I think the fear of becoming obsolete touches both income and identity. “How will I pay my bills?” is frightening enough. “Will anyone still need what I have to offer?” is a different kind of worry.
When I ask people why they want FU money, very few tell me they want to be filthy rich. They want some breathing room, more say over their lives, and work that feels useful. They want to know that what they do contributes something, that they are valued, that their work mattered.
Rebecca, the part about your painting getting smaller in your mind the second it had to fit a market felt very true. That shift from making to expressing to making to justify itself is subtle, but it changes the whole experience. Your point that the act of creation has value before it has any use cuts through a lot of AI panic.
I loved this post and I really like how you reframe fear to curiosity. I think curiosity though is easy to feel when it doesn't appear as though it might affect your livelihood but I do have one question for you. A lot of your piece centers around the fact that AI feels like the wild wild west. I think the fear is around belief that it will very quickly stop becoming the wild wild west. I'd love to hear on what approach/mindframe would be useful to navigate this?
love your question on weird projects. I don't have any at the moment. But this makes me feel like I should!
Thank you so much for reading and such a thoughtful response!
I think the thing to remember is that we don’t know what’s going to happen. It might kill us all tomorrow or it might continue to do kind of mid work in general or aliens might land or we might get hit by a bus.
Our brains really really want to pattern match and right now the big AI companies definitely benefit from cultivating the belief that they are inevitable and all powerful. The noise, it’s loud!
The mindframe has to be to ground in today - how am I keeping my mind sharp and my spirit in the moment. Not ignore what’s happening, but right-sizing the catastrophizing of it all.
Create something. Write something. Talk to a human. We’re all in this together.
Girl. I love what you're doing here. I've got more weird projects than most. My problem (if it is one) is that I'm all weird projects and not enough money earning for lifestyle paying. But, the one I'm excited about (again, because it's kinda an old project) is a podcast I want to start with my brother (who you very much know) about the secret cultural history of Indiana.
Loved your piece! I’m glad to live in Portland where everything is weird. I have an idea for a project that’s been on my mind for a while, I found an antique “how to scam people” playbook in the attic of my last house. I’ve been thinking of scanning it and using AI to make art about scams. The whole book is insane and very Fred trump.
I think the fear of becoming obsolete touches both income and identity. “How will I pay my bills?” is frightening enough. “Will anyone still need what I have to offer?” is a different kind of worry.
When I ask people why they want FU money, very few tell me they want to be filthy rich. They want some breathing room, more say over their lives, and work that feels useful. They want to know that what they do contributes something, that they are valued, that their work mattered.
Rebecca, the part about your painting getting smaller in your mind the second it had to fit a market felt very true. That shift from making to expressing to making to justify itself is subtle, but it changes the whole experience. Your point that the act of creation has value before it has any use cuts through a lot of AI panic.
I loved this post and I really like how you reframe fear to curiosity. I think curiosity though is easy to feel when it doesn't appear as though it might affect your livelihood but I do have one question for you. A lot of your piece centers around the fact that AI feels like the wild wild west. I think the fear is around belief that it will very quickly stop becoming the wild wild west. I'd love to hear on what approach/mindframe would be useful to navigate this?
love your question on weird projects. I don't have any at the moment. But this makes me feel like I should!
Thank you so much for reading and such a thoughtful response!
I think the thing to remember is that we don’t know what’s going to happen. It might kill us all tomorrow or it might continue to do kind of mid work in general or aliens might land or we might get hit by a bus.
Our brains really really want to pattern match and right now the big AI companies definitely benefit from cultivating the belief that they are inevitable and all powerful. The noise, it’s loud!
The mindframe has to be to ground in today - how am I keeping my mind sharp and my spirit in the moment. Not ignore what’s happening, but right-sizing the catastrophizing of it all.
Create something. Write something. Talk to a human. We’re all in this together.
Girl. I love what you're doing here. I've got more weird projects than most. My problem (if it is one) is that I'm all weird projects and not enough money earning for lifestyle paying. But, the one I'm excited about (again, because it's kinda an old project) is a podcast I want to start with my brother (who you very much know) about the secret cultural history of Indiana.
OMG I CANNOT WAIT to listen to that.
you can be a guest one day 🤩 #dreamitdoit
Yes did you know john cougar mellencamp is from indiana? #indianafacts
of course, he's our native son!
One time I saw him at the ice cream store.
Loved your piece! I’m glad to live in Portland where everything is weird. I have an idea for a project that’s been on my mind for a while, I found an antique “how to scam people” playbook in the attic of my last house. I’ve been thinking of scanning it and using AI to make art about scams. The whole book is insane and very Fred trump.
THANK YOU 2. That book sounds INCREDIBLE and please share whatever you make from it!
Promise I will!