I hate trying new things. But ChatGPT is pretty splendid, actually
Plate painting by Stephanie Stella
“Cmon Gab. You’re always like this. So stubborn to try new things.”
My best friend Jacky and I were walking down the street, on the hunt for noodles. As we stepped over dimly lit cracks, I threw up my arms.
“Fuck you, I don’t give a fuck.” I groaned. Half-joking, half-serious. I glanced back at the lady who had just passed us, woops.
For a few months now, Jacky had been singing praises for ChatGPT. As a soon-to-be double degree holder (with work experience), he often found it difficult to work with peers. Communication issues, different experience levels, and shaky group dynamics are common topics in our chats.
But with ChatGPT, you’re allowed to refine your requests. For example, say you ask it to write an apology message. You can ask it to adjust nuances like tone, length, formality, or whatever else. The AI chatbot quickly became a staple tool for Jacky. As he was quick to let others know.
Me especially. Constantly. So, fucking, constantly.
Oop, forgive me the crass language. Perhaps there’s a nicer way to communicate my frustration.
“I think we need to take a break from this conversation” is a start.
A bowl of steaming pho later, I was feeling open to using ChatGPT (definitely not because Jacky was thrusting his phone at me).
As a creative who writes, and illustrates abstract concepts, I’ve always been skeptical about the AI chatbot. It felt lacking in humanity. You could throw any technical question at it, but what was it’s perspective? Did it have a point of view that would poke holes in my thoughts and explore weak links? Why should I go to ChatGPT instead of asking someone else in my field for their thoughts on career problems?
Of course, that was all speculation. I had never used ChatGPT. So as an artist and creative, I decided to use the chatbot for a week. If nothing comes of it, at least I’ll be able to tell Jacky to shut up without feeling guilty.
Getting Into It
Since I’m an editorial illustrator, I’ll be using ChatGPT to find freelance work. You’ll see how our conversations expand my career awareness beyond common work sources like magazines and newspapers. I also research a field I’m unfamiliar with: lingerie advertisement illustrations.
In a nutshell, ChatGPT is great for expanding your knowledge. Detailed questions lead to great answers. You can quickly go into rabbit holes, learning faster compared to Google searches.
What ChatGPT didn’t do great (for me, at least) was finding perspective. While it can list art techniques and conceptual ideas, they lack personal view, style, and artistic voice . That’s where you come in. Don’t be a robot, hold out your creative perspective and choices proudly!
First Conversation: Artists in Editorial Illustration
I started with questions about artists within the field. ChatGPT does well with contextual questions, so think of it as a conversational Google search, where the more details you provide the better.
One of my frustrations was not knowing how to take my illustrations to the ‘next level’. So when it suggested mural illustrator Jing Wei along with an explanation of mural illustration, it gave me a new perspective.
Second Conversation: Finding Work Sources
In editorial, magazines like NYT and Wired are common sources of work. I had recently learned about university magazines, but since I wasn’t familiar with many universities, it was hard finding them through Google. So I put ChatGPT to work:
This was big. While you can’t ask ChatGPT for contact info, it’s pretty easy finding it with “university magazine art director” or through databases like RocketReach. In as little as a few hours, I had added 25 new clients to my list (one of who got back to me with the promise of future work!)
From there, I started exploring different fields, inspired by my own interests:
Third Conversation: Researching a New Field
For advertising illustration, we had to find 5 artists who had illustrated our chosen product. A quick google search showed that there were barely any illustration ads for the lingerie field, which was astronomically outside of my awareness to begin with. No problemo, ChatGPT gave me a good start.
This was one scenario where ChatGPT wasn’t as handy. The info it was giving me was out of date, and several of the listed illustrators had hidden their lingerie works. It’s a good example of how AI should just be one of many tools in your toolbox.
In the end, most of my useful information came from asking people about their lingerie ad experience. Made for some fun conversations 🙂
In Closing
I haven’t yet told Jacky that I’ve been using ChatGPT. While I probably won’t be using it for idea generation (I like thinking over a topic to make sure my brand of weirdness gets in there before any cliches), it could be a nice starting point like in the conversation below:
For me, ChatGPT’s value comes from answer questions with context. How will you be saving your time with the AI chatbot? Feel free to share your experience in the comments!
