May 7, 2025 • 37 mins
Remember when we all thought layer masks in Photoshop were complicated?
Or when you first encountered the pen tool in Illustrator and wondered if it was designed specifically to make you cry?
Well, AI might feel like that right now - both exciting and slightly overwhelming.
If you've been hiding under your desk hoping this whole AI thing would just go away (I see you!) this episode is your friendly guide to understanding what these tools actually do, how they can save you from soul-crushing repetitive tasks, and how to start using them.
KEY POINTS- You're definitely not too late to start using AI in your creative work – we're still in the early days of this technology
- AI tools have evolved from technical systems to user-friendly creative assistants that anyone can use
- AI learns kind of like we do as creatives – studying examples and remixing what it's seen (minus the 3am existential crises)
- The most effective approach is using AI for the time-consuming parts of your process while focusing your human creativity on the parts that matter most
- Creative professionals who learn to work with AI will have an advantage over those who resist these helpful tools
- AI needs clear direction (just like that client who says "make it pop" needs better feedback from you)
- These tools are creative assistants, not replacements - they still need your creative vision and judgment
- ChatGPT: Your new brainstorming buddy that never gets tired or needs coffee (if you give it 20$ pocket money)
- Claude: Chat's cousin with different strengths - my favorite text based AI friend (well we chat every day!)
- Midjourney: Popular AI image generation tool used by designers and artists
- DALL-E: Another image generation tool that creates visuals from text descriptions
- Descript: The "why didn't this exist sooner?!" tool that edits transcripts and automatically fixes the audio too
- Canva: The designer-for-non-designers platform you probably already know and love (or hate)
- Sign up for ChatGPT at chat.openai.com – it's free and takes just a few minutes
- Spend 15 minutes exploring with AI on a current project you're working on – ask for ideas or alternatives
- Try the "make this better" test – take something you've created and ask AI to improve it in one specific way
- Notice what works for you – what felt helpful? What didn't? How might this fit into your creative process?
00:00:00 - My story of going from "what's AI?" to "I can't live without it"
00:04:00 - What to expect from this podcast and today's episode
00:05:25 - The evolution of AI: from "meh" recommendations to "wow, did it just write that?"
00:12:19 - How AI works - explained in creative-friendly terms
00:17:07 - Baby steps: How to start using AI without freaking out
00:19:00 - How different creative fields can use AI (designers, writers, marketers, and more)
00:23:08 - Common questions creative professionals have about AI
00:26:23 - "Will AI steal my job and my latte money?" (Spoiler: No, but it will change how you work)
00:31:00 - What's coming in future episodes
00:34:48 - Action steps and thoughts on AI's impact on photography
COMING NEXT EPISODEIn our next episode, we'll explore "prompt engineering" - which is simply how to talk to AI so it understands what you're asking for. You'll learn frameworks and techniques that help you get more creative, useful results without any techy background.
Did this episode make AI feel less like scary robot territory and more like a helpful creative tool? Share it with that friend who's still using the "I'm not tech-savvy" excuse to avoid learning new things! (We al
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:33):
Hey there, welcome to AIfor Creative Professionals.
I'm Tiana, and I'm super excited youare joining me for this first episode.
Before we dive into today'stopic, I wanted to share how I
personally got involved with AIand why I started this podcast.
So before 2019, I was doing a bit ofeverything as a creative va, social
(00:53):
graphics, ad creatives, simplevideo editing, and some photography
on the side, though not reallycommercially, it was just, more
something that I did in my spare time.
And so I was looking for a way tospecialize my services to niche
down instead of being a generalist.
And that's when I came acrossa course in content repurposing
(01:15):
and the concept immediatelyclicked with me.
I thought, okay, well this is perfect.
I can take existing content andtransform it into different formats.
It seemed like the ideal way to kind ofescape the generalist trap, so to say,
and here's the thing, back then, contentrepurposing was incredibly time consuming.
Like I'd have to watch anentire podcast episode.
(01:38):
Or a webinar or online coursemultiple times just to be able
to extract the valuable insights,For creating social graphics.
It wasn't too bad since I wasalready using Canva at the time,
so it was pretty straightforward.
But finding those sketchy,punchy, interesting nuggets meant
listening to content at leastthree times, and blog posts.
(02:00):
Well, that was even harderbecause I am not trained as a
content writer or a copywriter.
So I had to learn the structure ofeffective SEO blog posts from scratch.
And even after learning therules, I was still staring at
that intimidating blank page.
Trying to transform audio orvideo into written content.
(02:21):
And I think each blog post took meabout three to five hours to complete.
And at that time I didn't havededicated content repurposing clients,
but I was practicing because I knewthat this specialized service could
potentially command premium rates.
And then Chat GPT went public in late2022, and at that time I was doing
(02:41):
various freelance work on Upwork.
but I kept thinking about contentrepurposing, and I found another
training program on it in 2023just to see what changed since
2019 when I took that course.
And that's when everything shifted.
Because ultimately the basic principlesof creating a blog post were the same.
(03:02):
But now I could use tools like ChatGPT, or Claude to assist me, and I was
absolutely blown away the training alsoincluded prompts for repurposing long form
content into social captions, blog posts,uh, newsletter, can't remember what else,
but tasks that once took me several hours.
(03:22):
To complete, were subtly much faster.
So I had the skeleton essentially, andall I needed to do was refine it, adapt it
to client's voice, and improve the flow.
And that's when I realized theimmense power of these tools
for creative professionals.
I decided to start this podcastto share what I've learned along
the way, as these tools evolve.
(03:43):
New AI capabilities are emergingconstantly, like every week.
And tools that we have at ourdisposal are also upgrading and
the possibilities keep expanding.
I remember last year, uh, I was sittingat a coworking space working on some
deadline for a client, and I overheardtwo colleagues, which were designers.
(04:04):
I think one was a web designer andanother one was graphic designer and one
guy was showing to the other guy whathe made in Midjourney with some images.
And the other designer lookedat it and said, oh, well great.
Now I need to learn yet anothertool, or I risk becoming obsolete.
And those were my thoughtsjust a few months earlier.
(04:26):
Like many of you I've been watchingas these AI tools have been completely
transforming creative industriespractically overnight, and some of
my colleagues jumped in immediately.
Others were like, this is just, youknow, another gimmick or whatever it is.
I found myself somewhere in the middle.
So I was definitely very curious,but also pretty cautious.
(04:47):
And whether you've been playing withAI tools for months, or you're just
starting to wonder what all the buzzis about, this podcast is for you.
Each episode will explore practical waysto transform your creative work with ai.
Uh, will feature real tools,actionable strategies, and
conversations with professionalsthat are making AI work for them.
(05:08):
That's what this podcast is all about.
Not so much the theoretical discussionsabout the future of ai, but real
actionable advice you can use todayto transform your creative process.
Save time and possibly even learn somenew capabilities you hadn't considered.
In today's episode, we'llexplore the evolution of AI and
(05:28):
how we got to today's tools.
We'll also break down how AI worksin a way that makes sense for
our creative minds, and we'll gothrough first steps for beginners in
different creative fields, and alsoanswer the most common questions I
hear from creative professionals.
By the end, you'll have aclear understanding of how to
start incorporating AI intoyour own creative workflow.
(05:51):
Now, if you're feeling behindon the AI revolution, I want
you to know something important.
You are definitely not too late.
In fact, we are still in the very earlydays of this technology, and now is
the perfect time to start incorporatingthese tools into your workflow.\
Let's chat about how we actually got here,because AI didn't just pop overnight,
(06:14):
even though it might feel that way.
Computer scientists have actually beentinkering with artificial intelligence
since the 1950s, and what reallychanged lately isn't the concept.
It's how powerful, accessible,and just plain useful these tools
have become for people like us.
