The Opposite of A.I.

What do you do when the world embraces A.I.? Well, if you’re me, you buy a manual typewriter made in 1978 and take a huge leap back into the past.

I don’t want A.I. to write stories for me or bring my visions to life. Creativity is about the individual creator’s unique perspective. Our ideas and stories are based on the emotional baggage we’ve acquired from living a life filled with happiness and chaos. Every story I’ve ever written has been influenced by something that happened to me at some point during my life. A.I. has no baggage. It’s never experienced setbacks or success. It doesn’t feel anything.

What makes art or storytelling great is the artist’s point of view. And this doesn’t require talent or advanced skills of any kind. Anyone can write a story. Anyone can make art. Will it get published or be sold for a million dollars? Maybe, maybe not. But it will have an individual point of view. And that’s what making art and telling stories is all about.

So I bought a manual typewriter to change the way I create. To step back from the ease of technology and slow down. I’m not good at typing, so I have to hunt and peck my way around the keys, and I make lots of mistakes. But the great thing about writing on an old typewriter is I can’t undo or start over unless I want to kill a lot of trees and waste a ton of paper. So I have no choice but to embrace my mistakes, to keep moving forward, and to let go of perfection.

Anyway, I encourage you to find your own process and to make your own mistakes. To write stories and make art inspired by your unique experiences and individual point of view. The world needs variety.

Thanks for reading!

-James