Choosing a Mascot for Spill University
Spill University is bringing the vibrancy of HBCU culture to social media. As this virtual community evolves, we are all calling Spill home – a place where Black joy and expression thrive. To commemorate our growth, it’s time to select an official mascot. As a new CompSci professor at Spill U teaching AI and Visual Design, I decided to create a few mascot options. A black panther felt fitting, symbolizing the strength and unity of our community (obviously). Using Midjourney’s AI generative art apps, I crafted prompts incorporating our school colors, vision, and energy. The results? Well you can check out the pics and choose which one you like best by voting on Spill. Our mascot will become a beloved part of our school heritage. By letting our creative community decide, the mascot selection process is bringing us together. Let’s gooooo!
Bringing Characters to Life With AI Art
I decided to create engaging characters using AI generative art. Midjourney has become my favorite tool for bringing the ideas in my head to the digital canvas. By carefully crafting prompts, I can describe a character down to details like hair color, facial features, clothing, and accessories. The AI art isn’t perfect, but provides a strong starting point for finalizing illustrations. Experimenting with Midjourney has opened up new possibilities for visualizing and sharing my stories. My characters feel more real and engaging through this AI-assisted creative process. I can’t wait to finish creating my characters so I can move onto the writing and publishing. My children have been helping me as this is their story to tell. They get excited when it’s time to write and create the stories. Check out some of the characters I’ve created. They’re modeled off of prompts I created based on the looks of my family and myself.
Nostalgia: Black Streetwear in DC
This photo series recreates iconic streetwear looks from my childhood growing up Black in the DC area during the 80s and 90s. I used Midjourney AI art to generate images that capture the vibe and culture of black fashion in DC back then. These images are a nostalgic tribute. Though trends evolve, the flair and expression of black style in DC never fades. Growing up, our fashion defined us and created a sense of pride and community. By prompting Midjourney with descriptive phrases I produced images that feel straight out of my old neighborhood. Honestly, I think generative art can be used for therapy. You can literally use it to recreate some of your happiest moments or things that made you smile from childhood or any other era or moment that brought you joy. I’d love to read about a case study on this in a few years. This collection celebrates not just the look of the 80s and 90s, but the energy, freedom and culture growing up in the DC Area represented at that time. AI has helped me visually remember an influential part of my roots. I’d even argue that around that time DC, NYC, and ATL (the southern hub) were the black meccas in the US. Even if you’d never been there you knew we were just dope. Check out the images below. Maybe one day i’ll post some of my old pics that aren’t AI generated. Midjourney was pretty solid on this one.
Butterflies
Taking a break from my to-do list to spend quality time with my 5-year-old daughter was a special moment. She was working on her first puzzle and needed some help. I took 30 minutes to teach her and assist with assembling the pieces. The smile on her face when she touched the completed puzzle filled me with joy. I captured the moment in a photo and used AI generative art with Midjourney to surround her with colorful butterflies. Though it seemed like a small thing to me, helping her with that puzzle meant the world to her. The next one she did completely independently! Sometimes little moments like this mean so much more than crossing things off our task list. Slowing down for quality time with children should always take priority. The memory of her joy and sense of accomplishment still makes me smile. The OriginalThe AI Image