Is it possible to use AI without selling out?

Spoiler: Yes. And no. And yes again.

By now, most creatives I know have had some version of the AI conversation.
Sometimes it's whispered like JK Rowling’s name at dinner parties.
Sometimes it’s shouted, like a first-year screenwriting student explaining what real writers do.

But always, somewhere in the back of the conversation is this gnawing dilemma:

If I use AI, am I complicit in the thing that’s hurting us?

If I don’t, am I missing out on tools that could actually help me make a living?

It’s not a simple question. And frankly, I don’t trust simple answers.

Because, yes - large language models (like the one that helped write this post with ... hi) were trained on vast amounts of content, much of it scraped without consent.
Yes, that includes the work of artists, authors, journalists, and poets - many of whom are not credited, not compensated, and not thrilled.
Yes, that's a problem.

But also yes: AI isn't going anywhere. And unlike some of the things that are going somewhere (my hairline, for example), this one actually could help.

So what do we do?

Well - if you're me, you start experimenting.
Quietly.
Carefully.
Curiously.
(And with a deeply furrowed brow. I gotta put those freakishly heavy eyebrows to good use somehow.)

You test whether AI can help streamline your admin.
You ask it to remix your artist statement into something that doesn't make you want to eat drywall.
You let it offer up structure when you're staring at the blinking cursor of doom.

And you realise… maybe there is a way to use it that doesn’t make you feel like a sell-out.
Maybe you can bring your values with you into the AI space.
Maybe you can take the good - and leave the garbage.

That’s the spirit behind my new workshop:
👉 AI for Creatives (Without Selling Your Soul) 👈
It’s not a how-to for replacing your brain.
It’s a how-to for keeping your brain — and using AI with integrity, creativity, and boundaries.

We’ll cover:

• What to use AI for (and what to run from, screaming)

• How to protect your voice and your IP

• Prompts that actually work for artists and writers

• How to save time without making garbage

If you’ve ever opened an AI tool, gotten weirded out, and quietly closed the tab again - this is for you.
If you’ve wondered how other creatives are using it - this is for you.
If you want to keep your soul but maybe hand off your formatting - this is definitely for you.

Details here. You get a free guide just for signing up.

No pressure. No hype. Just tools, ethics, and a very human conversation.

Because if we don’t shape how creatives use AI… someone else will.

And let’s be honest: it’ll probably be a tech bro in a Patagonia vest.
Let’s not leave it to him.