Professional Creatives and AI - Mixing Up the Means with the Ends
The progress in AI-generated imagery and video is astonishing—and shows no signs of slowing. Understandably, many in creative professions are anxious about what these rapid advancements mean for their future. Questions about adaptation and relevance are now at the forefront of creative conversations.
I once noticed that since I could draw with my hands, I could also draw with my feet using a pencil held between my toes. It wasn’t as refined, but the underlying artistic principles were still there. That’s because drawing isn’t done with your hands—it’s done with your mind.
In the past, painters had to make their own brushes and paints. Later, these tools became commercially available. I recall sitting down to paint traditionally, only to realize I was out of burnt sienna—prompting a trip across town to the art supply store. Graphic artists once used t-squares, typesetting, and X-Acto knives for paste-ups. Then came the personal computer and Adobe software—InDesign and Illustrator for design, Photoshop and Premiere for editing. Today, apps like Procreate paired with an Apple Pencil let you create stunning digital illustrations.
Each leap in technology has helped creatives manifest their visions more efficiently. AI tools are simply the latest step in that evolution.
Mastering creative tools required years—insulating creative professionals with natural barriers to entry. Now, each new advancement lowers those barriers. But with every new tool, new possibilities emerge. Through it all, the creative mind is a timeless constant, joyfully going along for the ride.
We’ve seen this before—desktop publishing gave anyone access to graphic design tools. But access didn’t guarantee skill. I’ve often had clients approach me after trying to design something themselves, only to realize the results fell short. At its root, design isn’t done with a computer, just as art isn’t created with hands or feet. It’s done with the mind. A world-class guitar won’t make you play like Eddie Van Halen–even if you crank up the volume.
Creative work evokes feeling or tells a story that resonates—something that originates within the individual. The tool is merely the means of expression.
Though creatives are often seen as solitary figures, many great projects are born from collaboration. AI can play another role: a tireless partner offering insight, information, and inspiration on demand, any time of day.
Just as you no longer need to drive across town for a tube of paint, AI eliminates many of the time-consuming obstacles between an idea and its realization.
Expanding further, why should we want to preserve barriers that keep others from creative expression? AI not only democratizes creative access but empowers artists to explore new realms that once felt out of reach to them. We tend to view the world in zero-sum terms—if someone else can do what I do, it threatens my share. But even if AI eventually masters every earthly skill, there’s an infinite universe still waiting to be explored.
I’m hopeful that AI will help us shift from a scarcity mindset toward one rooted in a boundless, ever-expanding universe of abundance. Isn’t that what we’re really after in the end?
