In 1985 we were required to carry a brown grocery bag to take back and forth from home to school. I carried my lunch inside and who knows what else. Probably all of the worksheets where I colored in pictures that helped me remember my letters and numbers, crafts we glued together, and whatever else 5 year olds need for the day.

My Dad is an artist. He always has been and always will be. He instilled in me the importance of creativity and forging my own path, which is arguably the mission statement of any and all artists.

How do you instill that in a kindergartner? Well, for me it was by transforming my drab, brown, paper bag into a work of art. He would replicate images of my favorite cartoon characters on the blank side of my Lucky’s grocery bag. Carebears, Strawberry Shortcake, and my all time favorite, Rainbow Brite. There were probably more that I don’t remember but what I DO remember is the pride I felt walking into my classroom carrying my designer bag.

The kids in my class would gasp, and my teacher would gasp, at the insane accuracy of the colored pencil drawings. My Dad used those pencils like acrylic paints, the colors were vibrant and crisp. His Prismacolor pencils were opaque and blended his lines and shapes like a dream. I wish I could find a photo of these bags. I know there is at least one out there, we can’t find it!

My Mom likes to deny that she is creative and artistic but I have proof otherwise. She has made ladybug cakes, weaved baskets, sewed clothes for dolls, for me and for my kids. She decorates her monthly planner with cheerful drawings and stickers to celebrate every event in life. She also creates amazing things with resin. So yes Momma – you ARE creative!

My brother is a photographer. He went to school for it. So if there is anyone in this family who is a fully fledged, trained and certified artist – it is my brother. And we are very proud of him.

My daughters are artists too. They draw in sketchbooks with pencils and pens. They draw all over their homework and math worksheets. They draw all over their arms with sharpie and ball point pens. They communicate with their friends through doodles and original characters that make each other laugh endlessly.

The girls love to look through my old sketchbooks from when I was a teenager and the art I created in my college art classes. I don’t have a passion for it though. It has taken me years to realize that drawing isn’t really my thing. I have begun to rediscover my passion for writing however, which is undoubtedly another form of creativity.

My Leading Man is an artist. He can make almost anything, but his passion is surfboards.

What does this have to do with Artificial Intelligence? Everything. It has everything to do with it.

AI art has no place in this world and should stay out of all creative spaces. Where is humanity headed with AI stepping in? I feel bad for artists who make a living by creating logos, designing ads, crafting pieces to sell, who are being outbid by a computer. Yes, we can debate the benefits of AI but not on this blog post we aren’t. I don’t want to hear it. I am also not in the mood for a long critique of AI and how it is hindering humanity.

I just wanted to say, you will find NO ARTIFICIALLY GENERATED BLOG POSTS HERE. As I did some initial research on blogging before I started this whole venture, I came across a lot of advice on how I could use AI to generate blog posts in order to post consistently. I clutched my pearls and said NEVER! I will never do that! All of these blog posts are written by me, they always will be. Same for any photos published here, they will be mine or credited as necessary.

That’s all. Just a little rant. Thanks for reading my writing.