Claude as a studio assistant
I was looking at my friend Mert Hürtürk’s new blog, Intromert, and came across an entry titled Low Place Like Home, where he shared geometric sketches made with Processing, a tool purpose-built for artists to create with code. Describing his sketches, Mert wrote:
It’s tough to say though, "I sketched"… I explained my vision, chose the colors, the shapes, the story, the style, etc. and Claude wrote the script… Don’t know exactly how to share these yet… "I directed" maybe? Like a director…
This reminded me of William Kentridge describing his creative process: working with his hands, arranging pieces of paper, reacting to what appears, and taking photos to create a stop-motion animation. He had the luxury of a high-ceiling studio, all the equipment he needs, and a staff that can set things up for him, just right for what he wants to work on.
I’ve been interested in artists’ studios for a while. I admire the way they create a creative and playful environment, a space filled with tools, materials, and references, where ideas can be brought out of the mind and into the world.
Thinking about Mert using the computer to bring what is in his mind onto the screen, move it around, change the colors, shapes, and story, opened up a new space in my mind. It made me think of the computer as an artist’s studio, and Claude as a studio assistant.
