Kris Andrew Small on the creative potential of generative AI

Meet Sydney-based artist Kris Andrew Small, whose work is a vibrant explosion of colour, typography, pattern, and collage. His energetic and dynamic pieces often tackle societal issues through bold and abstract visuals, with a core message of empowerment and support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Inspired by his personal experiences and the world around him, Kris forges a style that is uniquely his own, and has built a bright portfolio across various mediums.

We had the opportunity to speak with Kris about his creative journey, his thoughts on the future of creativity, and the role of innovations like generative AI.

Tell us a bit about your journey as an artist....

It’s been quite the ride, I feel like I was a graphic designer for such a long time and then once I decided to focus more on art, it all happened so quickly. I went from nothing to loads of jobs – it moved so fast I don’t think I had time to take it in.

Now, I am a lot slower with work, I take on less projects and really try to enjoy the process. I am most excited when it’s something I haven’t done before, not in terms of style but more in terms of product.

I did a collection with a global shoe brand a couple of years ago and working on the sneakers for that was by far my favourite thing I’ve ever made. More recently, I received a book in the mail which I designed the cover for - I felt so excited by that because it’s something I haven’t done before. I think however long I do this for, I will always be seeking out new things I haven’t made.

What influences your style and approach to art?

So many things, although mainly the chaos of life around me - however that manifests. I look back at 80s and 90s New York and European art for inspiration, but there’s also so much amazing work coming out now that I am constantly inspired by too. I think music inspires me, almost more than visuals.

As a queer artist, identity is always something that comes up. At the start of my career, it wasn’t intentional at all, I was just telling my story through my work, I think I still really try to channel that.

What Adobe tools are you using most in your work?

Adobe Photoshop is my first love, so I think it will always be at the centre of everything I do! I work a lot in Illustrator as well, especially for the type pieces. And I’ve recently started playing in Substance 3D - its wild, I love it!

After Effects is another fav. I used to spend hours and hours making gifs in Photoshop, so I was really surprised by how much After Effects made sense to me - it felt so familiar. I think all the software seems so synced up these days and my workflow requires me to bounce so much between them all.

More recently I’ve been using Generative Fill in Photoshop. It’s wild to see how I can make all these textures and objects, and how they can take on parts of the existing work to make something new. I really feel like I can own whatever it is that’s being generated as its coming into the world that I’m already creating. I’m excited to see how it will evolve over time and what I am able to make with it.

In your latest body of work, you’ve really focused in on gen AI. What’s been your biggest learning?

It's hard to explain but I feel like it has opened a new door to what I can make.

It took me some time to figure out how to make generative AI work for me in my style, and all of a sudden, it just clicked and felt like it added another 25% to what I was already doing. I think a lot of people are using AI for very literal things. I’ve really enjoyed trying to make interesting abstract things with it and seeing how it can exist in my world.

How important is responsible AI to you as an artist?

It’s wildly important. This is my career and my livelihood – I make my money as an artist, as do millions of creatives around the world, so protecting them is of the utmost importance. Humans have always used art, whether it be painting, or photos, or music or theatre as a way of communication and processing emotions and telling stories, that is the essence of human life.

There will always be a need for that and that’s why AI needs to be used responsibly. Generative AI should be used as a tool and a way of evolving creativity, so creatives are able to make more exciting and new work, rather than being replaced all together. Equally, it needs to be created responsibly - Adobe Firefly is a great example as its trained off stock and openly licenced material so artists are protected from copyright.

If you were going to give some advice to someone new to gen AI, what would it be?

Just experiment, like anything new in the world you need to learn it. I had so much fun in the beginning just playing around and seeing what it could do for me, seeing how I could make new textures and forms. Just get in and start making things would be my advice.

Follow @krisandrewsmall as he uses Adobe’s generative AI tools to create his latest body of work.

Find more creative inspiration and discover the power of generative AI with Adobe Firefly, integrated in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Express.