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Genna Blackburn

The one thing AI will never have

Published 14 days ago • 2 min read

Signature Style Stories: 2 of 5

​(Click here to listen to an audio version of this email.)​

Hi Reader,

In my last email, I shared the sentence that broke me out of creative paralysis. If you missed it, catch up here.

Today I want to talk about something that comes up a lot right now: AI, and what it means for artists.

There's a lot of fear in the conversation. But I actually believe the opposite of what most people are worried about. I think AI is proving, more than ever, just how valuable a human creative voice is.

Here's why. A huge part of finding your signature style is figuring out what makes your artwork uniquely you. It is made up of many choices. It's what you love to include in your work, AND what you love to leave out. And those decisions are uniquely, entirely yours.

For me, that means saying no to realism and saying yes to storytelling. Does the pig look like a real pig? No. Is he in the middle of a story (peep those UFOs in the background)? Absolutely.

Think about all the tiny decisions that go into making a piece of art: What colors feel right to you? What kind of line work? Do you like your work to feel sophisticated or playful, minimal or layered? How do you draw animal eyes? Is your artwork decorative or are there storytelling elements in there?

Every single person is going to answer those questions differently. Your answers are shaped by everything you've ever seen, felt, read, and loved. No algorithm can ever copy that specific combo, because it's made up of what YOU have experienced.

Your art is different and special simply because you're the one making it. And that's the art that lights us up, makes us feel things, and brings us joy because we can feel the human connection. The world needs your voice, your perspective, your ideas.

And if you're sitting there thinking but I don't have my own ideas, I promise you, you do. You just might not know how to pull them out yet. Helping artists find those patterns and uncover those preferences is one of my favorite things to teach.

In my next email: why right now is one of the most exciting times in history to be a working artist.

Talk soon,
Genna

P.S. A reminder that Signature Style Week, my free 5-day workshop, is coming up soon. Save your spot here.

Hey there, Reader — I'm so grateful you are part of my email club!

If you're a student, you can log in here.

If we really must part ways, you can unsubscribe here (though I’d hate to see you go — there’s so much good stuff ahead!).

Happy creating and I hope you have a wonderful day!
xoxo, Genna

4925 Cadieux Rd, Studio D, Detroit, MI 48224

Genna Blackburn

Illustrator, Surface Designer & Educator

Genna is a licensed artist with work on products like baby clothes, puzzles, diapers, and fabric with companies including Target, Hello Bello, Papyrus, and Little Sleepies. She loves sharing what she knows about making the art that only you can make, finding your unique creative voice, and how to put your work into a beautiful portfolio so you can confidently send it to your dream companies.

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