Part of why Generative AI is bad is because it devalues process work. It devalues actually using your brain to think through problems, it devalues conversations, it devalues expertise, and in losing process work you also lose all of the other interesting directions/ideas/work that would have come out of it. Generally speaking I am quite concerned about this.

Once your art is out there, you don’t own it anymore. People get to have opinions about it and frame or interpret it however they want. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

It can be very cool but it’s also strange and disorienting. I feel like what I like about my work isn’t necessarily what other people like about it.

One of the things I’ve noticed lately, as I read bios written by my peers (and ask them to write bios, in some cases), is how afraid so many people are to project any sense of artistic legitimacy in their bios. Even if you’re insecure in real life, your bio is not the place for that.

You can write whatever the hell you want in your bio, and no one will side-eye you, unless you outright lie about your credentials or accomplishments. Bios are how you choose to present yourself, not just to the world, but also to your peers and colleagues. If you don’t even pretend to believe you belong in a space, no one is going to believe that you belong for you.

One of the most useful ways I’ve found to learn about some deeply niche topic is to find a recording of a tutorial or workshop aimed at a research audience, and watch the video about 5 times slower than originally intended.

It usually makes more sense than attempting to read the papers the video is based on (and is self contained with all of the key important information), but the significant speed decrease is necessary because these research talks are freakishly information dense, and also, unlike the intended audience, I have no idea what the speaker is talking about.

One of the most disorienting experiences has to be realizing that the skills you take for granted might actually be important and have value.