On AI and Creating

Written by Anushka Kempken, Class of 2014, Alum of Michael Mount Waldorf School

One day, when we have had enough of AI-generated things, when we feel ready for something real, when we crave the handmade elements, I will still be here.

I’ll be here making art that sometimes takes weeks and months to create. Wrestling with decisions that frustrate me for weeks on end, sometimes months. Feeling my way through answers until pieces feel right, or whatever other human experience I might be having in order to create art and live life.

I want to still be here for you when you are ready for something handmade. I want to be here for you when you cannot take another mass-produced, unoriginal, forgettable sloppy thing.

Of course, the lure to use AI in more and more of my work is there, but I believe that I am still a creator, even if AI can create too. And I believe you are still a creator, even if AI can replace you too.

With all that AI can do, we are left to ask, ‘What will we do? What purpose will we serve? What are we good for?’

We have to start rejecting the idea that we are all replaceable. There is something fundamental that we can do that AI cannot. AI will take over all the monotonous tasks and we will be left with making the work that requires some soul and real critical thinking. We might go from an economy of quantity to one of quality.

I am glad to have experimented with AI, in my recent content, it was fun in the beginning until it was not me anymore. And I believe that you are going through the same process too, having felt the joy of instant gratification to complicated answers, but then soon realising the hollowness in them.

Art made with AI is hollow. It is made to touch our senses (and does that very well) but it’s a violation of human expression. It’s not rooted in experience, so it cannot touch the heart. We will get tired of the sanitised AI hologram. We are human after all, and we crave something that is real, authentic and surprising. We crave soul.

When you are ready to come home to a house where others will say, ‘Wow, look at the real art here’, where the home has a different feeling, the texture is authentic, I’ll still be here.

Alumni Spotlight – Anushka Kempken, Class of 2014

What am I up to?

I matriculated from Michael Mount in 2014 before completing my Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts and Honours degree at the University of Pretoria.

My Honours thesis, “Conscious Breathing and Embodied Participation as a Means to Instigate Introspection,” was written alongside the design and construction of OASIS, that year’s Temple artwork at AfrikaBurn, a regional Burning Man event. The project explored how immersive spaces, conscious breathing and embodied participation can invite reflection, healing and deeper self-awareness.

Since graduating, I have been working as a full-time professional artist. My work has been exhibited throughout South Africa and internationally, including exhibitions in Italy such as the Florence Biennale and the Venice Art Fair. I have been fortunate to build a community of collectors around the world, allowing me to pursue art as both a vocation and a business.

Alongside my studio practice, I have taught painting through private tuition and group workshops because I believe creativity is something everyone can benefit from.

One of my most exciting recent projects has been co-founding Gallery on 5th in Parkhurst with a collective of close friends. Gallery on 5th is a fair trade contemporary gallery and creative space where artists and creatives can exhibit, experiment and build a genuine community.

Looking ahead, I am continuing to develop my painting practice while also working towards Tree Temples, a long-term vision of creating living architectural spaces grown from trees that will one day anchor in the consciousness of the future. 

Looking back on being at Michael Mount Waldorf School

One of my fondest memories is of my very first class teacher, Mrs Amerseder. Looking back now, I realise she was much younger than I am today, yet she was full of patience, warmth and kindness for a classroom full of six-year-olds. She made every child feel seen, and I remain deeply grateful for the love she bathed us in.

I was fortunate enough to win several school art competitions, including designing the Big Walk logo in Classes 1 and 7. Those moments and many more like it gave me confidence that my creativity had value and deserved to be nurtured.

I believe my journey towards becoming an artist began even before Michael Mount, but that my school gave that calling room to grow. In kindergarten, I have a memory of watching one of my friends’ mothers quickly sketch a simple flower while dropping her daughter off. That tiny moment fascinated me so completely that by Class 1, I had already decided I would become an artist.

Looking back now, it feels remarkable that a childhood dream became my profession. Art has taken me around the world, introduced me to extraordinary people and cultures, and continues to shape the way I understand both myself and others.

Perhaps what has stayed with me most, though, are the relationships. There is something unique about the friendships formed at Michael Mount. Even after years apart, we seem to reconnect as though no time has passed. There is a sense of belonging and care that feels more like family than friendship, and I treasure that deeply.

Being a Waldorf Alum

To me, being a Waldorf alum means belonging to a community of people who are encouraged to think independently, value creativity and approach the world with curiosity. We are often comfortable taking unconventional paths and expressing ourselves authentically.

There is also a deep appreciation for our shared humanity and our spiritual nature. We support one another, celebrate one another’s individuality and carry forward the understanding that imagination, compassion and creativity are not extras in life, but essential ways of engaging with the world. 

 ——————–

You are welcome to view my work by appointment at Gallery on 5th in Parkhurst by emailing me at anushkakempkenart@gmail.com and seeing my website here https://anushka-kempken-art.webnode.page/. 

Read more about how Michael Mount Waldorf School nurtures conscious individuals in Bryanston, Johannesburg – Baby Care, Preschool, Primary School & High School: https://www.michaelmount.co.za/why-waldorf/