In a world where art is under threat from AI slop, what can you do to stop it replacing you? AI quashes free-thinking, and as a result, our creative instincts. Whether it is your corporate Co-Pilot AI that does all your work emails, your casual chats with ChatGPT about life and relationships, using AI for heavy lifting in work tasks, or whatever it may be, it all adds up. Now there's a difference between misusing AI and optimising workflow with AI. AI isn't the bad guy per se, it's a tool...
12 days ago • 2 min read
The pursuit of creating art can get lost in the whirlwind of life, where many suppress their creative passions for good. Society sees art as secondary because the economy doesn't support it like other pursuits and professions. So what do we do? Create anyway, without any expectations, except creative fulfilment, and understanding just how important such fulfilment is in our daily lives. This may require adjusting your schedule to fit in this precious activity, or try to form a passion for it,...
19 days ago • 2 min read
As I've gotten older, more experienced in my craft, and in life, I realise a common thread that led me to my proudest wins. You can achieve more than you think. You are often already able to get there even if you feel you are not prepared. Taking that leap into the discomfort of uncertainty to test the limits of your ambition, can supercharge progress and prove to yourself, you are way ahead of where you thought you were in your development. A level of common sense is advised here too,...
26 days ago • 1 min read
So far this year... I've been less active in the creative networking scene. I've attended much fewer events than previous years, and the reason behind this isn't because I'm aloof, rather it's because I've been building: building my faith by going on pilgrammage, building my body by being more active, building my career by acquiring jobs, building my craft by isolating. The last point is especially relevant if you seek to create a substantial piece of work: say a novel, a poetry collection, a...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Getting or feeling stuck, something we all experience now and again, can affect not only your emotions, but your creativity. Here's one way that I cope with this: Getting out of my comfort zone. This forces you to adapt to a new environment, and when you do this, you promote personal growth, which is a great way to prove to yourself that you are moving in a positive direction and you should keep that momentum. My mind is naturally less inclined to spontaneity, but I still try to challenge its...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
To achieve anything, you must sacrifice something. Be that time and energy, living in a comfort zone, chasing worldly desires, or anything else. But we must retain the things that truly matter along the way, relationships, faith, morals, and so on. When embarking on lengthy projects, sacrifice is non-negotiable. For example, if you set out to write a full length novel in the course of a year, you must be organised enough to hit targets without fail, and regularly. When I went about this task...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Push past your limits, shrug them off, and keep going. This past weekend, I climbed Scafell Pike, England's tallest mountain, and the entire escapade was gruelling, more so than anyone on our team could've imagined. The experience reinforced an idea, that we must push past our limits, and then some, once in a while. Otherwise, we become comfortable, and our growth becomes stagnant. At several occassions on my climb, I felt defeated and beaten, yet I still continued one step at a time, up...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
I found the opening scene of one my stories on a hike in the woods. I'd been struggling to find a way in to the novel... I needed something tangible, intimate, and symbolic, while also being mundane and believable, and as I wandered in nature, inhabiting the mindset of my characters, an idea drifted into my consciousness, and planted itself firmly. I may never have received the idea if not for the adventure, and this is why exploring the world can be such an invaluable source of power. When...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Never let your creative dreams die. They may lay dormant, or enjoy a snug period of slumber, but to eliminate them all together, is a mistake... Why so dramatic? you may be asking. Because creativity is one of our last remaining forms of freedom which we have full control over, once we realise its power. If we relinquish it, we lose a part of ourselves along the way. Art is often seen as a childhood memory to most, something they practiced at school as a carefree child, and slowly stopped due...
2 months ago • 1 min read