How AI Helped Me Reclaim My Voice
In 2012, I had two strokes that changed everything. Suddenly, my brain didn’t work the same. Communication became hard — I was slow, often misunderstood, and painfully self-conscious. I retreated into my art and the visual world because it felt safer. Decisions felt overwhelming. It was like my brain and my words lived on opposite sides of the room. I knew exactly what I wanted to say… but it wouldn’t come out clearly. On top of that, I’ve lived with ADHD my whole life. That meant even before the strokes, focus and follow-through were a challenge. After the strokes, ADHD + brain fog made even simple tasks feel impossible. I tried sticky notes, trackers, charts, apps — anything to keep up — but it was still so hard to think, process, and move quickly. Then, 2.5 years ago, my daughter introduced me to ChatGPT and MidJourney. That was the game changer. I went all in on the visual side first — learning image creation, AI photoshoots, and how to prompt poses and scenes the way I used to as a photographer. Then I realized ChatGPT could do so much more. It wasn’t just answering questions — it was helping me: - Brain dump my ideas and turn them into clarity - Piece my scattered thoughts together into something usable - Prioritize what mattered most (instead of chasing shiny objects) - Create meal plans, grocery lists, and budgets - And give me the best brainstorming partner I’d ever had For the first time in years, it felt like I wasn’t broken anymore — like I could finally keep up with the world again. At first, it wasn’t about business or marketing. It was about survival. It gave me a way to: - Untangle my thoughts when they felt scattered - Find words I could not find on my own - Reason and conceptualize things again - Organize ideas when ADHD made me spiral - Write in a way I couldn’t on my own anymore - Over time, what started as survival became my superpower. Now, I use AI every day to brainstorm, write content, create visuals, and save HOURS of energy I don’t have to waste.