How I’m using AI to transform my creative practice, one step at a time.

Calling all creative explorers & digital dreamweavers,

First things first – forget everything you thought you knew about productivity. The game has changed, fam. I've never felt as creative or as powerful as I have this year, and it's not because I suddenly grew an extra brain. It's because I've learned to dance with the machines in ways that I never dreamed possible.

This isn't just about automating your boring tasks. I'm talking about building your own personal AI advisory board. Yeah, you heard that right. I've got my finance guy, my biz dev expert, my marketing guru - all AI personas I've crafted to give me different perspectives. Before I send out any major proposals or client emails, they all get a look. It's like having a boardroom of experts in my pocket, but they work at the speed of thought.

Here's a peek behind the curtain of how I’ve been running things in my studio this year…

Every morning, I do what I call my "five-minute daily dump" (yeah, I know how it sounds, roll with it). I grab my phone, open my voice recorder, and brain-dump everything. This feeds into my AI system, which transforms it into actionable items and creative sparks.

But the real magic? I've built what I call my "AI advisory board" - different AI personas with different expertise giving me multiple perspectives. My finance guy, my biz dev expert, my marketing guru - all working at the speed of thought. Before any major moves, they all get a look. It's like having a boardroom of experts in your pocket.

The 15-Minute Power Prep: A Real Story

Let me tell you about the morning I got called for a CBC interview about Geoffrey Hinton's Nobel Prize win. I had exactly 17 minutes to prep. In the old days, that would've meant panic and wing-it energy. Instead, I fired up my custom AI language model notebook, dropped in some targeted prompts about Hinton's work, and had my AI generate a five-minute podcast summary I could review while getting dressed.

The result? Nailed it. Not because the AI did the work for me, but because it helped me access and organize complex information at superhuman speed. That's the kind of power we're talking about in 2025.

The Daily Creative Rhythm

Here's how I structure my creative days now, and trust me, this isn't your standard "productivity hack" nonsense:

1. The Five-Minute Daily Dump

Every morning, I do what I call my "five-minute daily dump" (yeah, I know how it sounds, roll with it). I grab my phone, open my voice recorder, and just brain-dump everything – ideas, worries, plans, whatever's bouncing around in my skull. This gets fed into my AI system, which transforms it into actionable items and creative sparks.

The magic isn't in the recording – it's in what happens next. My AI assistant analyzes patterns, connects dots I might have missed, and serves it back to me in ways that spark new ideas and directions.

2. Knowledge Mining and Pattern Recognition

Here's a mind-bending example of the power of personal data: My friend Izzie recorded 30,000 hours of her consulting practice calls over the years. She couldn't have known a decade ago that those recordings would become pure gold - training data for her own specialized AI model that she now offers as a subscription service. That's the kind of long-game thinking we need in 2025.

One of my favorite tools is WhisperForge – a custom AI transcription system I've built that doesn't just transcribe, it understands. It takes all my recordings, meetings, and random thoughts and turns them into searchable, actionable wisdom.

The Adaptability Paradox

Let's get real about something that kept me up all Friday night - the pace of change is insane. Just this week, we saw innovations that completely shifted what's possible. But here's the truth bomb: our judgment, our discernment, our critical eye - these are becoming our most valuable assets.

I recently dropped serious cash on a logo design, not because AI couldn't generate options, but because human judgment in choosing and refining the right design is irreplaceable.

The answer isn't about finding balance – it's about finding synthesis. Here's how:

1. Build Your AI Advisory Board

I've created multiple AI personas with different expertise and perspectives. When I'm working on a project, I can bounce ideas off my "board" – getting feedback from different angles. It's like having a room full of advisors, but they're all working at the speed of thought.

2. Compound Your Creative Effort

Here's a rule I live by: If you have to do something twice in AI, automate it. But don't just automate – iterate. Each interaction should build on the last, creating a compound effect that makes your creative process exponentially more powerful over time.

The Economics of Creation

Let's talk money for a minute, because this stuff matters. The reality is life hasn't gotten better economically for most people in 40 years - we've seen a $40 trillion wealth redistribution during that time.

