Hi there, you wonderful gift of a human, Reader!

I hope that this email finds you well, and that you have been having some creative adventures this week.
Mine has been more of a ticking along and pondering kind of week, but there has been some creativity and lots of cuddles and connection with the kids, so that has been lovely.

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AI vs Human Artistry

This last week I had my first explore/play with ChatGPT.

This is something I have so far avoided, for multiple reasons -​
such as valuing human artistry whose development and skill is hard won, honed over many years of experience and growth; the fact that there are very real danger challenges with computers being able to talk to each other and make independent decisions; vague sci-fi concerns; and also the fact that whilst a computer with instant access to, and capacity to process the whole internet in seconds is amazing - it is not an image bearer, a human person who is made in the image and likeness of a loving God, precious, dignified, creative and unique.

I don't want to hand over the gift of creativity and art - which is made to bring life to the world - to a computer, at the expense of living breathing humans.

People are always at the core of God's heart.​
​Therefore it continues to be people, to whom we should be willing to pour into the largest portion of our time and energy.

​

(Will I Am - sharing his biggest concern about AI - I think he makes a valid point.)

There are also many legitimate copyright, legal and identity theft minefields, which could leave people very badly exploited - creativity comes with an enormous personal-development price tag, so making things in seconds with AI, does cheapen the value in people's minds.

If everything is Fun, Fast and Easy - we are less likely to pay for Profound, Slow and Hard-Won.

However there are also amazing and brilliant possibilities.

The access to something which can do a huge amount of legwork for research and dissemination in moments, will save hours of time, removing unnecessary obstacles to creativity and executive functioning.
This I am definitely in favour of.

Every new technology and the progression of society has meant that some jobs are rendered obsolete as new ones fill the gap.

This is not always a problem, but it does mean that where millions were once needed in specific professions, to supply the needs of daily life - suddenly the automation of these, only allows room for those with a passion for the artistry and skill, to continue serving specific commissions, and to stop the knowledge dying out.

For example, the role of a swordsmith in daily (arguably rich) life is obsolete - but there are many film sets, where top-quality, artisan swordsmiths are sought after for their fine work - just look at Lord Of The Rings!

Hopefully - because humans are creative and innovators - this allows those who don't have the passion for the particular busy work, to find what does make their hearts sing, and work on that.

We don't need millions of people doing the same busy work, not when it can be automated, but we do need people who care about the practice and process to continue developing their mastery.

All this to say, that I am cautiously exploring AI and all it offers.
I even set up a whole, separate email address for its use, in order to create a bit of boundary.

So far, I have used it to help expand upon my world-building ideas for my Dungeons and Dragons campaign. I also asked it to help me find first-level-appropriate monsters who might live in a surrounding wood, so that I can narrow down the reading of an ENORMOUS TOME OF MONSTERS, in order to help me choose what I want to put in the way of my shiny new adventures.

It was an enormous shortcut - as in my last email, I mentioned what an epic, learning challenge this whole game has been. The suggestions were pretty great on the whole - those that weren't, I could discard.
But it was fun to play around with.

The second thing I have explored ChatGPT for, was to try and create some meal plans and a VERY gentle, motivatingly(not really a word)-doable exercise routine.

A very complex ask, to fit around fatigue, hormones, age differences/allergies/intolerances, weird sleep patterns, enormously varied eating preferences, time constraints and the desire to not get stuck trying to live up to something which didn't fit my goals or capacity.

It did pretty well.

I had to make a couple of revisions - such as swapping out yoga, for pilates and somatic movement- but it offered up a complete, three-meal-plus-snack plan for seven days, working to make sure that everyone had something they could eat.

And for the gentle exercise - it gave me three mini-routines of 5-10 minutes at a time to use throughout the day.
They were simple and inviting, were broken down into specific instructions, and they were something I could attempt without too much of a run-up.

Two mornings ago, I managed some time to stretch and try them out. ​
Because they were so gentle, I followed the suggestions, and ended up adding a few more. I was in the right frame of mind, so was able to respond to what my body needed.
​I call that a success.

And this is something that I am realising - about both myself and self-care/self-love in general -
​anytime things become too regimented, pushing for repetitive consistency, irrespective of context/energy/capacity/or interest - I will fail to engage, or get much beyond the starting block with them.

Because I am a human not a robot - and every day is different.

For my autistic/adhd brain, I have to find things which feel planned enough, that I am not having to make too many decisions on the day, but also feel like a fresh discovery each time, or I cannot enter in.

Activities have to be meaningful with some sense of (if not urgency, then)pressing need in the here and now, otherwise I am not motivated to do them.

I like rhythms and seasons and even a sense of ritual.
When I am passionate about something, I am highly focused, disciplined and engaged, no matter how hard it is.

But if there is no connection to a deeper why, or my sense of integrity and values, then I find it very hard to care about.

I cannot, and will not, do things repeatedly for the sake of it.
My internal nervous system simply doesn't allow me to.
It hurts and makes me want to scream and cry, possibly rage, and maybe run away.

This may sound dramatic, but after spending some time paying gentle attention to what is (and historically has) going on in my body, I have realised just how much stress this causes me. And that in itself, has been a revelation.

Not everyone is Autistic/Adhd, but we are all human, and some of these responses are common to all humanity.

Therefore loving ourselves well, means loving all the quirks, seemingly random behaviours and reactions too. But rather than resigning ourselves to them, in a 'put upon, long suffering resentment' way (aka JUDGEMENT), it means accepting and choosing to work with them, being ok if they never change, yet also staying open to the miracle of growth.

Because we are NOT artificial intelligence.
We cannot just busy ourselves with mindless, soul-less work.

You are the real deal - the image-bearer of an eternally creative God - and this is a beautiful and precious thing.

Have a wonderful
God bless, Cassie x

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