Unlock More Creativity

You can only do so much in a day. No matter how inspired or driven you are, your attention and your energy are the ultimate bottleneck for your creativity.

Making art is about moments of brilliance and vision. But, it’s also a lot of hard work. If you’re an artist, the chances are that you have asked yourself how you can be more creative.

We talk a lot about AI’s role in the creative process. I’ve talked about it in the past. But, what about AI’s role in the workflows that support creativity? AI can help you spend more time making art, and waste less time doing dull but necessary tasks.

Agents as creative assistants #

Agents are like assistants that never get tired or bored. They take inputs, and make outputs. When they’re done they search for more inputs. No matter how boring, repetitive, or annoying the task, they just keep on going. While you’re working in your studio, or on stage, or sleeping, they’re taking care of the tasks you need done.

They’re good at some things and not so great at others. If they have a concrete task, they’re good at chugging away at it. But, they’re not great at making artistic decisions. That’s your job. You can outsource make-work tasks, and focus on the creative stuff.

Your agent can take on tasks I think of as the 3Ds: dull, distracting, or draft.

Delegate dullness #

Creativity is exciting. Sorting folders is not. Imagine an agent that keeps your folders organized, your naming convention consistent, and maybe even helps with some of your creative prep. Every boring digital task can be outsourced so that you can focus on the fun stuff.

Avoid distractions #

Imagine an agent as an administrative assistant, coordinating schedules, collecting signatures, summarizing feedback, and drafting emails. You can wake up every morning organized and ready to create.

Generate drafts #

If it works for your process, imagine an agent that helps you prototype your vision. A program that takes your sketches, notes, and direction and turns them into scrappy storyboards, mood boards, or pitch decks. AI agents can help you create the things you need to make “the thing”, helping you to handle some of the steps between idea and creation.

Focus your attention on creativity #

Your creative process is your own. I’m not arguing to delegate every part of the artistic process. If editing video yourself is what your creative work is, don’t stop. But ask yourself: what dull, distracting, or draft tasks could you do without? Agents help you focus your attention, your energy, and your time on being creative instead of managing your to-do list. You know, stick to the fun part.

When you delegate the boring, repetitive, and annoying tasks, it frees you up to spend more of your time bringing your humanity, your creativity, and your discerning judgement to the creative process.