One of the best things about generative art is how it can integrate randomness into the artistic process. So don't we want as much randomness as possible?

Of course generative artists use randomness extensively. It's exciting to see surprising results. The art can be completely different each time it's generated. These are good things! But too much randomness causes problems.

• The generated art feels odd, but the artist doesn't know why. It does not make a strong statement.

• The artist has to repeatedly regenerate a work to get a result they approve of.

Making artistic choices randomly abdicates an artist's vision.

Randomness should be a tool, not a crutch used to avoid having a point of view.

For example, pointillist art is a series of dots, and a series of dots is easy to randomly place with random colors. But how could randomly placed dots rival Georges Seurat's La Grande Jatte? Randomness can be used in many ways, but for maximum impact, the artist must direct the randomness.

Deliberate randomness amplifies an artist's vision.

So be careful not to apply randomness haphazardly. For example, randomly choose colors with the same saturation and brightness.

You'll generate works of higher quality in fewer attempts. Limiting your randomness will force you to think about what your art should say, and how the viewer should perceive it. Your art will even surprise yourself -- the artist.

Combine the best of randomness and human creativity.

Your art will be more interesting, with a greater artistic vision.