Back in the early days, researchers werebasically trying to program intelligence
(06:37):
by hand, writing specific rules foreverything a computer should know.
You can imagine how that went.
It's like trying to teach someoneto be creative by giving them a
thousand specific instructions.
We creative peeps know thatthat's not how it works, right?
So what changed in the last couple decadesthat brought AI into our creative lives?
(06:58):
Let me walk you through it.
I promise to keep it light and short.
around the early two thousands,companies like Amazon started
using very basic machine learning.
For those, you might alsolike recommendations.
Remember those?
Not exactly mind blowing, but it wasa start and Google was doing something
similar to improve search results.
(07:19):
So AI was there, but kind oflike an intern working quietly
in the background, helpful, butnot really taking center stage.
Then around 2006, this researchernamed Geoffrey Hinton, otherwise
known as the Godfather of ai.
He figured out a better way totrain what we call neural networks.
(07:39):
basically computer systems looselyinspired by how our brain works.
His approach was called deep learning.
Still at this point, it was mostlyacademics getting excited while the rest
of us were busy discovering Facebook.
Remember those good old times?
The real wow moment came in 2012.
There's this competition calledImageNet, where computer systems
(08:03):
compete to recognize what's in photos.
That year, a deep learning systemabsolutely crushed all the traditional
approaches between 2014 and 2016,things got even more interesting.
Google's AI system called AlphaGo beat the world champion at Go.
A game so intuitive and complexthat experts thought it would take
(08:26):
decades for computers to master it.
if you're not familiar with Go, justknow that it makes chess look like
tic tac toe in terms of complexity.
I. And around the same time, researchersdeveloped something called GANs.
Don't worry about the name,and it could generate brand
new, realistic looking images.
(08:46):
Suddenly AI wasn't just analyzingthings, it was also creating
things as creative professionals.
That's when our earsshould have worked up.
2017 to 2018 is when the foundation fortoday's text generating AI was developed.
Researchers at Google created whatthey called transformer models, and
(09:07):
this approach revolutionized how AIunderstands and generates language.
2020 was when things reallystarted to accelerate.
OpenAI released GPT-3, which wasmind bogglingly, larger and more
capable than previous versions.
It could write essay stories,even basic code that worked.
(09:27):
And this is when many creativeprofessionals started thinking, huh, maybe
I should pay attention to this stuff.
Also in 2020, Dall-E appeared named asa mashup of the surrealist painter,
Salvador Dali and the Pixar robot Wall-E.
It could create images from textdescriptions, and while they
weren't winning any design awardsnecessarily, the potential was obvious.
(09:49):
2021 and 2022 brought an explosionof both capability and access,
Midjourney and Stable diffusion came aboutas image generation platforms that
actual artists and designers could use.
Then ChatGPT hit the scene inlate 2022 and suddenly everyone and
their grandma was playing with ai.
(10:09):
It gained a millionusers in just a few days.
That kind of adoption is unheard of.
In 2023, things leveled up.
Again.
GPT-4 showed significantly betterreasoning and could understand
images too, not just text.
Claude from Anthropic joined the partywith some different strengths, and that's
the AI tool I use most often by the way.
(10:31):
Video generation started becomingpossible with models like Runway
Gen-2, which could create shortclips from text prompts, and
suddenly AI wasn't just static.
It was moving.
Last year in 2024, we saw therise of multi-model systems.
It's basically a fancy term for AI thatcan work with text, images, audio, and
video, all in the same conversation.
(10:53):
Creative software startedintegrating AI features directly
into the tools you already use.
So the focus shifted from, look whatAI can make to, how can AI fit into
my actual creative process. Now in mid2025, where we are today, it's all
about integration and personalization.
The AI features are being integrated intothe creative software you already use.
(11:17):
Models are getting better at adapting toyour own personal style and preferences.
The line between generating ideas,creating drafts, and refining final
work is blurring as AI assiststhroughout the creative process.
When I look at this history,
two big trends stand out that madeAI relevant for people like us.
(11:38):
First, AI evolved from a superspecialized systems to versatile
tools that can understand and generateall kinds of creative content.
Second, it became democratized.
You no longer need a PhD or expensivecomputing setup to use these tools.
They're available to anyonewith an internet connection
through user-friendly interfaces.
(11:59):
I think understanding this history helpsus put these tools into perspective.
They're definitely not magic.
They're the result of specificbreakthroughs and approaches that
shape what they can and can do well,and this perspective is crucial
as we now look at how the systemsactually work under the hood.
If you're a creative professional ratherthan a technical one, understanding
(12:22):
how AI works conceptually canhelp you use it more effectively.
So let's break it down in a way thatmight resonate with your creative mindset.
So picture this.
Remember when you were first learningyour craft, whether you're designer,
writer, or any other creativeprofessionals, you didn't start from zero.
You studied the work of others,learned principles, techniques,
(12:43):
practiced extensively, got feedbackthat was sometimes harsh, and you
gradually developed your own style.
I remember when I was learning photographymany, many years ago, I'd spent hours
studying the work of great photographersanalyzing their composition, lighting
techniques and how they captured emotion.
Later,
As I moved into graphic design,I applied the same process of
(13:05):
absorbing influences and techniques.
I wasn't consciously memorizing eachphotograph or each design work, but
I was building an intuitive sense ofpatterns, approaches, and possibilities.
this learning process might.
Actually feel familiar whenwe talk about how AI works.
First, these AI models undergoa training phase where they're
(13:26):
exposed to vast amounts of text,uh, images or other content,
essentially studying the patterns.
Just as you might have studied the worksof great photographers or designers,
these models analyze billions ofexamples of human created content.
Imagine if you could read every book,article and website ever published,
(13:47):
well, almost you wouldn't remember eachword, but you develop an incredible
sense of how language works, whatideas connect to other ideas and
patterns of expression that's, somewhatsimilar to what happens in AI training.
Through this process.
They learn patterns, structures,and relationships in the data,
grammar, factual information,reasoning patterns, stylistic
(14:11):
elements and even cultural context.
When you interact with an AI systemby typing a prompt or instruction,
you're essentially giving it astarting point based on its training.
The AI predicts what should come next,what words, images, or ideas would
most likely follow in this context,given all the patterns, it's learned,
(14:32):
if you're familiar with the creativeconcept of riffing or improvising
based on a theme that somewhat similar.
So the AI is generating contentthat statistically makes sense as a
continuation of what you've provided.
Drawing on all the patterns it's learned.
I like to think of it like jammingwith a musician who's listened
(14:52):
to every song ever recorded.
They don't play the exact copiesof songs they've heard, but their
playing is informed by all that music.
Give them a few notes to startand they'll create something new
that fits with what you've begun.
This is why the quality of your promptsor instructions matter so much, just
like the quality of a creative briefaffects the work you can produce.
(15:16):
When we talk about prompt engineering,quote unquote, in future episodes,
we are really talking about howto give the AI clear, inspiring
direction, something that should feelfamiliar to creative professionals
used to interpreting client briefs.
Uh, for image generation, the process isconceptually similar, though technically
different models like Dall-E or Midjourneyhave been trained on millions of
(15:39):
images paired with text descriptions.
When you provide a text prompt, theAI generates an image that matches
the description based on the patterns.
It's learned from Similardescription in its training data.
Here's what's important to understandas a creative professional.
AI doesn't think the way humans do.
It doesn't have intentions, emotions,Or understanding in the human sense,
(16:04):
what it has is an incredibly sophisticatedability to recognize and reproduce
patterns from its training data.
This has important implications for howyou use AI in your creative process.
First, AI works best when you give itclear context and direction much, like
how you might work better with clearclient briefs or project parameters.
(16:27):
Vague prompts lead to vague results.
