For me, AI is not a taboo subject. Let’s face it, AI is here to stay, like it or not. HOWEVER, I am very cautious with HOW I use it. I DO use AI to: - Have business discussions. - Keep my thoughts and tasks organized and structured - Get feedback about my paintings - Learn how to fix a software problem that I can’t figure out. - Age a younger hand that I took a photo of. - Improve detail and resolution in reference images submitted for commissions. I DO NOT use AI to: - Create compositions - Generate painting references - Create new ideas Something that I feel is important is authenticity. When I come in here, every day, you get the real me. There is a lot of discussion in the art world about AI “ART” but I don’t think there is such a thing. AI produces images but it is not “art: by definition. What do YOU think about AI? Do you use it?

But this is life and in life, we roll with the punches. 👊🏻 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 I got some news yesterday that hit me harder than I wished it did. The exhibition that I have been working on for the past year... POSTPONED (no date in site yet) 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 The short story is that the gallery building is owned by the government. The government came in and decided that this building would be perfect to hold November elections from now on. So my exhibition dates have just disappeared. 💥💥 I have spent months and months on this: 👊🏻 developing a new concept 👊🏻 researching 👊🏻 photography 👊🏻 drawing and executing 👊🏻 Literally THOUSANDS of hours of work. (this is not an exaggeration) And now I have a whole new body of work that still needs to be finished but has nowhere to go. 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊 Now what I MUST do....... Finish these works. Because I know if I walk away now, I will loose the connection to the message. Then I will have to protect them and store them. That starts the time clock ticking. Most exhibitions do not allow work older than 2 years. OR... Do I put them for sale on my website? Do I risk selling them and breaking up a cohesive body of work? Do I say 🖕🏻to the gallery and cancel? What have you had that you put a TON of effort into that didn't go as you expected? How did you move past the feeling of disappointment?

Being “artistic” is NOT something you’re born with. I used to think creative people were just built differently. At one point, I even decided left-handed people had some secret artistic advantage… and I had been dealt the wrong hand. Literally 😂. I am VERY right-handed. 🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬 🧬 🧬 I have OCD traits 🧬 I like structure 🧬 I like organization 🧬 My house is usually neat and clean 🧬 I don’t wear mismatched clothes 🧬 Not exactly the artist stereotype 🧬 🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬🧬 And yet… my paintings for thousands of dollars. What changed? I stopped trying to “be creative” and built a process that actually works for my brain. Step-by-step. Repeatable. Predictable. More like following a recipe than waiting for a magical unicorn to smack me with inspiration. What do you think? Do you believe you were born creative? Lets discuss this.