Hey, sorry if you're the wrong person to go to about this, but you're always extremely vocal about your distaste for AI and I figured you might have thoughts on the matter. For the past two years I've been a frequent user of chatGPT, but quite recently I've learned about the degree of real harm genAI does, and I've stopped using it. The thing is, I've genuinely lost (or just never developed) a lot of the skills I was outsourcing to AI; and you just... seemed like the kind of person who might have ideas on how to relearn doing things for oneself
First off, good for you for taking this step. I'm sure it isn't easy, but it's so much better to not use genAI.
I'm not sure what skills specifically you're wanting to polish up, so I'll just give some general advice. I'm no expert, and anyone who has more experience in this area is welcome to chime in!
First off: accept that the stuff you start with will most likely not be your best. You're out of practice; it happens. Your creative juices have been stagnant for too long, and getting them flowing again will take some work.
Which brings me to my second point: quantity over quality. Try to make a bunch of pieces, whatever your medium of choice is, be it words or drawings or whatever. If you're a writer, try doing some little flash fiction pieces, or challenge yourself to write a 100 word drabble. If you're a visual artist, go back to your sketchbook! Try filling a page with warm-up exercises, like drawing circles or lines over and over. The point is just to get yourself back into the craft.
There will be a gap between your current skill level and what you want to create. It's a common problem among people who are improving their skills in a craft: you've learned enough to know what a good piece is, but your work just isn't there yet. It's uncomfortable, but it's part of the process.
It probably doesn't mean much from a stranger on the internet, but I'm really proud of you for making this choice. It's awesome that you've recognized that this is a harmful practice and are choosing not to do it any more. That's not easy to do, but it is really amazing.
I hope some of this will help you as you go forth in your chosen craft! Best of luck on your artistic journey!
