A Pedagogical Journey
As an artist, teacher, and prompt engineer, I'm constantly fascinated by the intersection of creativity, learning theory, and the art of crafting effective prompts. Today, I want to share a recent experience that beautifully illustrates the iterative process of prompt engineering and its applications in art and pedagogy.
It began with a simple exercise: creating prompts for artworks. As someone deeply interested in the theory of learning and teaching, I saw this as an opportunity to explore how we can guide creative thinking through carefully crafted prompts.
Initial Prompts:
- "The Weight of Time": Visualize the concept of time as a physical burden carried by a figure.
- "Echoes of Solitude": Depict a space that embodies the essence of being alone, yet surrounded by invisible connections.
- "The Geometry of Thought": Create an abstract representation of how ideas form and connect in the mind.
- "Fractured Reflections": Explore the concept of identity through a series of broken or distorted mirrors.
- "The Dance of Chaos and Order": Illustrate the delicate balance between structure and randomness in nature or society.
- "Whispers of the Forgotten": Portray objects or places that hold memories no one remembers anymore.
- "The Palette of Emotions": Create a color field piece where each hue represents a different human emotion, blending at the edges.
- "Threads of Fate": Visualize the concept of destiny as an intricate tapestry or web.
- "The Architecture of Dreams": Design a surreal structure that defies physical laws, embodying the illogic of dreams.
- "Shadows of the Self": Depict a scene where shadows reveal more about the subjects than their physical forms.
Here are some illustrations from these prompts, in which I asked MidJourney to begin with the style of Leonardo De Vinci.
From this list, "The Geometry of Thought" stood out as a prompt aimed at visualising cognitive processes. This initial idea served as a launching point for a deeper exploration.
As a lifelong learner, I know the value of iteration and refinement. So, I expanded this single prompt into four more detailed ones, each delving into different aspects of visualising thought processes.
Expanded "Geometry of Thought" Prompts:
- "Data Streams of Consciousness": Create an abstract charcoal drawing representing collective thought as interweaving data streams.
- "The Binary Forest": Develop a large-scale abstract drawing of a "forest" where each "tree" represents an individual mind in a collective.
- "Memory Cache Landscape": Create an abstract charcoal landscape where different geological features represent various aspects of information processing.
- "The Neural Network Metropolis": Envision collective thinking as an abstract cityscape.
Again, at each step I was creating visualisations using MidJourney. Oh, I should mention here that it`s also important to provide the 'medium' in your prompt, or even the artist you prefer to emulate. In the case below, I wanted a charcoal drawing.
But here's where my background in pedagogy came into play: I didn't just generate more prompts blindly. I asked clarifying questions to understand the learner's (in this case, the artist's) preferences and interests. This is crucial in any teaching scenario - understanding your student's perspective helps tailor the learning experience.
In total I created 20 or so illustrations.
Here are some of my favourites.
As I continued my discussion, I decided to shift focus to another prompt: "The Dance of Chaos and Order." As a prompt artist I saw an opportunity to incorporate learning theory into our artistic exploration. We decided to view this concept through the lens of Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory.
This is where the real challenge of prompt engineering came into play. How do you take complex theories like Piaget's and transform them into clear, inspiring prompts for artwork? The key, I've found, is to break down the theory into its core components and find visual metaphors that represent these ideas.
Final Prompts (Combining "Dance of Chaos and Order" with Piaget's Theory):
- "Stages of Societal Equilibrium": Create a series of interconnected abstract landscapes, each representing one of Piaget's stages (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational).
- "The Assimilation Spiral": Illustrate society as a large spiral, where each loop represents a different aspect of collective knowledge.
- "Schemas in Flux": Develop an abstract cityscape where buildings represent different societal schemas.
- "The Equilibration Pendulum": Create a drawing of an abstract pendulum, where the pivot point represents the balance between chaos and order in society.
And here are some of these illustrations.
Throughout this process, I continually asked for feedback and offered clarifying questions. This iterative approach is at the heart of both good teaching and effective prompt engineering. It's about creating a dialogue, refining ideas, and gradually sculpting vague concepts into clear, actionable prompts.
As an educator, I find this process fascinating because it mimics how we learn and teach. We start with broad concepts, ask questions, make connections to existing knowledge (like Piaget's theory), and gradually refine our understanding. The art of crafting prompts is, in many ways, the art of guiding discovery and learning.
This experience reinforced for me the power of interdisciplinary thinking. By combining artistic creativity with learning theory and the structured approach of prompt engineering, we can create powerful tools for inspiration and education. In some ways it`s been revelatory.
In traditional art, like drawing and charcoals (my passion) it takes ages to create a drawing you`re intrigued by or collection of studies. Like, sometimes weeks or even years or more, but by using AI my thoughts are created, examined, iterated, questioned and my journey speeds up. IMO it`s wonderful and truly exciting.
For fellow educators, artists, and prompt engineers, I encourage you to explore this intersection.
Start with broad concepts, incorporate relevant theories, ask plenty of questions, and don't be afraid to iterate. The process of refining prompts can be as enlightening as the final product.
As we continue to explore the frontiers of AI and machine learning, the skill of prompt engineering will only grow in importance. It's not just about creating instructions for AI - it's about understanding how we frame questions, guide thinking, and inspire creativity in both humans and machines.
I'm excited to continue this journey of exploration at the intersection of art, pedagogy, and technology.
Who knows what new insights we'll uncover as we keep refining our prompts and pushing the boundaries of creative and educational practices?
Visit my gallery to find the full collection which I will upload soon. And from now on I will be including all of my prompts in the descriptions, so yes, you can replicate the images in MidJourney. Your feedback is appreciated, so please leave a comment, or ask a question below and I`ll get back to you as quick as possible.