Breaking Down Barriers: How to Shift from Tech Consumer to Tech Experimenter and Unlock Your Creativity Thanks to Generative AI

Happy Friday,

Are you also tired of scrolling through endless pages of the same old boring stock photos for your Social Media or presentations?

Ugh, me too! That's why I decided to spice things up with exciting new Gnerative A.I. tools that can create unique and captivating images based on prompts (I highly recommend to read the report from Sequoia Capital "Generative A.I. - A Creative New World" to understand the new shift).

I started with Dall-E 2 from OpenAI because I'm already a big fan of ChatGPT, and let me tell you, it was a total game-changer! All you have to do is describe your picture as a story, and voila! You get some seriously fun results. (Pro tip: use ChatGPT to help you come up with cool prompts fot your AI pictures).

Check out my LinkedIn posts or website for my new pictures with a red, pink, and neon background. And although the faces sometimes turned out wonky, it was still pretty awesome.

Then Guy Parson, the curator of the Dallery Gallery, recommended another tool called MidJourney which is still in beta and operates as a chatbot in an app called Discord which is a bit weird. However, the images it produces are breathtaking.

So how do I start experimenting with new technology?

One way to start experimenting is by browsing for beginner tutorials on YouTube. There are plenty of free resources available, but it might take some time to sift through them all. 

If you're pressed for time like I often am, consider buying a course on platforms like Udemy. "Create Beautiful Imagery with Midjourney A.I." by Scott Bromander is a great option (pro tip: try speeding up the video playback to save time) that I found really helpful. 

After signing up for free and experimenting with the MidJourney tool for a while (it's pretty fun to see the exact prompts everyone else is trying – and their results – live and unfiltered),

This leads me to my first tip.

Tip 1: Become a Creative Art Prompt Designer

With text-to-image A.I. tools, you only need a prompt - a short phrase or sentence describing the image you want to create. Get inspired by your favorite artists, photographers, books, movies, or T.V. shows. You could also use prompts based on your favorite colors, themes, emotions, or other characteristics you want the image to convey.

Start with simple prompts like "a serene forest with a misty sunrise," "a futuristic cityscape with neon lights," or "a whimsical underwater world with mermaids and sea creatures."

And add "things" to make it more specific. The possibilities are endless, so let your imagination run wild, and don't be afraid to try different things. The more specific the prompt, the more accurate and relevant the generated image will likely be.

So how do you write good, specific prompts if your background is not in art, photography or design?

I found Phraser helpful, a prompt generator that helps you create images using generative A.I.

It teaches you step-by-step how a good prompt looks like. Check it out, they have a free version to try.

Another idea is to get inspired by Guy's free ebook called "Dalle-E Prompt book (prompt-wise, MidJourney understands all the technical photography jargon you'd expect from using DALL-E).

Or last but not least, check out willwulfken's MidJourney-Styles & Keyword Reference on GitHub

It is so amazing to see what people curate for free in the Internet in order to educate the rest of the world. Thanks so much for all your effort and time. I relly appreciate it ❤️

And here comes tip 2.

Tip 2: Steal Like an Artist

It's a myth that some people aren't creative. We all have that spark of Creativity, but sometimes we must remember how to bring it out.

That's where these new tools, as little AI-helper, come in.

You can combine existing prompts and present them in a new and exciting way. This is what Creativity is all about!

So tap into the creative power of the MidJourney community with hundreds of thousands of images to be inspired by; it makes it easy to check if your prompt will be understood before you type it in the MidJourney app (currently, only paid members can browse this content).

Be aware that the community's images are all public. And, of course, if you're a free/trial user, you'll post your prompts directly in a public chatroom. There is a way to pay a higher membership fee to work in "stealth mode," for example, when you work on a commercial project, but the bigger idea of these new A.I. tools is that we all learn from each other's collective intelligence. I think this is pretty cool.

There are also other platforms like PromptHero, Promptist and Krea that serve as prompt search engines or inspiration for those looking for the right words to use.

It's important to remember that copying prompts and claiming them as your own work is not cool, unless you have paid for them. Marketplaces like PromptBase offer a range of prompts for purchase, which you can customize to your needs.

And here comes tip Nr. 3.

Tip 3: Connect with experts

Using MidJourney is seriously addictive. Before you know it, those free credits will be gone, and you'll be curious to learn everything there is to know about this incredible tool. The good news is that a community of MidJourney experts can help you take your skills to the next level. You can find these experts on LinkedIn, Twitter, or other social media platforms. In addition, you can check online bookstores for authors on this topic or YouTubers making free tutorials and contact them on Twitter or LinkedIn.

You'll join a community of passionate power users who spend hours figuring things out for you and are happy to share their tips and knowledge. So don't be shy - reach out and start building your expert community; they love getting appreciation for all their hard work, who doesn't?

And now it's your time to shine, here is tip Nr. 4.

Tip 4: Get your ideas out of your head and into the world

Are you still in reading mode and want to avoid taking action and experiment with MidJourney? What holds you back?

Usually it's fear.

One common fear I often hear from my corproate clients:

You might be worried about copyrights and commercial use, and that's valid. However, don't let that fear stop you from experimenting and creating in the first place. Remember, starting to "create" is often more valuable than the final product. Once you know what to do with the images, you can dive deeper into the topic. Of course, the first stop is always reading the Terms & Conditions.

And if you want to dive deeper into the topic, a good read was the latest article in "The Verge".

After reading the article, you definetly should get into gear and start and here is my last tip Nr. 5 for you.

Ok, now no excuses anymore. Get into gear which leads me to my last tip Nr. 5.

Tip 5: Start Being Curious First; Creativity Will Follow 

So, don't forget, the key to unleashing your inner "tech experimenter" is curiosity. Take the time to explore new tools and resources, ask questions, and try new things. Your Creativity will start to flow when you do, and you'll be amazed at what you can create.

For example, I've used Dall-E 2 to tell stories with pictures on my website. I've also seen clients using it for Logos, business cards, mood boards and to pitch new product ideas internally.

And, of course, there are plenty of fun uses for MidJourney outside of work - like creating cool book covers for my kids AI stories, making stickers for their birthday party, or designing new patterns for our sofa cushions.

Here are my first MidJourney design attempts where I got creative with my daughters ChatGPT AI story "The princess and her mischievious cat called Cookie". What do you think? Not so bad for a beginner.....

For more inspiration on what you can do with your new AI art, check out the redbubble, a marketplace, where you can buy and sell your A.I. art or the MidJourney Discord channel #in-the-world.

So, with curiosity as your guide, you'll find that Creativity will come naturally.

👎🏼 Now your turn: So next time you're at a museum or flipping through a magazine, start thinking in prompts!

This happened to me last week at Frieze Art Fair in L.A. As I walked through the galleries, I focused on the pictures and started thinking in prompts, paying close attention to how the painting got created, which artist's style I liked, what colors they used, what emotions and feelings they conveyed, and how lighting played a role in each piece.

It was like a lightbulb went off in my head, and I felt inspired to go home and create my unique images with MidJourney. So, what are you waiting for?

Start experimenting with MidJourney or Dall-E 2 today, and let your Creativity soar!

P.S. Remember to share your creations with me - I can't wait to see what you come up with.