For years I've made double exposure images with my photographs as part of an Instagram group called Fused Fridays. Only last year was I brave enough to say "hey these are good enough to put out into the world", to be visible and to be criticised I suppose! I will find out shortly because I'm doing my first Open Studios event next month and people will encounter them en masse!

When I told my sister I was doing the Open Studios she said "what art are you showing?". I said my double exposure photographs and she went "oh, not real art then" 🤪

As you say, everything was once new and scary, and the same now applies to ai that is in some way used for art.