Second, AI is essentially creatingprobabilistic outputs based on
patterns in its training data.
And third, AI doesn't have the judgment,taste, or contextual understanding
that you bring as a human creative.
It can generate opinions, but evaluatingthose options, refining them and
(16:49):
integrating them into broader creativegoals still requires human expertise.
Understanding these fundamentalshelp explain Why AI tools work
the way they do, and it will helpyou get better results from them.
As we move into the practicalsteps you can take right away.
Now that we understand what AI is andhow it works, let's get practical.
(17:12):
Where should you start if youare, let's say, completely new to
using AI in your creative work?
I recommend beginning with one ofthe general purpose AI assistance
like ChatGPT or Claude.
These tools are versatile enough,user-friendly, and can help with a
wide range of creative tasks withoutrequiring any technical knowledge.
Let me walk you througha simple first step.
(17:33):
Open up chat, GPT, which has a freeversion at chat.openai.com, and try
using it as a brainstorming partner.
For example, if you are a graphicdesigner working on a logo for
a new echo friendly coffee shop,you might type something like,
I am designing a logo for an eco-friendlycoffee shop called Green Bean.
Can you help me brainstorm somevisual concepts that combine
(17:55):
coffee and sustainability themes?
In seconds, you'll get severalthoughtful suggestions that might
spark ideas you hadn't considered.
You don't have to use thesesuggestions exactly as they are.
The goal is to expand your thinkingand possibly discover new directions.
I tried this exact prompt.
Uh, for a fictional project andone of the AI suggestions was to
(18:16):
incorporate a coffee beans sproutinga small green leaf, symbolizing
both the product and sustainability.
It wasn't revolutionary, but it was asolid concept that I haven't thought of.
It became the starting pointfor something more unique after
I added my own creative twist.
The same approach works for writersbrainstorming article angles, marketers
(18:37):
developing campaign concepts or videocreators planning content themes.
Think of it as a collaborativebrainstorming session where the
AI helps you generate more optionsthan you might come up with a loan.
The key with this first experiments is tostart with low stakes, explanatory tasks.
Use AI as an idea generator rather thanexpecting it to produce finished work.
(19:01):
This helps you learn thetools capabilities while
maintaining creative control.
Here are a few specific waysdifferent creative professionals
might begin using AI tools.
For graphic designers, try using AI togenerate mood board descriptions, color
suggestions or typography pairings.
You can also experiment withimage generation tools like Dall-E
(19:22):
or Midjourney to create conceptimagery or background textures.
For writers and content creators,use AI to outline articles, generate
headline variations, or expandon rough notes you've created.
It can also help with research bysummarizing complex topics or suggesting
different perspectives on an issue.
(19:43):
I remember browsing through someFacebook group and one girl, she's a
freelance writer, and she said she usesAI to help with the most mundane parts
of her work, SEO meta descriptionsgenerating, all texts for images
and formatting quotations.
These frees up her mental energy for thecreative writing she actually enjoys while
(20:03):
still delivering the complete package
clients expect.
For marketers, try AI for creatingcampaign themes, generating social media
post ideas, or drafting email sequences.
You can also use it to analyze targetaudiences and suggest messaging
approaches for different segments.
I recently spoke to a colleague whois a social media manager, and she
(20:24):
was responsible for creating contentfor seven different client accounts
daily she now uses AI to generate
initial post concepts for each clientbased on their content calendar.
She still edits and adds her ownvoice to everything, but she says
she's cut her content creation timeby 40% at least allowing her to focus
more on strategy and engagement.
(20:47):
I see this firsthand in my own work too.
These days I do podcast management andalso create social media content, which
is most often repurposing client'solder materials or existing content.
AI has become invaluable for helpingme transform a single piece of client's
content into multiple formats efficiently.
(21:08):
For instance, taking key pointsfrom a client's podcast episode
and transforming them into a week'sworth of Instagram posts each
with a slightly different angle.
The core ideas are still theirs, butAI helps me reframe and reshape the
content for different contexts withoutstarting from scratch each time.
(21:30):
For video and audio creators, AI can helpdevelop script outlines, suggest B-roll
ideas, or create episode descriptions.
Tools like script can also assist withediting transcripts, which automatically
edits the corresponding audio.
In my workflow, I use AI to createeverything from show notes, YouTube
(21:51):
descriptions with timestamps, resourcelinks, key quote, pullouts, uh, newsletter
posts, tasks that used to take mehours after each recording session.
For UX designers use AI togenerate user personas, write
micro copy, or develop user flows.
It can also help draft testing scriptsor summarize user feedback themes.
(22:13):
In all these cases, the goal is to useAI to handle the more routine or time
consuming aspects of your process, freeingyou to focus on the higher level creative
decisions that require your unique.
Perspective and expertise.
I think of it like having aneager assistant who's read
everything on the internet.
They might not have your tasteor judgment, but they can quickly
(22:35):
generate options for you to consider.
Research topics on demand andhandle repetitive tasks so you can
focus on the parts of your workthat really need your human touch.
as you get more comfortable withthese basic applications, you can
gradually explore more advanced uses.
But starting with this simple, low riskexperiments is the best way to build your
(22:55):
confidence and understand what's possible.
Now that we've covered some first steps,let's address the questions I hear most
frequently from creative professionalswho are just starting out with AI tools.
Question number one, do I needtechnical skills or coding
knowledge to use these tools?
For most of the tools we'll discusson this podcast, the answer is no.
(23:16):
Many AI tools today are designedwith user-friendly interfaces
that require no coding knowledge.
You're having a conversation or fillingout simple forms rather than writing code.
That said, learning some basic promptingtechniques, which we'll cover in our next
episode, can help you get better results.
It's more about being clear andspecific in your communication
(23:37):
than anything technically complex.
Think of it as learning how to give bettercreative direction, not learning to code.
Question number two, will using AImake my work less original or authentic?
This is a valid concern, butremember that AI is a tool, not a
replacement for your creative judgment.
The most effective approach is touse AI to handle certain aspects
(24:01):
of your process, perhaps the moreroutine or time consuming parts.
As we mentioned, while you focus onthe elements that require your unique
perspective and expertise think abouthow we don't consider photographers less
creative for using digital cameras withauto focus , or musicians less talented
for using digital audio workstations.
(24:22):
These are tools that handletechnical aspects, so creators
can focus on their vision.
Your originality comes through inhow you direct the tools, refine
their outputs, and integrate theminto your broader creative vision.
AI might give you raw material, buttransforming that into something
meaningful remains your creative act.
(24:43):
Question number three, whatabout copyright and ownership
of AI generated content?
This area is still evolving,but here's what we know now.
Content you generate using AI toolsfor your professional work can
generally be used commercially,but each tool has its own terms
of service that you should review.
The most important thing to understandis that you can't copyright the
(25:06):
exact output of an AI system, butyou can copyright your creative work
that incorporates and substantiallymodifies AI generated elements.
For example, if you use AI togenerate ideas or first drafts that
you substantially revise, or if youuse AI generated images as reference
or components in larger compositionsthat you significantly transform,
(25:32):
you are creating a new work thatreflects your creative output.
We'll have a full episode onthis topic later in the series
with more nuance guidance.
But for now, the key principleis substantial transformation,
making the output truly your ownthrough significant creative input.
Question number four, howdo I know when to use AI and
(25:53):
when to do the work manually?
Honestly, this comes down tounderstanding your own creative
process and where the bottlenecks are.
AI tools are particularly helpful fortasks that are repetitive research
intensive or required generatingmany variations of something.
AI is less helpful for tasks thatrequire deep emotional connection,
nuanced understanding of specificcontexts or highly specialized expertise.
(26:17):
As you experiment with these tools, you'lldevelop an intuition for where they add
the most value in your specific workflow.
