a new way to freedom of expression.
So I spent a weekend afternoon with my kids, going through my old drawings, and turn them into photos. It’s quite extraordinary. I could now share my free soaring imaginations, with my kids.
Quite interesting, isn’t it. And there are more
To a point I have a hard time stopping trying
And finally, my wall mural drawing for my wife:
And my kids also tried their art work
It’s interesting that they didn’t lose interest in art when seeing AI can do so much better than they could do. Quite the contrary - they actually got more interested because now you could do more than you are physically capable of. My son spent the entire Sunday doodling - just like power tools enable DIYs, in some way AI in the right hands and in the right ways, could be very inspiring.
It’s not perfect. But It’s different. I wish I had these tools when I was a kid. Being able to reimagine the imagination I had when I wa a kid is an amazing experience. I haven’t drawn anything seriously for a while that I almost forgot I used to spend days on my digital tablet working on things I was obsessed with. I feel that passion is coming back to me.
What an unsettling and exciting time we are in.
耍剑的小孩没画出来🤣