Dr. Mirkin, thank you. Such wonderful insight. Yes, "Technique can be replicated. Presence cannot." That's true of all life, isn't it? I feel so much pain for the people who give up. Who squander their humanness. Who stop making things--even the everyday struggle to live and think and see. There is so much about life to not just see, but watch; watch closely if only for a minute or two. Yes, we need to, we must, honor that "boundary being drawn."
You trace a life where making things is not a hobby or preference, but a condition of being alive. The throughline from childhood drawing to teaching through art to continuing despite war, institutions, and time itself makes that clear. What you describe is practice as survival and as connection, especially for people who had no other entry point into expression.
The concern about machines taking over the surface of creativity feels less like fear and more like a boundary being drawn. Technique can be replicated. Presence cannot. The difference you point to is not style, but touch, memory, and intention carried in the body of the maker.
Continuing to create in the face of trauma is not denial of what happened, but refusal to let it dictate the terms of the future. That insistence matters, especially now.
Dr. Mirkin, thank you. Such wonderful insight. Yes, "Technique can be replicated. Presence cannot." That's true of all life, isn't it? I feel so much pain for the people who give up. Who squander their humanness. Who stop making things--even the everyday struggle to live and think and see. There is so much about life to not just see, but watch; watch closely if only for a minute or two. Yes, we need to, we must, honor that "boundary being drawn."
Your commitment to your calling as an artist, writer, and teacher is awesome. Your empathy for others and their experiences is instructive. May you continue to help others think in new ways throughout 2026.
Thank you, Mr. Magner. A very important topic. AI is being used to actively distort everything... not just in an artistic way. History, Literature, Science, everything is subject to AI manipulation.
A huge majority of people are glued to their screens. Making it worse is this statistic, that... 54% of U.S. adults (about 130 million people) read below a 6th-grade level... how can we expect these "citizens" to act or carry themselves in civil society, vote their conscience, or speak their mind when everything they encounter is subject to being twisted for political or ideological gain?
How will anyone know what’s true or not?
And given the speed at which AI is evolving, I’m truly scared of what this year’s elections could bring, much less 2028. And like most combat Veterans, lies and outright gaslighting, be it institutional or from individuals, are huge triggers for my PTSD symptoms. I won’t even get into the “what if?” scenarios that our nation’s enemies have in store for us.
I too have found Substack a wonderful writing platform. Writing for me has become a therapy that VA shrinks seem to look down upon, especially if it makes them second guess their years of training. (for those interested, here’s a couple of links to some of my work.)
Thank you, Dana. You have captured the "foreordained malice" completely. What is happening is not just a race toward more billions by the high tech masters of the universe. The evil that has existed from the beginning of time is gaining powers never before imagined. As combat vets we know what evil is and how it destroys. This year finds us on the brink of chaos. The only way to survive is to hold on to our supernatural gift of creativity and be true to ourselves and others.
Thank you, Jim! I donated over 230 paintings from the Oh Shenandoah book to Shenandoah University, and they will be givimg me recognition in February. Best to hold off until after that if you decide to do that. Also, the published book about Michele's and my gallery in NYC will be coming out this spring. That might be a good opportunity to cover a lot of ground.
Dr. Mirkin, thank you. Such wonderful insight. Yes, "Technique can be replicated. Presence cannot." That's true of all life, isn't it? I feel so much pain for the people who give up. Who squander their humanness. Who stop making things--even the everyday struggle to live and think and see. There is so much about life to not just see, but watch; watch closely if only for a minute or two. Yes, we need to, we must, honor that "boundary being drawn."
You trace a life where making things is not a hobby or preference, but a condition of being alive. The throughline from childhood drawing to teaching through art to continuing despite war, institutions, and time itself makes that clear. What you describe is practice as survival and as connection, especially for people who had no other entry point into expression.
The concern about machines taking over the surface of creativity feels less like fear and more like a boundary being drawn. Technique can be replicated. Presence cannot. The difference you point to is not style, but touch, memory, and intention carried in the body of the maker.
Continuing to create in the face of trauma is not denial of what happened, but refusal to let it dictate the terms of the future. That insistence matters, especially now.
Dr. Mirkin, thank you. Such wonderful insight. Yes, "Technique can be replicated. Presence cannot." That's true of all life, isn't it? I feel so much pain for the people who give up. Who squander their humanness. Who stop making things--even the everyday struggle to live and think and see. There is so much about life to not just see, but watch; watch closely if only for a minute or two. Yes, we need to, we must, honor that "boundary being drawn."
Wow. Your most powerful and moving. Thanks for pushing me to keep at it. Thanks for sharing your own art this month!
Thanks, Brian. You have much to say, and now is a good time, maybe a critical time, to start saying it.
Beautiful! You've lived a life full of purpose.
Thank you, Moorea. We have to hold on to that purpose, don't we? We can't let this technology steal our souls.
Exactly, James. AI-generated art is BS.
Your commitment to your calling as an artist, writer, and teacher is awesome. Your empathy for others and their experiences is instructive. May you continue to help others think in new ways throughout 2026.
Thank you, Tom. We are going to have to resist together--by making ourselves and others keep a desperate hold on reality.
Thank you, Mr. Magner. A very important topic. AI is being used to actively distort everything... not just in an artistic way. History, Literature, Science, everything is subject to AI manipulation.
A huge majority of people are glued to their screens. Making it worse is this statistic, that... 54% of U.S. adults (about 130 million people) read below a 6th-grade level... how can we expect these "citizens" to act or carry themselves in civil society, vote their conscience, or speak their mind when everything they encounter is subject to being twisted for political or ideological gain?
How will anyone know what’s true or not?
And given the speed at which AI is evolving, I’m truly scared of what this year’s elections could bring, much less 2028. And like most combat Veterans, lies and outright gaslighting, be it institutional or from individuals, are huge triggers for my PTSD symptoms. I won’t even get into the “what if?” scenarios that our nation’s enemies have in store for us.
I too have found Substack a wonderful writing platform. Writing for me has become a therapy that VA shrinks seem to look down upon, especially if it makes them second guess their years of training. (for those interested, here’s a couple of links to some of my work.)
Engineered Impairment of Moral Agency: Foreordained Malice. https://danafharbaugh.substack.com/p/engineered-impairment-of-moral-agency
Language Integrity in the AI Tower of Babel: Why Semantic Corruption Is the Real Existential Threat. https://danafharbaugh.substack.com/p/language-integrity-in-the-ai-tower
Micro-Targeted Hallucinations: Trippin’ into the 2026 mid-term elections. https://danafharbaugh.substack.com/p/micro-targeted-hallucinations
Thank you, Dana. You have captured the "foreordained malice" completely. What is happening is not just a race toward more billions by the high tech masters of the universe. The evil that has existed from the beginning of time is gaining powers never before imagined. As combat vets we know what evil is and how it destroys. This year finds us on the brink of chaos. The only way to survive is to hold on to our supernatural gift of creativity and be true to ourselves and others.
Thanks John
Beautifully stated!
Thank you, Mary.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and reflections about our future
Wishing you and your daughter and grandchild many blessings in 2026.
You are a gift to us all.
Thank you, Marla. Your travels keep me wanting to go places. Wishing you the best this year.
You are the real thing, Jim, an artist. Happy New Year.
Thank you, Andrei. I need to cover your body of work soon. You keep art real.
Thank you, Jim! I donated over 230 paintings from the Oh Shenandoah book to Shenandoah University, and they will be givimg me recognition in February. Best to hold off until after that if you decide to do that. Also, the published book about Michele's and my gallery in NYC will be coming out this spring. That might be a good opportunity to cover a lot of ground.