Question number five, will AIreplace creative professionals?
I believe the answer is no, butit'll definitely change how we work.
The creative professionals who willthrive in the coming years aren't those
who resist AI tools, but those who learnto collaborate with them effectively.
(26:39):
You know, this isn't the first timecreative fields have faced technological
disruption throughout history.
We've seen similartransition and concerns.
For example, when digital photographycame about, traditional photographers
worried their craft would disappear.
There are people who initially refused totouch digital cameras, insisting nothing
could replace the art of film development.
(27:00):
Today, those same people createstunning work with digital equipment
that allows them more creative controlthan they ever had in the darkroom.
So the technology didn'treplace photographers.
It's changed what they focused on,shifting energy from technical processing
to creative composition and concept.
Uh, graphic designers went throughthis, uh, with desktop publishing in the
(27:22):
eighties and nineties before computers,designers worked with exact knives,
rubber cement, and manual type setting.
, when digital tools appeared, manyfeared the accessibility would eliminate
the need for trained designers.
Instead, it eliminated tediousmanual tasks and allowed designers to
iterate and experiment more freely.
Ultimately, you know,just upleveling the field.
(27:45):
Writers face similar fears withword processors and spell checkers.
Musicians face the same thing with digitalaudio workstations and synthesizers.
Film directors withdigital editing and CGI.
In each case, the technology didn'treplace the creative professionals.
It's changed the nature of their workand often expanded possibilities.
(28:06):
So there's a pattern acrossall these transitions.
The technical barriers, lower basicexecution becomes more accessible
to everyone, and professionals shifttheir value toward higher level
creative thinking, conceptual work,and the human elements that technology
can't replicate, at least not for.
Now.
That said, I think we shouldacknowledge something important.
(28:27):
AI is evolving at a pace unlikeanything we've seen before.
The jump from GPT-3 to GPT-4happened in just a couple of years.
The leap from early image generatorsto today's sophisticated systems
took place in less than five years.
It's moving exponentially faster thanprevious technological transitions,
and that's honestly a bit unsettling.
(28:49):
I remember reading some LinkedIn post, uh,from a creative director who put it, well.
She said, with Photoshop , Ihad years to adapt.
With ai, it feels like I have months.
acceleration creates legitimate anxiety.
Will there come a point where AIcan truly match human creativity?
Will it someday understand culturalnuance, emotional resonance, and
(29:11):
conceptual thinking the way wedo, frankly, I dunno, nobody does.
It might,
but here's what I do know.
Worrying about hypothetical futurescenarios doesn't help us navigate
what's happening right now.
The most productive approach isn't, tofixate about what might happen in five
or 10 years, but to focus on how wecan use these tools effectively today.
(29:31):
the AI Tools available to us rightnow are incredibly powerful when
used as collaborators, but they stillneed human guidance, refinement,
and contextual understanding tocreate truly meaningful work.
They are partners, not replacements.
So rather than getting caughtup in speculation about whether
AI will eventually replace us.
(29:51):
Which can definitely, you know,lead to either denial or paralysis.
I believe our energy is better spentlearning how to collaborate with these
tools now and understanding theirstrengths and limitations, finding
where they can fit into our creativeprocess and continuing to develop
the human aspects of creativity thatultimately remain our unique advantage,
(30:13):
The future likely belongs to creativeprofessionals who can leverage AI to
handle the more mechanical aspectsof their process while focusing their
efforts on the uniquely human elements.
Which are strategic thinking,emotional resonance, cultural
relevance, and innovative visionthat no AI can replicate as of today.
So no, I don't think AI will replacecreative professionals in the foreseeable
(30:36):
future, but it will replace creativeprofessionals who refuse to adapt to
AI Just as digital tools eventuallyreplace those who insisted on sticking
exclusively with analog methods, thequestion isn't whether to embrace these
new tools, but how to embrace them in away that improves rather than diminishes
your unique creative contribution today.
(30:59):
Now that we've covered the basics ofAI and its relevance to creative work,
let me tell you what you can expectfrom future episodes of this podcast.
I wanna make sure you knowexactly what value you'll get by
subscribing and tuning in each week.
So each week we'll dive into practical,actionable content, specifically designed
for creative professionals lookingto integrate AI into their workflows.
(31:21):
Our focus will always be onconcrete applications rather
than theoretical discussions.
We'll cover specific AI toolsand how to use them effectively.
Everything from general purposeassistance like ChatGPT to specialized
tools for design, writing, video,audio, and other creative disciplines.
We'll also explore promptingtechniques that help you get
(31:44):
better results from these tools.
In fact, our next episodewill focus on exactly this.
I'll share specific prompt frameworks andtechniques that dramatically improve the
quality of what you get from AI tools.
You'll learn how to craft promptsthat yield more creative, , relevant
and useful results regardless ofwhich specific tool you're using.
Throughout the series, we'lldiscuss workflow integration, how to
(32:06):
combine AI tools with your existingsoftware for maximum efficiency,
because the goal isn't toreplace your current tool set,
but to actually just uplevel it.
We'll also address ethical and practicalconsiderations, including copyright
disclosure and best practices for usingAI generated content professionally.
These topics are evolving rapidly,and I'll keep you updated as things
(32:31):
change, and we'll also featureperspectives from creative professionals
across different fields who areusing AI effectively in their work.
We'll hear them share theirreal examples and case studies.
Again, this won't betheoretical discussions.
There'll be practical examples you canlearn from and adapt to your own work.
Some episodes will focus on specifictools or techniques, while others will
(32:52):
address broader strategic questions abouthow AI is changing creative industries
and how professionals can adapt.
Our guiding principle is thatAI should serve your creative
vision, not the other way around.
We're not interested in replacinghuman creativity, but in helping
you leverage these powerful newtools to express that creativity
more efficiently and effectively.
(33:13):
Whether you're a designer,writer, marketer, photographer,
illustrator, video creator, orany type of creative professional.
My goal is to provide you withpractical guidance that you can
apply immediately in your work.
Let me wrap this first episodewith some strategic steps you can
take this week to begin exploringAI in your creative process.
(33:34):
If you haven't done so yet, whichI believe most of you have, I. Sign
up for a free account on ChatGpt.
Just go to chat.openai.comand create an account.
This will give you immediate access toa powerful AI assistant that can help
with a wide range of creative tasks.
Step two.
Spend 15 minutes brainstorming with theAI on a current project you're working on.
(33:56):
Ask for ideas, alternative approaches,or help developing a concept further.
Step three.
Try a simple editing task.
Take a piece of content you've createdand ask AI to help you improve it
in a specific way, making it eithermore concise, changing the tone,
or reorganizing it for clarity.
This is a low risk way to see howAI can improve your existing work.
(34:19):
Step four, reflect on the experience.
What was helpful, what wasn't?
How might you integrate thisinto your regular workflow?
This reflection is crucial for developingyour own approach to working with ai.
Remember, the goal of AI is to save youtime and to find specific areas where
it can enhance your existing skills.
(34:41):
By starting small and experimenting,you'll develop an intuition
for how these tools work bestinto your creative process.
Speaking of practical applications,let's talk about something that's
particularly relevant for those withphotography backgrounds like me,
especially product photographers.
The new image creation capabilitiesin tools like ChatGPT raise
an interesting question.
(35:02):
The ability to simply upload aproduct photo and ask AI to create
different backgrounds, lightningscenarios, different environments.
Will there still be a need fortraditional product photographers?
And it's a valid concern.
These tools can already generatesurprisingly realistic product imagery
with different lightning and backgrounds.
(35:23):
A client could potentially uploada basic product shot and generate
dozens of variations without hiring aphotographer for a multiset up shoot.
But here's my perspective.
