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I’m an Old-School Artist Who Absolutely Loves AI Art
Because it can be a game-changer for creatives willing to explore the possibilities, writers included
These days, most people who know me probably know me best because I write like the damn wind, and with good reason. I’m a full-time self-employed copywriter, I’ve made my entire living for the past 15-plus years providing various writing services out of my home, and some people apparently find that impressive.
Others may know I also blog, journal, and write creatively when I’ve got the spare spoons for it. And when I don’t necessarily have the energy, time, or clarity to sit down and write something longer, I can probably be found talking about things I love on social media using suspiciously writerly language.
But despite the fact that I’ve always written, I wasn’t Shannon the Writer to most of the people I grew up around or have known for the majority of my life. I was always Shannon the Artist.
Like many kids on the autism spectrum, I was painfully awkward growing up, but art was one thing I could do that never failed to impress other people. Really, showing up for art class was always just like walking into an alternate universe where I was a rock star. Everyone always wanted to know what I was working on because they knew it would be cool.
My art earned me other types of recognition, as well. I won multiple state-level awards for my work throughout my childhood and teen years, and I made it into all sorts of exclusive programs reserved for only the most promising young artists.
As expected, I majored in art in college. And as computers and the internet became more of a thing, I eventually branched out into digital art and graphic design. I never held a traditional work position as an artist anywhere, but I eventually did start creating various types of art on a freelance basis. My digital art had a decent-sized online following at one point, as well.
So… all that to say, I can draw. I can paint. I’m even good enough at making art the AI-free way that I was able to do it professionally for a while.
But for me, making art professionally was extremely time-consuming, the clients were…
