""Pessimism leads to stagnation, and stagnation is anathema to creativity," Genevieve Ross, Stocksy's creative director, tells It's Nice That, suggesting it's more of a discipline than an attitude. "It's something we have to work for, to protect, to choose - especially now." The artist-owned stock media agency continually looks at what creatives are making and clients are wanting, looking out for patterns and familiar (or not-so familiar) themes."
""It's not in a reactionary 'anti-tech' way," Genevieve says, "but in a cultural-immune-system kind of way." She continues: "When expressive technologies surge, people naturally compensate," especially in the wake of sloppy, smooth AI, causing people to lean towards the irregular and odd. "Every one of this year's insights carries that instinct," she adds, "a pull back toward things that feel human, sensory, embodied.""
Optimism is framed as a discipline necessary to sustain creativity, with pessimism causing stagnation. Perfection no longer dominates visual resonance; unfiltered emotional tactility, human presence, warmth and connection are rising. Five cultural insights indicate a shift toward sensory, embodied imagery as a response to widespread AI, synthetic imagery and automation. This shift is not anti-technology but operates like a cultural immune system: when expressive technologies surge, people compensate by embracing irregularity, oddness and liminality. Aesthetic peaks are found at dynamic yet stable edges where styles remain legible but not formulaic, encouraging evolution rather than flattening.
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