But here's where AI gives us a shot at rewriting that story. By automating the grunt work and amplifying our creative capabilities, we have a chance to reclaim our time and redefine value in the creative economy.

The Human Element: What Really Matters in 2025

Want to know what really keeps me up at night? It's not the fear of AI replacing us - it's the question of identity. What happens when 50% of the people in our creative community face career changes? Who are we then? But here's the twist - what if this disruption is actually our ticket to something better? What if instead of grinding out 40-hour weeks, we could create meaningful work in 20 hours and spend more time doing what we love with the people we love?

The most valuable things we have in 2025 are still deeply human:

• Judgment: AI can generate a thousand ideas, but knowing which ones matter? That's all you.

• Critical Thinking: The ability to see patterns, question assumptions, and make unexpected connections.

• Emotional Intelligence: Understanding the human impact of our work, something no AI can truly replicate.

Building a Sharing Culture

This is why I'm so passionate about our community events and meetups. When we gather, whether it's at the Space Center for our Vancouver AI Community Meetups or in our Discord channels, we're not just sharing tips and tricks. We're building a support network for navigating these massive changes together. The future isn't going to be won by lone wolves - it's going to be won by communities that lift each other up.

In our Discord community and workshops, we've created spaces where people share their "stumbles" as readily as their successes. This vulnerability, combined with AI-enhanced collaboration, creates an environment where everyone levels up together.

Your Call to Action

So here's what I want you to do:

1. Start your own five-minute daily dump tomorrow morning. Just talk into your phone about whatever's on your mind.

2. Begin building your personal knowledge base. Every interaction, every idea, every piece of feedback – capture it all.

3. Find your community. Whether it's our Future Proof Creatives Discord or somewhere else, connect with others who are navigating this same journey.

Remember this: in 2025, the real power move isn't just having access to the latest AI tools - it's knowing how to use them while maintaining your humanity. It's about being smart with your data, ethical in your approach (shoutout to the Algorithmic Justice League and Dr. Joy Buolamwini for keeping us honest), and relentless in your pursuit of growth.

The future belongs to those who can dance with the machines while keeping their soul intact. Let's get out there and show them how it's done.

Peace out, future humans.

Which is exactly why I'm stoked to announce that Peter Bittner and I are bringing back our signature course:

🚀 AI Upgrade for Creative Professionals 6-Week Live Online Course | Starts January 14th

This isn't your standard "here's how to use ChatGPT" snoozefest. We're diving deep into:

• Building your personal AI toolkit

• Crafting custom workflows that actually work

• Ethical frameworks for the digital wild west

• Real-world applications through personalized capstone projects

You get both perspectives: Peter's academic rigor (Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism represent!) and my street-level experience breaking things and putting them back together in weird new ways.

Early bird pricing ($1,299 instead of $1,499) ends December 15th. And yes, we've got discounts for NGOs, educators, freelancers, and group enrollments because this knowledge needs to spread.

👉 Check out the full course details here: https://www.peterbittner.com/ai-upgrade-for-creative-professionals-jan-14-2025

Real talk from one of our recent graduates, Isaac Sharman: "Extremely valuable! Peter & Kris gave me customized guidance on building chatbots and streamlining my workflows for organizing my information faster and more efficiently. They're Pros. They know their stuff and have very clear answers to your questions."

If you're wondering whether this is for you - if you create anything (content, code, designs, strategies, whatever) and you want to stay ahead of the curve rather than get swept away by it, this is your jam.

The future belongs to those who can dance with the machines while keeping their soul intact. Let's get you those dance moves.

Ready to level up? Hit reply or text me if you've got questions. You can also reach out to Peter Bittner with questions.

Keep pushing boundaries,
Kris Krüg

PS. Seeking: Creative explorers, solarpunks, futurists, dreamers, alchemists, media makers, storytellers, mind hackers, cosmic voyagers & freesouls.

Join our free online community of inspiring artists, entrepreneurs, futurists, and tech aficionados, various sub-genres of creative baddasses…. come say hello and see what we got going on. :)