To paraphrase a line: art doesn’t come from you, it comes through you. AI brainrot comes from isolation and regurgitation of tired tropes. Exist in society. Be among others, let their art wash through you and your experiences, and your inspiration will take shape.
Take the hard path on purpose. It’s about the journey.
My friends and I did a silly PowerPoint night where everyone made a presentation on a topic they found interesting. I think I did dystopia in video games, a friend did the great Australian Emu war, and we had a half dozen others. It was surprisingly fun. Without the pressure of having to make it flawless I got to be more creative and silly.
Sure. Make doing creative stuff more accessible for yourself. If you’ve got spare time, try making a habit of pulling out a small notebook to doodle in instead of your phone. Just practice different habits.
Change happens gradually. The first steps need to be easy, maybe even fun. Once you get past those, you’re ready for bigger challenges, harder tasks. Maybe even something a bit boring.
You just do it. It’s that simple. It doesn’t need to be good. Joy doesn’t require skill, and you will undoubtedly find joy in creating.
Could always consume it instead. Go to libraries and museums.
Start by reading a book and get some of those juices flowing back.
Yes. Start and Try
You could try looking into solo rpgs.
Find writing prompts and make it a habit to do one per day or 4 per week. Something small to start. Even if you just respond with a paragraph or two to the prompt, it will exercise your creativity.
I also like the suggestion of reading a book. It forces you to focus on a single task for a period of time and can inspire you.
Best way to force something is with a partner in crime. Find someone else interested in doing something creative and work a plan. That teamwork can become motivation. This can be very hard though, I’m going through somewhat of a similar situation. What creative field would you be looking into? Ttrpg is a good start, speaking from experience.
That’s why I installed Omarchy instead of Windows. Not because I’m an Arch-kind of nerd, but because my friend is and now he can help me and we can share this thing together. Fun times!
Ad block. Block the AI stuff so you are forcing yourself to do things. If something “easy” is available, most will take they easy route. I is like cars that “drive”, but you have to pay attention and keep your hands on the wheel. Many aren’t going to do those 2 things reliably if you are given a reason not to.
choose a hobby. Apply some of the lessons from this video :
It’s a bit long, but one of my favorite authors recently gave a keynote speech that focuses on art and AI, and I think it actually holds the answers to your question.
Basically, you have to learn to find satisfaction and fulfillment in the process of creating the art. Realize that, by creating the art yourself, the art holds a part of you. Your experiences, your perspectives, your soul. No matter how technically perfect AI art becomes, only art that you create yourself will truly be a reflection of you.
That, and just enjoy the experiential elements of making the art. Whether it’s having fun tinkering with different sounds as you try to write a song, exploring different colors and brushstrokes as you paint, or simply giving yourself time to imagine something truly exciting or meaningful to you as you prepare to write a chapter. The process of creating art has to be fun or you’ll never stick with it.
You should do like the famous artists of times before - people like Vincent Van Gogh, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, and even, Thomas Kinkade.
All you need is to get some physical paint, a canvas, and some good old fashioned drugs.
