A North Star for Getting Started (Start Here) · Creative AI Education w/ West

David West III

Jan 2 (edited) • General discussion

A North Star for Getting Started (Start Here)

Hello beautiful people,

This guide is for anyone who’s new to the Creative AI Generation game.. which I’m assuming is most of you.

I want to give you a solid mental framework to start with

Mindset Comes First

Like most things in life, mindset will come first here.

A lot of what we’re doing with AI looks simple. (and to be fair..compared to what it took to achieve similar results just a few years ago, it is much easier.)

But don’t confuse easier with frictionless.

You will run into:

frustrations
weird outputs
broken workflows
moments where nothing works the way you expect

This is normal.

The software we’re using is new and rapidly evolving. It’s not perfect. this is a good thing. You’re early.

Getting familiar with these tools now, while they’re still rough around the edges, gives you an advantage for when they become truly insane (and honestly… they already are, which is the scary part).

This Is Not a One-Click Game (Yet)

To produce anything truly high quality, you’ll need to stitch together multiple tools.

That means:

jumping between different platforms
using different models for different tasks
understanding that no single tool does everything perfectly

You’ll want:

a solid computer
fast internet
good bandwidth

This is not a one-stop-shop situation… yet.

About Subscriptions (Yes, Capitalism)

Most of the tools you’ll use have monthly subscriptions.

But here’s how I look at it:

Spending $10–$50/month on software that lets you create things that would’ve cost hundreds of thousands of dollars just 3–5 years ago?

Not a bad deal to me.

The Tools Will Change.. FAST

Another important thing to understand:

The “best” model today might not be the best model next month.

This space moves fast.

The real game is:

knowing which tool is best
for which task
at what time

Staying curious and adaptable matters more than memorizing one workflow.

Don’t Forget: This Is Still Art

Whether people want to admit it or not.. this is a form of art.

AI is accelerated artistic expression.

Your:

taste
eye
judgment
patience
diligence

That’s what separates good work from forgettable work.

The tools don’t replace that, they amplify it.

Where I’d Start (Software Stack)

If you’re just getting started, I’d recommend beginning with:

Freepik
Higgsfield

(Or if you're like me, get both)

You can do a lot with just those two.

From there:

Midjourney — still a staple
Nano Banana Pro — best image model right now (with strong competitors emerging)
Kling — most affordable high-quality video option
ElevenLabs — best for voice and voice changing
Google Veo — worth getting familiar with

If you want an all-in-one automation playground:

Weavy — amazing for connecting nodes and workflows
Freepik - they have a node base tool in there

For editing and final assembly:

CapCut — easiest and most practical for most people
Adobe — if you’re more technical and want deeper control

I’ll stop there for now.

If this feels like a lot… I’m sorry, that was me keeping it light, honestly.

My goal here is just to give you a north star so you can start creating instead of overthinking.