While AI can modify existingimages and create variations, it
still can't capture the authenticphysical product in the first place.
The initial accurate representationof the product, with its true
(35:46):
materials, textures, and details,still requires skilled photography.
What's changing is what happensafter that initial capture.
So I see this as a shift in howproduct photographers might work rather
than elimination of the profession.
The value may move towards creatingthe perfect base image with impeccable
lightning, uh, on the productitself, while the contextual elements
(36:09):
become more flexible through ai.
Photographers who adapt might findthemselves capturing fewer setups,
but licensing their base imagesfor more use cases as clients
apply those AI modifications.
This is exactly the kind ofevolution we'll be exploring
throughout this podcast.
Not just whether AI will replace creativeroles, but how it's likely to transform
(36:32):
them and where the new value might lie.
It's something to think about aswe navigate these changes together.
In our next episode, we'll divedeeper into prompt engineering
the art of getting betterresults from AI language models.
Through more effective instructions,.
I'll share specific frameworks,techniques, and examples that will
help you craft prompts that yield moreuseful, creative and relevant results.
(36:56):
You'll learn how to speak the languageof AI in a way that gets you exactly
what you need for your creative projects.
If you enjoy this podcast, pleasesubscribe wherever you get your podcasts
and consider sharing it with othercreative professionals who might benefit.
You can also find show notes,resources, and more information
at Www AI for creative pros.com.
(37:17):
Thank you for joining me for this firstepisode of AI for Creative Professionals.
I'm Tiana, and I'll be back nextweek with more practical guidance on
leveraging AI in your creative work.
Hey there, welcome to AIfor Creative Professionals.
I'm Tiana, and I'm super excited youare joining me for this first episode.
Before we dive into today'stopic, I wanted to share how I
personally got involved with AIand why I started this podcast.
So before 2019, I was doing a bit ofeverything as a creative va, social
(00:53):
graphics, ad creatives, simplevideo editing, and some photography
on the side, though not reallycommercially, it was just, more
something that I did in my spare time.
And so I was looking for a way tospecialize my services to niche
down instead of being a generalist.
And that's when I came acrossa course in content repurposing
(01:15):
and the concept immediatelyclicked with me.
I thought, okay, well this is perfect.
I can take existing content andtransform it into different formats.
It seemed like the ideal way to kind ofescape the generalist trap, so to say,
and here's the thing, back then, contentrepurposing was incredibly time consuming.
Like I'd have to watch anentire podcast episode.
(01:38):
Or a webinar or online coursemultiple times just to be able
to extract the valuable insights,For creating social graphics.
It wasn't too bad since I wasalready using Canva at the time,
so it was pretty straightforward.
But finding those sketchy,punchy, interesting nuggets meant
listening to content at leastthree times, and blog posts.
(02:00):
Well, that was even harderbecause I am not trained as a
content writer or a copywriter.
So I had to learn the structure ofeffective SEO blog posts from scratch.
And even after learning therules, I was still staring at
that intimidating blank page.
Trying to transform audio orvideo into written content.
(02:21):
And I think each blog post took meabout three to five hours to complete.
And at that time I didn't havededicated content repurposing clients,
but I was practicing because I knewthat this specialized service could
potentially command premium rates.
And then Chat GPT went public in late2022, and at that time I was doing
(02:41):
various freelance work on Upwork.
but I kept thinking about contentrepurposing, and I found another
training program on it in 2023just to see what changed since
2019 when I took that course.
And that's when everything shifted.
Because ultimately the basic principlesof creating a blog post were the same.
(03:02):
But now I could use tools like ChatGPT, or Claude to assist me, and I was
absolutely blown away the training alsoincluded prompts for repurposing long form
content into social captions, blog posts,uh, newsletter, can't remember what else,
but tasks that once took me several hours.
(03:22):
To complete, were subtly much faster.
So I had the skeleton essentially, andall I needed to do was refine it, adapt it
to client's voice, and improve the flow.
And that's when I realized theimmense power of these tools
for creative professionals.
I decided to start this podcastto share what I've learned along
the way, as these tools evolve.
(03:43):
New AI capabilities are emergingconstantly, like every week.
And tools that we have at ourdisposal are also upgrading and
the possibilities keep expanding.
I remember last year, uh, I was sittingat a coworking space working on some
deadline for a client, and I overheardtwo colleagues, which were designers.
(04:04):
I think one was a web designer andanother one was graphic designer and one
guy was showing to the other guy whathe made in Midjourney with some images.
And the other designer lookedat it and said, oh, well great.
Now I need to learn yet anothertool, or I risk becoming obsolete.
And those were my thoughtsjust a few months earlier.
(04:26):
Like many of you I've been watchingas these AI tools have been completely
transforming creative industriespractically overnight, and some of
my colleagues jumped in immediately.
Others were like, this is just, youknow, another gimmick or whatever it is.
I found myself somewhere in the middle.
So I was definitely very curious,but also pretty cautious.
(04:47):
And whether you've been playing withAI tools for months, or you're just
starting to wonder what all the buzzis about, this podcast is for you.
Each episode will explore practical waysto transform your creative work with ai.
Uh, will feature real tools,actionable strategies, and
conversations with professionalsthat are making AI work for them.
(05:08):
That's what this podcast is all about.
Not so much the theoretical discussionsabout the future of ai, but real
actionable advice you can use todayto transform your creative process.
Save time and possibly even learn somenew capabilities you hadn't considered.
In today's episode, we'llexplore the evolution of AI and
(05:28):
how we got to today's tools.
We'll also break down how AI worksin a way that makes sense for
our creative minds, and we'll gothrough first steps for beginners in
different creative fields, and alsoanswer the most common questions I
hear from creative professionals.
By the end, you'll have aclear understanding of how to
start incorporating AI intoyour own creative workflow.
(05:51):
Now, if you're feeling behindon the AI revolution, I want
you to know something important.
You are definitely not too late.
In fact, we are still in the very earlydays of this technology, and now is
the perfect time to start incorporatingthese tools into your workflow.\
Let's chat about how we actually got here,because AI didn't just pop overnight,
(06:14):
even though it might feel that way.
Computer scientists have actually beentinkering with artificial intelligence
since the 1950s, and what reallychanged lately isn't the concept.
It's how powerful, accessible,and just plain useful these tools
have become for people like us.
Back in the early days, researchers werebasically trying to program intelligence
(06:37):
by hand, writing specific rules foreverything a computer should know.
You can imagine how that went.
It's like trying to teach someoneto be creative by giving them a
thousand specific instructions.
We creative peeps know thatthat's not how it works, right?
So what changed in the last couple decadesthat brought AI into our creative lives?
(06:58):
Let me walk you through it.
I promise to keep it light and short.
around the early two thousands,companies like Amazon started
using very basic machine learning.
For those, you might alsolike recommendations.
Remember those?
Not exactly mind blowing, but it wasa start and Google was doing something
similar to improve search results.
(07:19):
So AI was there, but kind oflike an intern working quietly
in the background, helpful, butnot really taking center stage.
Then around 2006, this researchernamed Geoffrey Hinton, otherwise
known as the Godfather of ai.
He figured out a better way totrain what we call neural networks.
(07:39):
basically computer systems looselyinspired by how our brain works.
His approach was called deep learning.
Still at this point, it was mostlyacademics getting excited while the rest
of us were busy discovering Facebook.
Remember those good old times?
The real wow moment came in 2012.
There's this competition calledImageNet, where computer systems
(08:03):
compete to recognize what's in photos.
That year, a deep learning systemabsolutely crushed all the traditional
approaches between 2014 and 2016,things got even more interesting.
Google's AI system called AlphaGo beat the world champion at Go.
A game so intuitive and complexthat experts thought it would take
(08:26):
decades for computers to master it.
if you're not familiar with Go, justknow that it makes chess look like
tic tac toe in terms of complexity.
