It’s not actually shit—but compared to the faux-8K slop AI is pumping out and brands are claiming as holy efficiency, it might as well be. 

The truth is AI hasn’t raised the bar for creativity. It flooded the middle ground with technically competent, aesthetically smooth drivel. And honestly? I’ve never been more grateful for it in my entire creative career. Because my love for awkward, lopsided, low-pixel art with a meaty story has come back tenfold. 

When machines can do “good enough” in ten seconds, taste, intention, and risk suddenly become the real creative currency again. Shit art isn’t lazy or low-effort. It’s unconcerned with approval. Unconcerned with polish. It doesn’t give a fuck if it’s legible to everyone. 

That’s why it feels alive. And that’s why we desperately need it. We haven’t lost creativity. We lost friction. 

Shit art requires a point of view. It thrives on the willingness to be misunderstood. The risk of looking stupid, of being earnest in the wrong way. Hand-drawn, shaky lines. Unusual kerning. Weird edits. Imperfect proportions. The visible mark of a human hand and a weird little mind. The flawed, irrational, unmistakable touch behind the work might actually be the new godliness in a world where machines can generate endless perfection. 

If AI can reproduce your work without losing anything important, the problem isn’t the tool. It’s that the idea was never risking anything in the first place. And safe ideas have never been very interesting.

The future isn’t more beautiful, polished work. It’s more honest work. And that’s why I love shit art.

So please—make more shit. Make it awkward. Make it human. Make it slightly embarrassing. Imperfection might be the last truly creative act we have left. Shit art is back, baby! 

Some artists I’ve been hoarding lately: @batsyhead @prettybadco @popcorn.punk @mugrekuin