I Used to Be a Real Artist
Let me start with a fact: I used to be a visual artist. Not just playing around in Photoshop, but creating full-blown artwork for major magazines, world tours, and print campaigns - including covers you’ve likely seen without ever knowing I was behind them. I spent decades building a visual language, mastering tools, and contributing to the industry in a very real way.
Then I had a stroke. A massive one.
It shattered my brain. My memory isn’t what it was. My ability to work for long stretches is gone. The mental bandwidth required to do what I once did - just isn’t there anymore. But the will is. The creative spark still lives.
No, AI Didn’t Replace My Art - It Gave It Back
When people throw opinions around about AI art - that it’s "lazy", "stealing", or "soulless" - they’re usually coming from a place of ignorance or fear. And while yes, some people do abuse AI tools (just like anything else), not everyone’s out here trying to con the world.
Some of us are just trying to function again.
AI imaging gave me something I didn’t know I could have again: a creative outlet. A way to turn emotions into visuals without needing ten hours of focused screen time. I still guide the image. I choose the theme, the mood, the look. I refine prompts the way I once refined brush strokes. It’s still me - just with a different kind of tool.
Outsourcing? On $50 a Month?
People have even approached me saying I should "support real artists" by outsourcing my visuals. I get the sentiment, but let’s be real - when you’re surviving on less than $50 a month, the luxury of hiring a designer for every single blog post is just not in the cards. This isn't about taking work away from anyone. This is about survival - mentally, creatively, financially.
I’ve done the work. I’ve been part of the “real” industry. I paid my dues. You want to dig through history? You’ll find my fingerprints all over design work from the past three decades - from mainstream to niche to underground.
What AI Actually Means for Me
To be absolutely clear:
- My blog states whether an image is a photo or AI-generated.
- My music is not AI-generated.
- Every song you hear was written by me, played on piano or acoustic guitar, and developed like any traditional songwriter would. I can still sing. I can still play. I just need help remembering. Again - brain damage.
AI helps me bridge the gap between what I can do now and what I used to do. It’s not a shortcut - it’s an enabler.
If You’ve Never Lost Your Mind, You Might Not Understand
It’s easy to judge from the outside. It’s easy to preach when your cognitive functions are intact. But try waking up and forgetting how to finish a sentence. Try sitting in front of a blank canvas and realizing you can’t push through the hours anymore.
AI isn’t a gimmick to me. It’s a lifeline.
So before you throw around words like "fake artist" or "AI cheat", maybe ask why someone’s using it in the first place. You might be surprised to learn that behind that AI-generated image - there’s a real story, and a real artist, still fighting to stay connected to the world they love.