I. And around the same time, researchersdeveloped something called GANs.
Don't worry about the name,and it could generate brand
new, realistic looking images.
(08:46):
Suddenly AI wasn't just analyzingthings, it was also creating
things as creative professionals.
That's when our earsshould have worked up.
2017 to 2018 is when the foundation fortoday's text generating AI was developed.
Researchers at Google created whatthey called transformer models, and
(09:07):
this approach revolutionized how AIunderstands and generates language.
2020 was when things reallystarted to accelerate.
OpenAI released GPT-3, which wasmind bogglingly, larger and more
capable than previous versions.
It could write essay stories,even basic code that worked.
(09:27):
And this is when many creativeprofessionals started thinking, huh, maybe
I should pay attention to this stuff.
Also in 2020, Dall-E appeared named asa mashup of the surrealist painter,
Salvador Dali and the Pixar robot Wall-E.
It could create images from textdescriptions, and while they
weren't winning any design awardsnecessarily, the potential was obvious.
(09:49):
2021 and 2022 brought an explosionof both capability and access,
Midjourney and Stable diffusion came aboutas image generation platforms that
actual artists and designers could use.
Then ChatGPT hit the scene inlate 2022 and suddenly everyone and
their grandma was playing with ai.
(10:09):
It gained a millionusers in just a few days.
That kind of adoption is unheard of.
In 2023, things leveled up.
Again.
GPT-4 showed significantly betterreasoning and could understand
images too, not just text.
Claude from Anthropic joined the partywith some different strengths, and that's
the AI tool I use most often by the way.
(10:31):
Video generation started becomingpossible with models like Runway
Gen-2, which could create shortclips from text prompts, and
suddenly AI wasn't just static.
It was moving.
Last year in 2024, we saw therise of multi-model systems.
It's basically a fancy term for AI thatcan work with text, images, audio, and
video, all in the same conversation.
(10:53):
Creative software startedintegrating AI features directly
into the tools you already use.
So the focus shifted from, look whatAI can make to, how can AI fit into
my actual creative process. Now in mid2025, where we are today, it's all
about integration and personalization.
The AI features are being integrated intothe creative software you already use.
(11:17):
Models are getting better at adapting toyour own personal style and preferences.
The line between generating ideas,creating drafts, and refining final
work is blurring as AI assiststhroughout the creative process.
When I look at this history,
two big trends stand out that madeAI relevant for people like us.
(11:38):
First, AI evolved from a superspecialized systems to versatile
tools that can understand and generateall kinds of creative content.
Second, it became democratized.
You no longer need a PhD or expensivecomputing setup to use these tools.
They're available to anyonewith an internet connection
through user-friendly interfaces.
(11:59):
I think understanding this history helpsus put these tools into perspective.
They're definitely not magic.
They're the result of specificbreakthroughs and approaches that
shape what they can and can do well,and this perspective is crucial
as we now look at how the systemsactually work under the hood.
If you're a creative professional ratherthan a technical one, understanding
(12:22):
how AI works conceptually canhelp you use it more effectively.
So let's break it down in a way thatmight resonate with your creative mindset.
So picture this.
Remember when you were first learningyour craft, whether you're designer,
writer, or any other creativeprofessionals, you didn't start from zero.
You studied the work of others,learned principles, techniques,
(12:43):
practiced extensively, got feedbackthat was sometimes harsh, and you
gradually developed your own style.
I remember when I was learning photographymany, many years ago, I'd spent hours
studying the work of great photographersanalyzing their composition, lighting
techniques and how they captured emotion.
Later,
As I moved into graphic design,I applied the same process of
(13:05):
absorbing influences and techniques.
I wasn't consciously memorizing eachphotograph or each design work, but
I was building an intuitive sense ofpatterns, approaches, and possibilities.
this learning process might.
Actually feel familiar whenwe talk about how AI works.
First, these AI models undergoa training phase where they're
(13:26):
exposed to vast amounts of text,uh, images or other content,
essentially studying the patterns.
Just as you might have studied the worksof great photographers or designers,
these models analyze billions ofexamples of human created content.
Imagine if you could read every book,article and website ever published,
(13:47):
well, almost you wouldn't remember eachword, but you develop an incredible
sense of how language works, whatideas connect to other ideas and
patterns of expression that's, somewhatsimilar to what happens in AI training.
Through this process.
They learn patterns, structures,and relationships in the data,
grammar, factual information,reasoning patterns, stylistic
(14:11):
elements and even cultural context.
When you interact with an AI systemby typing a prompt or instruction,
you're essentially giving it astarting point based on its training.
The AI predicts what should come next,what words, images, or ideas would
most likely follow in this context,given all the patterns, it's learned,
(14:32):
if you're familiar with the creativeconcept of riffing or improvising
based on a theme that somewhat similar.
So the AI is generating contentthat statistically makes sense as a
continuation of what you've provided.
Drawing on all the patterns it's learned.
I like to think of it like jammingwith a musician who's listened
(14:52):
to every song ever recorded.
They don't play the exact copiesof songs they've heard, but their
playing is informed by all that music.
Give them a few notes to startand they'll create something new
that fits with what you've begun.
This is why the quality of your promptsor instructions matter so much, just
like the quality of a creative briefaffects the work you can produce.
(15:16):
When we talk about prompt engineering,quote unquote, in future episodes,
we are really talking about howto give the AI clear, inspiring
direction, something that should feelfamiliar to creative professionals
used to interpreting client briefs.
Uh, for image generation, the process isconceptually similar, though technically
different models like Dall-E or Midjourneyhave been trained on millions of
(15:39):
images paired with text descriptions.
When you provide a text prompt, theAI generates an image that matches
the description based on the patterns.
It's learned from Similardescription in its training data.
Here's what's important to understandas a creative professional.
AI doesn't think the way humans do.
It doesn't have intentions, emotions,Or understanding in the human sense,
(16:04):
what it has is an incredibly sophisticatedability to recognize and reproduce
patterns from its training data.
This has important implications for howyou use AI in your creative process.
First, AI works best when you give itclear context and direction much, like
how you might work better with clearclient briefs or project parameters.
(16:27):
Vague prompts lead to vague results.
Second, AI is essentially creatingprobabilistic outputs based on
patterns in its training data.
And third, AI doesn't have the judgment,taste, or contextual understanding
that you bring as a human creative.
It can generate opinions, but evaluatingthose options, refining them and
(16:49):
integrating them into broader creativegoals still requires human expertise.
Understanding these fundamentalshelp explain Why AI tools work
the way they do, and it will helpyou get better results from them.
As we move into the practicalsteps you can take right away.
Now that we understand what AI is andhow it works, let's get practical.
(17:12):
Where should you start if youare, let's say, completely new to
using AI in your creative work?
I recommend beginning with one ofthe general purpose AI assistance
like ChatGPT or Claude.
These tools are versatile enough,user-friendly, and can help with a
wide range of creative tasks withoutrequiring any technical knowledge.
Let me walk you througha simple first step.
(17:33):
Open up chat, GPT, which has a freeversion at chat.openai.com, and try
using it as a brainstorming partner.
For example, if you are a graphicdesigner working on a logo for
a new echo friendly coffee shop,you might type something like,
I am designing a logo for an eco-friendlycoffee shop called Green Bean.
Can you help me brainstorm somevisual concepts that combine
(17:55):
coffee and sustainability themes?
In seconds, you'll get severalthoughtful suggestions that might
spark ideas you hadn't considered.
You don't have to use thesesuggestions exactly as they are.
The goal is to expand your thinkingand possibly discover new directions.
I tried this exact prompt.
