I have been creating a series of images with Midjourney to collect for free on the Zero One platform. At first I didn't set out to make a full series out of it, I was just exploring the platform to see what people are doing with blockchain and art. I ended up falling in love with one of the styles I evolved into and decided to continue building upon it.
The series is called Origins of Being. However, when I started creating I had no idea it would be a series, or that I would even be creating more than one piece of the same style. So when the time came to talk about the series, I took a step back and thought ... I haven't even given it a name.
Does it need a name?
To me, giving it a name makes it more official. It solidifies the concept. Even though there wasn't a direction when it started, a name provides a high level overview of what to expect out of this new series. Not necessarily the detail of each piece, but the expectation of the feeling each piece should evoke.
So with that, I thought "Why not ask AI to help me do this?"
I already use AI to make the images in the series, and I'm describing in detail what I want each image to convey, so I have an idea of a "description" of the series to kick off this brainstorming session with ChatGPT.
Setting the Stage for ChatGPT
Before I let ChatGPT answer me with some options, I first give it some background into the series. Along with the description, I asked ChatGPT to wait for me to upload images to the conversation for reference before it reacted to my prompt. (Note: This is part of the paid feature of ChatGPT and using ChatGPT-4.)
I uploaded four sample images from the series on Zero One to give a visual cue to go along with my written description. I chose the following images to give an idea of the spectrum of content:
One thing that I didn't do was actually add the names of each piece into ChatGPT when I uploaded the images. (I'm not sure if ChatGPT can read the file names, which could give that context in a different way.) I think that could've added an extra layer of context to help guide the options ChatGPT provided to name of the series.
Generating The Series Name
After setting up the conversation, ChatGPT waited for my images to be uploaded before responding. Once I added my images, after a few short moments I had a lovely list of options to name my series. (Also, as an aside, the personalization of ChatGPT is a really nice touch, and the AI complimented my image style making me feel a little boost in my mood unexpectedly!)
Here is the list of naming options ChatGPT provided:
- "Nebulae Genesis" - Drawing a parallel to the birth of stars out of nebulae, this name reflects the emergence of forms from the smoke, signifying beginnings and transformations.
- "Smokeborne Realms" - This suggests a world where the subjects are born out of smoke, capturing the abstract and emotional essence of your work.
- "Chimera Ascendant" - If the creatures are mythical or have a sense of being otherworldly, this title captures their ascension from the murky depths.
- "Ephemeral Awakenings" - Highlighting the transient and delicate nature of smoke, this name also indicates a coming into being or consciousness.
- "Mistral Metamorphosis" - Mistral refers to a strong wind, which is fitting for the dynamic, swirling smoke, while metamorphosis denotes change and evolution.
Seeing this list of names inspired me to push the brainstorming a little bit more. In order to do this, I told ChatGPT what I liked about the options that were provided and requested a change based on a specific option that I liked. In this case I was overly specific and chose one lane to push forward with and see what was generated.
Giving ChatGPT Feedback
What I like about ChatGPT is that it gives you the WHY. When I use ChatGPT to help me do creative writing, naming, etc. it always provides that extra bit of analysis and background information to explain how the suggestions came to be. In the case above "Fog of Genesis" was provided as a response to me asking for leaning into the abstraction of smoke and fog in conjunction with the term Genesis.
Now, the disappointing part here is that ChatGPT just took my two words and combined them. Not very creative or outside the box. However, since the description was provided there was a little bit of an ah-ha! moment that I asked ChatGPT to provide more options around.
After reading the description I told ChatGPT what I was inspired by (again) and asked for multiple options. And now, after the third attempt, I got a lot of options that I resonated with.
I prompted with "Honestly, birth of existence in the description you have there stands out to me the most. I'm not sure if I want to use the word BIRTH but I do like the idea of something coming into existence. Could you provide a few creative examples similar to birth of existence, just changing the word birth?"
(Again, pretty fun to be able to talk to it like a person you're bouncing ideas off of, ChatGPT as my colleague!)
The options provided were:
- "Dawn of Existence" - Evoking the first light of day, symbolizing the beginning of life and the emergence of new forms.
- "Inception of Essence" - 'Inception' denotes the commencement of an event or process, paired with 'essence' to signify the fundamental qualities coming into being.
- "Origins of Being" - Focusing on the point at which these entities come into reality, emphasizing the fundamental nature of existence.
- "Genesis of Presence" - 'Genesis' indicating the mode of formation, and 'Presence' the state of emerging into the observable world.
- "Commencement of Substance" - Highlighting the moment substance takes form from the intangible to the tangible.
- "Unveiling of Entities" - Suggesting the gradual revealing or materialization of forms from the abstract.
- "Emergence of Realms" - The act of coming into view or existence, combined with 'realms' to suggest whole new worlds or realities taking shape.
and I honestly couldn't be happier with this third iteration!
The Final Name
I thanked ChatGPT for working with me to give me these options. After sitting with them for a while, I ended up picking Origins of Being. It allows me to be more fluid in the images I create in the series, because I'm not finished adding and releasing content just yet.
Terms like "existence" or "inception" to me felt too finite and they narrow down the concepts I can generate moving forward just slightly. There is less room for abstract than something like "Origins of Being."
What do you think of the options ChatGPT gave me?
Do you think it fits the series?
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