Howdy Partner,

How’s your summer going?

I got a crazy hair up my arse and decided to go back to school. (Who does that during the summer and why?!)

I have two associates degrees but when my oldest was born I was about half way to another AAS in website design. With all the talk about her college this year I started looking into completing my degree.

So I’m taking two classes—Career Math and a drawing class over the summer.

I’m slowly working out those math problems by hand in a notebook (with help from a calculator) and I’m sketching still lifes in pencil and charcoal.

I’ll be able to test out of a slew of classes or complete a small project in lieu of taking a class. I’m working it all into the nooks and crannies of life.

It’s going to be a slow process. But maybe that’s the point.

Ann Handley, marketing maverick, wrote in her newsletter about AI and how she’s “high-key worried about future generations… and their ability to think.Thinking is boring and slow. And no one likes blood-and-sweaty work.” (According to a recent MIT study her gut feel isn’t far off.)

She goes on to talk about a different kind of AI—analog intelligence.

We think of analog as being old and outdated. But at the same time we feel nostalgic for the days gone by when we made a mix tape, rented movies at Blockbuster, or talked on a corded phone.

Handley points out the nostalgia we feel is really us missing our connection to the world.

Art (and dare I say life) isn’t just about the end result. It’s about the process.

The in between.

“A machine can copy the world but only a human can experience it, interpret it, and translate it into something with emotional weight.” says Disney artist Aaron Blaise.

AI can give you an image in seconds explains Aaron. The act of creation and connecting the dots and sharing that with the world “you’re giving the world a glimpse into your humanity.” You’re making a connection.

Does that mean I’m not using AI or that I’m anti-AI? No.

I’m using both—analog and artificial intelligence. But the power comes with knowing when to use it and when to shelve it. 

In this newsletter we’re exploring how to blend Artificial and Analog Intelligence. Read on if you’d like a glimpse into how AI works into my creative process and how you can put it to work for you too.

#1 Shortcut Email Subject Lines

Depending on your email marketing platform you probably have a subject line generator tool like HubSpot’s in the video above. Test it out and see what pops up and what you can use while following best practices.

📝 Analog Tip:

Run a quick A/B test between the AI-generated subject and one you crafted. Let data show which performs better with your audience.

#2 Brainstorming Social Media Posts with AI

Use your AI platform of choice to brainstorm ideas for social media posts. Or feed it your newsletter or blog content then edit and refine the posts like I did here. (Don’t forget to follow me on the socials to see the final product.)

📝  Analog Tip:

Take photos and videos on your phone. The polished look of AI is pretty on the surface but real and authentic content cuts through the clutter. And bonus it doesn’t infringe on copyrights (see the Disney lawsuit below.)

#3 Generative AI with Photoshop

If you’re a designer you’ve probably been experimenting with this feature in Photoshop for awhile now. But touching up photos, taking out distracting objects, and expanding the background of your art like I did for the Industrial’s Pitch Deck is a great way to use AI when it comes to graphics and print work.

📝  Analog Tip:

Sketch out your compositions and layouts for your print pieces first. I find this helps me organize my thoughts,  prioritize content, and leave the crummy ideas behind.

#4  Storybrand Your Website

Last month, I developed a brand strategy and plan for my friends at Summit Paint and Stain and used a few nuggets generated by StoryBrand.ai.

This stand alone AI was developed by author Donald Miller of Building a Storybrand, Business Made Simple, and Marketing Made Simple. He basically uploaded his books and framework into the AI, and now it spits out everything from lead generation to blog posts and even website wireframes. 

Curious, I tinkered with it.

I started by summarizing the research and brand personas from Summit’s plan and fed it to the AI.

It generated a good starting point for a website wireframe. I took the wireframe and combined both their audiences, homeowners and contractors, to come up with content that spoke to both. Now, we’re working behind the scenes to make improvements so their website is more customer-centric. 

📝  Analog Tip:

Don’t cut and paste the copy you get from AI. The above was a great starting point for their website. But it needed deeper thought, the copy edited and refined to speak directly to Summit’s audience of log homeowners and contractors.

#5 Disney & Universal Team Up to Sue Midjourney

Disney and Universal are suing AI photo generation company Midjourney, marking the first major legal showdown between Hollywood studios and an artificial intelligence company.

(Please note: I did the above as experiment. No copyrights were infringed upon, and these images were not used for commercial purposes.)

📝  Analog Tip:

Don’t ignore the fine print. I’m guilty this too, but it’s important to know as a brand manager, intellectual property owner, artist, and writer to know what you’re agreeing to when you upload your images, words, or intellectual property into an AI model.

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