As Linkin Park screamed about being one step closer to the edge, a shaky hand on a clunky mouse meant an entire picture was ruined.
That was Paint 🎨
We wouldn't know the clunky mouse was clunky for a few years yet.
Floppy discs kept my school assignments on their cheeky squares, and Yahoo chatrooms taught me about everything from cultural tips to witchcraft with no barrier for entry.
Later it was self-publishing with programs like Calibre to format and commissioning book covers cause drawing scenes and characters isn't one of my talents.
Then Canva did what it said on the tin and I could crack my knuckles and design marketing materials without wrestling with Adobe or InDesign. The latter I admit I didn’t try very hard at.
Remember the Space?
My old school basic coding MySpace days came in handy when I decided to give WordPress a go. This was back when plugins were free. Yep, that was a thing.
I really stuck in when I had my first WordPress.org account and let me tell you - as a non-developer, developing, that was a trip. But again, I made it work.
Since then I’ve worked with Wix, Duda, Jimdo, SquareSpace, and other web design platforms both for personal projects and clients. I’ve tried numerous versions of marketing tools and software, writing and editing platforms, and more.
This all gave room for trial, error, mastering, or kicking to the curb.
So when AI tools began openly marketing themselves as such, (I see you Gammerly) I didn’t hesitate to give some of them a try too.
First things first…
I taught myself to prompt efficiently. I wasn't sure what I'd use the tools for yet, but I wanted to learn. The same way I’d stuck in and developed graphic art skills so I could create marketing and other materials when budget was non existent, learning how some of these AI tools worked, was just another step.
I read and researched, learnt how produce images and vid, icing on the cake as it helped add to my creative repertoire.
External projects became a thing too…
I’d go over AI text and review, fixing and tweaking with that human je ne sais quoi. You'd be surprised how many people ask for services like these. I see it as when I did lots of editing for non-native English speakers. They'd send content of all kinds and I’d review, looking for structure, slang, and anything that didn't work as a native would write/say it.
This got me into researching ethical AI use, a deep and informative rabbit hole.
So yes, after years of hacking it “the hard way”, fighting with software that took forever to work right, and literally sitting at the computer in despair as blocks of texts disappeared for whatever reason Word decided that day…
It's all made me feel somewhat entitled to the ease AI brings to the table…
Let me clarify…
Do you use AI to write?
No.
Haven't before so why start now? I like the moments of pause and not being sure what I want to write next. I like the moments of frustration and needing to take a walk. I like it not being perfect. I like it raw and true to my style. It's a classic like/dislike relationship. That's how the stories develop - it's a whole scene.
Do you use AI when writing?
Sometimes.
For research with unfamiliar topics - like learning more about plastic surgery for a short. Though, I admit, I may have done just as much research watching episodes of Botched on Youtube. I also use it when I want to recall a random fact or landmark, for example. And of course, for design I'll use an AI tool then edit in Canva, or the latter from scratch.
Full Disclosure
I often use AI tools for external projects, client work, etc. I'm a hard hat when it comes to content and digital solutions - a construction worker tech style. So yes, AI tools make sense in many areas of my work.
What I love though, is that if all the AI tools popular today disappeared tomorrow, I could adjust and work without them.
I did it before.
Nowadays…
I use a combination of content, media, and technology for client projects and my own creative work. It started with “colouring in the lines” in Paint, to developing natural talents and skills I didn't have before, using whatever technology was available at the time.
And I guess if I go a step further back, it really all started on paper.
Did you start in Paint?
Hate AI tools or couldn’t live without them? Let me know.