A crisp winter day descends upon my studio, a welcome lull in the frenetic pace of my “day job” as a multimedia journalist. Seeking a spark of inspiration, I turn to social media.
No pot of gold on Facebook, only silly dances on Instagram. Flickr, thankfully, still exists. But YouTube, oh YouTube – a relentless torrent of videos promising the secrets to success, each urging me to acquire more, more, more.

My studio is a testament to my own journey. It’s a comfortable space brimming with tools, both digital and analog, accumulated over decades of experimentation. Shelves groan under the weight of gear – some new, some with stories to tell, none obsolete. My hard drives hold terabytes of data, a record of countless hours spent exploring, learning, and, yes, occasionally stumbling. And believe me, true mastery takes far more than the proverbial 10,000 hours. Perhaps I should document this journey in a video?

The irony is not lost on me: amidst this ocean of information, true creativity seems to be drowning. All jokes aside, it’s astonishing how much “know-how” is readily available, meticulously crafted by countless individuals [insert sarcasm]. Yet, I wonder if true mastery can be achieved by simply copying and pasting, by blindly following every fleeting trend.

The rise of AI exacerbates this trend. Content has become homogenized, a sea of rehashed ideas and recycled information. It’s a system designed to capture attention, to harvest our souls for clicks, rather than to foster genuine creativity.

Right on the shelf next to my desk sits a clunky 1970s SLR, a gift from my father. This camera opened my eyes to the magic of photography, and it’s intersection of art and technology. Looking back on my four-decade journey, I realize that the true essence of creativity lies not in flawless execution, but in the embrace of imperfection. In the failures, the missed opportunities, the in-between moments where genuine inspiration strikes.

Do skills matter? Of course! But AI can mimic them with chilling accuracy, shamelessly replicating the blood, sweat, and tears of those who came before.

True progress, in my view, lies not in chasing the latest gadgets or the most sophisticated AI, but in nurturing the human spirit. In embracing the limitations that challenge us, in finding beauty in the struggle, and in celebrating the unique expression that emerges from our individual journeys.

I invite you to join me on this journey. If you have a creative project – a film idea, a podcast, a unique artistic vision – I’m eager to collaborate. Let’s experiment, learn, and create something truly meaningful together.

Contact me today to discuss your project.