Last week I shared my first 5 rules of the road for thriving as a creative in the age of AI.
Since I wrote that, it occurred to me why people who are artists and creatives may feel more threatened by AI than others.
The act of creation involves:
- Not knowing the end point at the beginning.
- Playing around.
- Daring to try new things.
AI tools offer us productivity. With artificial intelligence, we can get the result faster, without necessarily needing to play or try new things.
If you’re a creative, you might be inclined to say, “Well, what fun is that?!” I understand where you’re coming from. But like it or not, we are living in the Age of AI.
I put together these Rules of the Road to help creatives not just survive but thrive! So without further ado, here are the next five:
1. Practice Your Craft in Community
In my last article, I discussed that creatives may need to peel ourselves in two, using AI tools to complete our daily work, while continuing to practice our 100% human art on our own time. But please, make an effort to do this in community with other creatives.
If you’re a visual artist, meet with other visual artists to practice your art together. If you’re a video editor, gather with other videographers to share and review each other’s work.
Just last week, I attended a writing day with writers who publish in a variety of genres. We gathered in a home at the end of a winding country road on a foggy day. We wrote in together-silence, lapping up the coziness of doing our work alone together. When we broke for lunch, we talked shop.
If you don’t have a community to join, look for local Meetups or associations in your field. You could also put out a notice on social media with a coffee shop, date and time, and what the activity will be.
Even working alongside one or two other creatives in person can be its own small miracle, strengthening the bones of your artistry, so they will not break in the headwinds of this technological storm.
2. Come Out from Behind the Curtain
Many creatives are used to working behind the scenes, helping others showcase their talents. Many artists consider themselves introverted and/or highly sensitive and prefer to let their work speak for itself.
But the Age of AI presents a unique opportunity to broaden your impact and share your soul with the masses. I know you want to do this. However, to do it, you will need to share more than your fingerprints.
Gone are the days when search engines scan for keywords in a particular piece of content. Instead, Generative AI chatbots track each human creator’s brand across all platforms, rewarding the most authentic among us with greater visibility.
So come out from behind your curtain:
- Put your face on your website.
- Speak on video about your art.
- Go on a podcast and share your backstory.
Let the star of the show be you.
3. Take an AI Class for Beginners
If you feel threatened by AI, summon your courage and sign up for a beginner’s course. Heather Murray at AI for Non-Techies offers a fabulous learning platform. You can begin with her 12-week Ultimate AI for Beginners course, and progress from there to a wide variety of more advanced courses.
Heather’s style is approachable and patient. Each lesson is video-based and includes learning extensions and exercises to help you internalize new skills.
I have no doubt that your creative mind will naturally and quickly assimilate what you learn about generative AI. In a few months, you’ll emerge with a new-found confidence, ready to build on this foundation.
4. Create a Personal AI Policy
The Age of AI introduces many ethical dilemmas. In fact, your artistic integrity will be challenged on the regular. It makes sense then to pen your own code of conduct that you can refer to in times of need.
For example, I know I am only willing to create AI videos using digital avatars if they are labeled as such; I don’t want to help pass off a digital avatar as a human (otherwise known as creating a “deep fake”).
It’s important to recognize that we are in the infancy of artificial intelligence. Creating a written record of your ideals and red lines now will serve you well, as you inevitably confront questionable requests. As the technology evolves, you’ll want to update this living document.
And while you don’t have to show your personal AI policy to anyone else—after all, it’s personal!— at least you’ll be able to make conscious choices about where you stand and why.
5. Hone a New Creative Power
If you are a writer, you may hold a grudge against using generative AI tools like chatbots to compose prose. I certainly did and wrote about this in my recently published memoir “Poof! The Disappearance of a Writer in the Age of AI.“
However, using AI tools to hone a new power—one you never had—can help you experience more of the fun and awe that non-creatives seem to feel when using AI.
Today, for example, I spent a few hours playing with Midjourney, one of the best AI image creation tools currently available. In just a few minutes, I had generated a painting of my mini-labradoodle eating a pineapple on the beach in the style of Renoir.
I had fun playing around—yes, playing!
If I were a graphic designer, I might have had a lot of uncomfortable feelings about being able to generate such an image in seconds. But since I’m not, I simply enjoyed deepening my understanding of what this AI tool can and cannot accomplish.
So I suggest starting your AI quest with tools outside of your creative skill set, so you can do what you do best—try new things without a particular end result in mind.
Questions: Did you get any actionable ideas when you read these Rules of the Road? If so, what? Which rule resonated with you most and why?
Learn more about my work at ShanaBurg.com. Order your copy of Poof! The Disappearance of a Writer in the Age of AI. Coming in spring 2025: “Voilá!: How To Thrive as a Creative in an AI World.”