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| Juicy Burger - Shannon Hilson via Midjourney |
So, as anyone who follows me elsewhere online probably knows by now, I've really been going down the rabbit hole with Midjourney and the wonders of AI-generated art lately. At first, it was really just this fun curiosity to dink around with in my spare time. However, it's since evolved into a real asset to the way I create things and explore all my different ideas.
It's also become an indispensable part of how I write and manage my online presence. Really, at one point, I really thought I'd cared about creating any kind of visual art for the last time in my life. But Midjourney has truly proven to me that I should probably never say never. Apparently, I still very much love expressing myself this way, and giving AI a try has turned out to be a very positive decision for me.
Getting into Midjourney has also made me a better writer in some interesting ways, as well, and I can totally see where it could easily do the same for others in the larger online writing community. Here are some examples of what I'm talking about.
1. I don't have to scrounge for stock photos anymore
Not if I don't want to, anyway. I don't have to settle for choosing between good images that are seriously overused and lesser-known options that really don't fit what I'm posting very well, either. If there's a stock photo or a public domain graphic that suits my purposes for a particular post, then great. But I love that I'm no longer limited to those.
This is especially the case when it comes to content that's tough to match with existing imagery anyway -- like creative non-fiction, personal essays, or short stories. Now I can just use AI images I may already have made. Or I can whip something up that fits in minutes. I've made custom illustrations for some of my creative writing, artwork for book covers, and more as well. It's been fantastic.
2. I have a great go-to tool for developing ideas
One thing I've noticed since getting into Midjourney in conjunction with my writing is that creativity and inspiration seem to flow both ways when I use the two together. Yes, AI art has been great for illustrating things I've already written. But using it on its own has given me some truly incredible flashes of inspiration I wouldn't have had otherwise.
Midjourney is so much fun and so relaxing, I actually spend a fair amount of my leisure time playing with it and exploring different imagery just for fun. And more than once, I've come up with places, characters, or ideas that are just asking to have stories and other content written about them.