Uh, for a fictional project andone of the AI suggestions was to
(18:16):
incorporate a coffee beans sproutinga small green leaf, symbolizing
both the product and sustainability.
It wasn't revolutionary, but it was asolid concept that I haven't thought of.
It became the starting pointfor something more unique after
I added my own creative twist.
The same approach works for writersbrainstorming article angles, marketers
(18:37):
developing campaign concepts or videocreators planning content themes.
Think of it as a collaborativebrainstorming session where the
AI helps you generate more optionsthan you might come up with a loan.
The key with this first experiments is tostart with low stakes, explanatory tasks.
Use AI as an idea generator rather thanexpecting it to produce finished work.
(19:01):
This helps you learn thetools capabilities while
maintaining creative control.
Here are a few specific waysdifferent creative professionals
might begin using AI tools.
For graphic designers, try using AI togenerate mood board descriptions, color
suggestions or typography pairings.
You can also experiment withimage generation tools like Dall-E
(19:22):
or Midjourney to create conceptimagery or background textures.
For writers and content creators,use AI to outline articles, generate
headline variations, or expandon rough notes you've created.
It can also help with research bysummarizing complex topics or suggesting
different perspectives on an issue.
(19:43):
I remember browsing through someFacebook group and one girl, she's a
freelance writer, and she said she usesAI to help with the most mundane parts
of her work, SEO meta descriptionsgenerating, all texts for images
and formatting quotations.
These frees up her mental energy for thecreative writing she actually enjoys while
(20:03):
still delivering the complete package
clients expect.
For marketers, try AI for creatingcampaign themes, generating social media
post ideas, or drafting email sequences.
You can also use it to analyze targetaudiences and suggest messaging
approaches for different segments.
I recently spoke to a colleague whois a social media manager, and she
(20:24):
was responsible for creating contentfor seven different client accounts
daily she now uses AI to generate
initial post concepts for each clientbased on their content calendar.
She still edits and adds her ownvoice to everything, but she says
she's cut her content creation timeby 40% at least allowing her to focus
more on strategy and engagement.
(20:47):
I see this firsthand in my own work too.
These days I do podcast management andalso create social media content, which
is most often repurposing client'solder materials or existing content.
AI has become invaluable for helpingme transform a single piece of client's
content into multiple formats efficiently.
(21:08):
For instance, taking key pointsfrom a client's podcast episode
and transforming them into a week'sworth of Instagram posts each
with a slightly different angle.
The core ideas are still theirs, butAI helps me reframe and reshape the
content for different contexts withoutstarting from scratch each time.
(21:30):
For video and audio creators, AI can helpdevelop script outlines, suggest B-roll
ideas, or create episode descriptions.
Tools like script can also assist withediting transcripts, which automatically
edits the corresponding audio.
In my workflow, I use AI to createeverything from show notes, YouTube
(21:51):
descriptions with timestamps, resourcelinks, key quote, pullouts, uh, newsletter
posts, tasks that used to take mehours after each recording session.
For UX designers use AI togenerate user personas, write
micro copy, or develop user flows.
It can also help draft testing scriptsor summarize user feedback themes.
(22:13):
In all these cases, the goal is to useAI to handle the more routine or time
consuming aspects of your process, freeingyou to focus on the higher level creative
decisions that require your unique.
Perspective and expertise.
I think of it like having aneager assistant who's read
everything on the internet.
They might not have your tasteor judgment, but they can quickly
(22:35):
generate options for you to consider.
Research topics on demand andhandle repetitive tasks so you can
focus on the parts of your workthat really need your human touch.
as you get more comfortable withthese basic applications, you can
gradually explore more advanced uses.
But starting with this simple, low riskexperiments is the best way to build your
(22:55):
confidence and understand what's possible.
Now that we've covered some first steps,let's address the questions I hear most
frequently from creative professionalswho are just starting out with AI tools.
Question number one, do I needtechnical skills or coding
knowledge to use these tools?
For most of the tools we'll discusson this podcast, the answer is no.
(23:16):
Many AI tools today are designedwith user-friendly interfaces
that require no coding knowledge.
You're having a conversation or fillingout simple forms rather than writing code.
That said, learning some basic promptingtechniques, which we'll cover in our next
episode, can help you get better results.
It's more about being clear andspecific in your communication
(23:37):
than anything technically complex.
Think of it as learning how to give bettercreative direction, not learning to code.
Question number two, will using AImake my work less original or authentic?
This is a valid concern, butremember that AI is a tool, not a
replacement for your creative judgment.
The most effective approach is touse AI to handle certain aspects
(24:01):
of your process, perhaps the moreroutine or time consuming parts.
As we mentioned, while you focus onthe elements that require your unique
perspective and expertise think abouthow we don't consider photographers less
creative for using digital cameras withauto focus , or musicians less talented
for using digital audio workstations.
(24:22):
These are tools that handletechnical aspects, so creators
can focus on their vision.
Your originality comes through inhow you direct the tools, refine
their outputs, and integrate theminto your broader creative vision.
AI might give you raw material, buttransforming that into something
meaningful remains your creative act.
(24:43):
Question number three, whatabout copyright and ownership
of AI generated content?
This area is still evolving,but here's what we know now.
Content you generate using AI toolsfor your professional work can
generally be used commercially,but each tool has its own terms
of service that you should review.
The most important thing to understandis that you can't copyright the
(25:06):
exact output of an AI system, butyou can copyright your creative work
that incorporates and substantiallymodifies AI generated elements.
For example, if you use AI togenerate ideas or first drafts that
you substantially revise, or if youuse AI generated images as reference
or components in larger compositionsthat you significantly transform,
(25:32):
you are creating a new work thatreflects your creative output.
We'll have a full episode onthis topic later in the series
with more nuance guidance.
But for now, the key principleis substantial transformation,
making the output truly your ownthrough significant creative input.
Question number four, howdo I know when to use AI and
(25:53):
when to do the work manually?
Honestly, this comes down tounderstanding your own creative
process and where the bottlenecks are.
AI tools are particularly helpful fortasks that are repetitive research
intensive or required generatingmany variations of something.
AI is less helpful for tasks thatrequire deep emotional connection,
nuanced understanding of specificcontexts or highly specialized expertise.
(26:17):
As you experiment with these tools, you'lldevelop an intuition for where they add
the most value in your specific workflow.
Question number five, will AIreplace creative professionals?
I believe the answer is no, butit'll definitely change how we work.
The creative professionals who willthrive in the coming years aren't those
who resist AI tools, but those who learnto collaborate with them effectively.
(26:39):
You know, this isn't the first timecreative fields have faced technological
disruption throughout history.
We've seen similartransition and concerns.
For example, when digital photographycame about, traditional photographers
worried their craft would disappear.
There are people who initially refused totouch digital cameras, insisting nothing
could replace the art of film development.
(27:00):
Today, those same people createstunning work with digital equipment
that allows them more creative controlthan they ever had in the darkroom.
So the technology didn'treplace photographers.
It's changed what they focused on,shifting energy from technical processing
to creative composition and concept.
Uh, graphic designers went throughthis, uh, with desktop publishing in the
(27:22):
eighties and nineties before computers,designers worked with exact knives,
rubber cement, and manual type setting.
, when digital tools appeared, manyfeared the accessibility would eliminate
the need for trained designers.
Instead, it eliminated tediousmanual tasks and allowed designers to
iterate and experiment more freely.
Ultimately, you know,just upleveling the field.
(27:45):
Writers face similar fears withword processors and spell checkers.
Musicians face the same thing with digitalaudio workstations and synthesizers.
Film directors withdigital editing and CGI.
In each case, the technology didn'treplace the creative professionals.
It's changed the nature of their workand often expanded possibilities.
(28:06):
So there's a pattern acrossall these transitions.
