Teaching Art in the Age of AI: Guiding Creativity Beyond the Algorithm

Art is a way of being. In Aboriginal Australian languages, there’s no direct equivalent for the word "art," yet it isn’t separate from life—it’s woven into storytelling, traditions, and daily existence. Simply put, art isn’t just something they create; it’s how they live.

Malcolm Ross described art as an expressive energy that moves through us, responding to and shaping the rhythm of life. This impulse to create is deeply human. Poets often describe writing as something that just happens—an unfiltered response to emotion or experience. Similarly, W.H. Auden called art a "rite of worship," something instinctive rather than learned. Maybe that’s why creating—whether it’s painting, writing, or making music—feels so satisfying. It’s not about creating something out of nothing; it’s about tapping into what’s already there.

Elsa, watercolour and crayon on paper , 2022

But somewhere along the way, many of us lose that connection. As we grow up, we’re taught to prioritise logic, efficiency, and productivity. Art becomes an afterthought, something "extra" rather than essential. What was once natural starts to feel unfamiliar, like a language we’ve forgotten how to speak.

The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Aristotle

And now, with AI becoming better at logic, efficiency, and productivity, it’s starting to take on more creative roles—generating art, writing poetry, even composing music. So what remains uniquely ours? What makes us human?

There is one fundamental difference between machines and us: they don’t create from lived experience. They don’t make sense of the world through personal struggles, emotions, or connections. AI can be creative, but its creativity is built on existing data—patterns, structures, and polished, preprocessed answers. It pulls from what already exists.

Humans, on the other hand, create from something raw. Our experiences—messy, unpredictable, deeply felt—become the material for new and authentic ideas. At first glance, creativity might seem like thinking outside the box. But at its core, it’s about engaging with life in a way that is deeply personal, real, and ever-evolving.

This is how I was motivated to design my online art course. It’s not theme-based in the traditional sense—not that there’s no theme, but the theme is always up to the kids. They decide what to create based on how the artist, story, topic or artwork introduced in class inspires them. From there, they connect that inspiration to their own interests and life experiences. That’s what art should be: personal, open-ended, and alive.

If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.” Marc Chagall

Suyuan Chen, 9 years old, marker pen drawing on paper, 2023

Jolin, 6 years old, marker pen drawing on paper, 2023

Elsa, mark pen and crayon on paper , 2022