Listening to how
artists work.
Aestelier explores how artists search for, organize, and use their visual references in their practice.
It begins with a research phase. These interviews are here to understand the real practices of visual artists: how they work, with which tools, and what must remain under their control.
By taking part, you help avoid poorly designed, extractive tools that are disconnected from real artistic practices.
A voluntary exchange: you stay free to decide what you share.
Research led by Guillaume Schneider, software engineer and artistic practitioner.
Understanding how the work happens, before locking in a solution.
Real practices: the tools used, the habits, the way one image leads to another.
Artists already use many tools to search, produce, classify, and present their work. Before locking in a solution, this research seeks to understand these uses as they exist.
The goal is not to validate an idea, but to understand what is actually worth building, and what should not be built.
Understanding how you work, with a focus on references.
The interview is about how you work: tools, habits, private zones, and conditions of trust.
The first subject explored is how artists search for, organize, and reuse their visual references.
The aim is not to define how this should work, but to understand how it already works.
Your participation helps design tools made for real practices and respectful of artists: their intentions, habits, and time.
An anonymized summary of the main learnings may be shared with participants.
What we’ll ask you.
During the conversation, we can talk about a recent project.
- 01how you searched for your references
- 02how you sorted them
- 03what helped you
- 04what slowed you down
- 05what you wouldn’t want to hand over to a tool
We start with a few words about what you’re working on right now. You show what you want, on screen or nothing at all. We follow the thread of your references: where you look for them, how you keep them, what you do with them.
There’s no right answer and no checklist to get through. If a question doesn’t speak to you, we skip it. If you want to stop, we stop.
A clear framework, not a rights transfer.
An exchange limited to what you agree to share, during the interview and through a short form. Every choice stays reversible.
Before the exchange, a short form lets you choose precisely what you accept or refuse. You can ask questions about the framework before starting, and nothing is mandatory: it is not necessary to show personal works, sensitive files, or a complete workspace.
You stay in control from start to finish: at any point you can refuse a question, show nothing, interrupt, or withdraw your consent after the exchange, without having to justify yourself.
Participating gives no automatic rights over the artist’s works, references, identity, or words: any public or specific use requires separate written agreement.
What I choose to open.
- 01take part in the interview
- 02allow or refuse recording and its transcription
- 03allow or refuse follow-up contact
- 04approve any public quote separately before use
What remains out of scope.
- 01train an AI model, index, or build a dataset from your works
- 02reuse, transform, or publish a work without agreement
- 03publish the artist’s identity or quote them publicly without separate approval
- 04use their name, image, or work for marketing
propose an interview.
No invitation needed to get started. Write to me to suggest an interview, ask a question, or discover the approach. I reply personally.
you have an appointment.
Access your artist space with the code sent before the interview. You will be able to join the call and fill in a short consent form.
A personal note
Behind Aestelier, there is a person listening to you, not an automatic collection.
My name is Guillaume Schneider. I lead this research to understand how artists really work with their references, tools, and private spaces before locking in a solution based on false assumptions.
The interview is a voluntary exchange. You can ask a question, refuse a part, come back to a point, or ask what will be done with your answers. My role is to keep this framework clear and never turn participation into general authorization.