The technical barriers, lower basicexecution becomes more accessible
to everyone, and professionals shifttheir value toward higher level
creative thinking, conceptual work,and the human elements that technology
can't replicate, at least not for.
Now.
That said, I think we shouldacknowledge something important.
(28:27):
AI is evolving at a pace unlikeanything we've seen before.
The jump from GPT-3 to GPT-4happened in just a couple of years.
The leap from early image generatorsto today's sophisticated systems
took place in less than five years.
It's moving exponentially faster thanprevious technological transitions,
and that's honestly a bit unsettling.
(28:49):
I remember reading some LinkedIn post, uh,from a creative director who put it, well.
She said, with Photoshop , Ihad years to adapt.
With ai, it feels like I have months.
acceleration creates legitimate anxiety.
Will there come a point where AIcan truly match human creativity?
Will it someday understand culturalnuance, emotional resonance, and
(29:11):
conceptual thinking the way wedo, frankly, I dunno, nobody does.
It might,
but here's what I do know.
Worrying about hypothetical futurescenarios doesn't help us navigate
what's happening right now.
The most productive approach isn't, tofixate about what might happen in five
or 10 years, but to focus on how wecan use these tools effectively today.
(29:31):
the AI Tools available to us rightnow are incredibly powerful when
used as collaborators, but they stillneed human guidance, refinement,
and contextual understanding tocreate truly meaningful work.
They are partners, not replacements.
So rather than getting caughtup in speculation about whether
AI will eventually replace us.
(29:51):
Which can definitely, you know,lead to either denial or paralysis.
I believe our energy is better spentlearning how to collaborate with these
tools now and understanding theirstrengths and limitations, finding
where they can fit into our creativeprocess and continuing to develop
the human aspects of creativity thatultimately remain our unique advantage,
(30:13):
The future likely belongs to creativeprofessionals who can leverage AI to
handle the more mechanical aspectsof their process while focusing their
efforts on the uniquely human elements.
Which are strategic thinking,emotional resonance, cultural
relevance, and innovative visionthat no AI can replicate as of today.
So no, I don't think AI will replacecreative professionals in the foreseeable
(30:36):
future, but it will replace creativeprofessionals who refuse to adapt to
AI Just as digital tools eventuallyreplace those who insisted on sticking
exclusively with analog methods, thequestion isn't whether to embrace these
new tools, but how to embrace them in away that improves rather than diminishes
your unique creative contribution today.
(30:59):
Now that we've covered the basics ofAI and its relevance to creative work,
let me tell you what you can expectfrom future episodes of this podcast.
I wanna make sure you knowexactly what value you'll get by
subscribing and tuning in each week.
So each week we'll dive into practical,actionable content, specifically designed
for creative professionals lookingto integrate AI into their workflows.
(31:21):
Our focus will always be onconcrete applications rather
than theoretical discussions.
We'll cover specific AI toolsand how to use them effectively.
Everything from general purposeassistance like ChatGPT to specialized
tools for design, writing, video,audio, and other creative disciplines.
We'll also explore promptingtechniques that help you get
(31:44):
better results from these tools.
In fact, our next episodewill focus on exactly this.
I'll share specific prompt frameworks andtechniques that dramatically improve the
quality of what you get from AI tools.
You'll learn how to craft promptsthat yield more creative, , relevant
and useful results regardless ofwhich specific tool you're using.
Throughout the series, we'lldiscuss workflow integration, how to
(32:06):
combine AI tools with your existingsoftware for maximum efficiency,
because the goal isn't toreplace your current tool set,
but to actually just uplevel it.
We'll also address ethical and practicalconsiderations, including copyright
disclosure and best practices for usingAI generated content professionally.
These topics are evolving rapidly,and I'll keep you updated as things
(32:31):
change, and we'll also featureperspectives from creative professionals
across different fields who areusing AI effectively in their work.
We'll hear them share theirreal examples and case studies.
Again, this won't betheoretical discussions.
There'll be practical examples you canlearn from and adapt to your own work.
Some episodes will focus on specifictools or techniques, while others will
(32:52):
address broader strategic questions abouthow AI is changing creative industries
and how professionals can adapt.
Our guiding principle is thatAI should serve your creative
vision, not the other way around.
We're not interested in replacinghuman creativity, but in helping
you leverage these powerful newtools to express that creativity
more efficiently and effectively.
(33:13):
Whether you're a designer,writer, marketer, photographer,
illustrator, video creator, orany type of creative professional.
My goal is to provide you withpractical guidance that you can
apply immediately in your work.
Let me wrap this first episodewith some strategic steps you can
take this week to begin exploringAI in your creative process.
(33:34):
If you haven't done so yet, whichI believe most of you have, I. Sign
up for a free account on ChatGpt.
Just go to chat.openai.comand create an account.
This will give you immediate access toa powerful AI assistant that can help
with a wide range of creative tasks.
Step two.
Spend 15 minutes brainstorming with theAI on a current project you're working on.
(33:56):
Ask for ideas, alternative approaches,or help developing a concept further.
Step three.
Try a simple editing task.
Take a piece of content you've createdand ask AI to help you improve it
in a specific way, making it eithermore concise, changing the tone,
or reorganizing it for clarity.
This is a low risk way to see howAI can improve your existing work.
(34:19):
Step four, reflect on the experience.
What was helpful, what wasn't?
How might you integrate thisinto your regular workflow?
This reflection is crucial for developingyour own approach to working with ai.
Remember, the goal of AI is to save youtime and to find specific areas where
it can enhance your existing skills.
(34:41):
By starting small and experimenting,you'll develop an intuition
for how these tools work bestinto your creative process.
Speaking of practical applications,let's talk about something that's
particularly relevant for those withphotography backgrounds like me,
especially product photographers.
The new image creation capabilitiesin tools like ChatGPT raise
an interesting question.
(35:02):
The ability to simply upload aproduct photo and ask AI to create
different backgrounds, lightningscenarios, different environments.
Will there still be a need fortraditional product photographers?
And it's a valid concern.
These tools can already generatesurprisingly realistic product imagery
with different lightning and backgrounds.
(35:23):
A client could potentially uploada basic product shot and generate
dozens of variations without hiring aphotographer for a multiset up shoot.
But here's my perspective.
While AI can modify existingimages and create variations, it
still can't capture the authenticphysical product in the first place.
The initial accurate representationof the product, with its true
(35:46):
materials, textures, and details,still requires skilled photography.
What's changing is what happensafter that initial capture.
So I see this as a shift in howproduct photographers might work rather
than elimination of the profession.
The value may move towards creatingthe perfect base image with impeccable
lightning, uh, on the productitself, while the contextual elements
(36:09):
become more flexible through ai.
Photographers who adapt might findthemselves capturing fewer setups,
but licensing their base imagesfor more use cases as clients
apply those AI modifications.
This is exactly the kind ofevolution we'll be exploring
throughout this podcast.
Not just whether AI will replace creativeroles, but how it's likely to transform
(36:32):
them and where the new value might lie.
It's something to think about aswe navigate these changes together.
In our next episode, we'll divedeeper into prompt engineering
the art of getting betterresults from AI language models.
Through more effective instructions,.
I'll share specific frameworks,techniques, and examples that will
help you craft prompts that yield moreuseful, creative and relevant results.
(36:56):
You'll learn how to speak the languageof AI in a way that gets you exactly
what you need for your creative projects.
If you enjoy this podcast, pleasesubscribe wherever you get your podcasts
and consider sharing it with othercreative professionals who might benefit.
You can also find show notes,resources, and more information
at Www AI for creative pros.com.
(37:17):
Thank you for joining me for this firstepisode of AI for Creative Professionals.
I'm Tiana, and I'll be back nextweek with more practical guidance on
leveraging AI in your creative work.
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