What Do You See When You Look At Me?

Summary

K. Joseph is exploring their identity through AI-generated self-portraits using Lensa, sharing the journey and its impact on their online presence and perception of self.

Abstract

K. Joseph has embarked on a creative journey using Lensa, an AI tool, to create self-portraits that reflect the diversity of their identity. This exploration has led to the creation of fifty unique portraits, each representing different facets of Joseph's personality and experiences. By updating their online platforms—Medium, YouTube, and Substack—with these AI-generated images, they aim to authentically represent their multidimensionality and challenge conventional norms. Joseph feels a sense of safety and liberation in these new personas and is curious about how these portraits are perceived by others, inviting feedback to understand the impact of their artistic endeavor.

Opinions

Joseph believes it is essential to authentically represent the many facets of their identity online.
They feel a sense of safety and liberation behind the altered personas created by the AI.
Joseph is intrigued by the process of selecting portraits that resonate with their self-perception and the messages they wish to convey.
The self-portraits are intended to celebrate the richness of human complexity and challenge conventional norms of Blackness.
Joseph values the perspectives of their audience and seeks honest feedback to better understand the impact of their AI self-portraits.
They express a desire for thicker eyebrows in one of the portraits, suggesting a personal wish fulfilled by the AI's interpretation.

Exploring My Identity Through AI Self Portraits with Lensa

Me #1 and #2 by Lensa

Me #3 and #4 by Lensa

Dear Sojourner,

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to share an exciting development in my creative journey that I thought you might find interesting. Recently, I’ve been using Lensa, a powerful AI tool, to delve into self-portraiture. Through this process, I’ve explored and diversified how I am perceived across the vast expanse of the World (Wide Web).

In this digital age, our online presence has become an extension of ourselves, and it is essential to me to authentically represent the many facets of my identity. I have updated my medium.com, YouTube and Substack sites to reflect this evolution, and I must admit that I feel a sense of safety and liberation behind these altered, newfound personas.

By leveraging the capabilities of Lensa, I created a series of fifty unique AI-generated self-portraits, each capturing a distinct aspect of who I am.

It has been an delightful journey to sift through these variations and choose the few that resonate most with me. In doing so, I have discovered something intriguing about how I want to be perceived and the messages I wish to convey about myself.

Through this process, I want to showcase my multidimensionality and embrace the beauty of diversity. Each self-portrait offers a glimpse into a different side of my personality, my passions, and my experiences. By embracing these various identities, I may challenge conventional norms of Blackness and celebrate the richness of human complexity.

Now, I turn to you, my dear friend and follower or you who happened upon me in this space today. As an outside observer, I am genuinely curious about what these self-portraits communicate to you. How do they shape your perception of me? What emotions, thoughts, or ideas do they evoke? Which resonates with you the most; 1, 2, 3, or 4 above or 5 below?

I value your perspective and believe your insights will help me better understand the impact I’m creating through this artistic endeavor through an AI surrogate. Tell me the truth, sojourner, what do you see?

You are a part of my journey — Thank you. Your support and friendship mean the world to me, and I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on my AI self-portraits.

Warm regards,

Me #5 by Lensa. I wish I had think eyebrows. Sigh. My AI knows the desires of my heart.