Belonging and Connection in the Age of AI
Photo credit ©SungPhoto, Sung Park
It seems that every time I open an app or my browser, there's a sneaky (or not so sneaky) pop-up that asks "Would you like to use AI?". For many of us, this kind of synthetic persuasion permeates our entire life now. What seems like an innocent ask, to me, feels like a tiny crack that leads to a creeping chasm. One that allows for more and more disconnection from our creativity, our intuition, bodies and minds, other humans, and the wisdom of the earth. Don't get me wrong, I use Chat GPT for plenty of things like planning my classes. But it does seem that the more answers that we seek outside of ourselves, the further isolated we are becoming.
When I work with clients or teach, I help people get to the core essence of what their work is about. The two words that come up over and over, especially recently are belonging and connection. These ideas express themselves uniquely in each person's life and artwork, but there seems to be a desire, even as AI is on the rise, to come back to ourselves, our own inner knowing, other people and nature. There is something in us that recognizes that we are a part of something bigger.
Finding our unique creative expression is one the most powerful forms of connection. A couple weekends ago, I had a booth at the MOD Market in Kirkland. Many people just walked right by my art, like they didn't even notice it was there. But, the ones who did stop...we had a deep connection, intense conversations and so much to talk about - these were my people! When we create work that is from our essence, that art becomes a mirror to those people who resonate with it. Art becomes a portal for belonging.
Artists and sensitive souls, more than ever, we need to do the brave work of following those inner nudges, the breadcrumbs of desire that will lead us to what our soul wants us to create in this lifetime. It is not selfish because becoming more of ourselves is an invitation, a resting place for others to also become comfortable in their own skin. Belonging and connection to ourselves, to others is our birthright.
If you'd like help exploring this path and following those nudges from your intution, sign up for a 20 min connection call with me!