Developing creative intuition, leaning into courage, and resisting editing away our unique voice.I pasted an Oscar Wilde quote into Notion the other day. As soon as I did, the AI symbol popped up with the “improve writing” suggestion.A quote by Oscar WildeI didn’t click it, but it made me think…If Oscar Wilde was alive today, would he too have been lured to change his words with AI? Would he have trusted AI more than his creative intuition?AI would most likely have edited Wilde’s voice by removing “unnecessary” words and simplifying sentences. But would it have been an improvement? If his work is no longer in his voice, how can we say it’s better?Our authentic voice is our workAs creatives, our authentic voice is our work. Whether we’re writers, singers, designers, painters, or sculptors.I’ve realized lately that I wish for us all to become less concerned with being perfect and more concerned with developing our unique voice and following our own intuition. When we read poetry, we learn that a sentence might not be perfectly correct but it speaks directly to our hearts. It breaks grammatical rules but it’s also able to break us open in ways we could only imagine.With our computers constantly prompting us to change and “improve” our writing, thinking, and making, we have to ensure we don’t lose our unique expression. We must make sure that we don’t lose touch with our creative intuition, that we continue to lean into courage, and that we don’t edit away what makes our work distinctly ours.DesignShift: From artificial to authentic1. Keep developing your own voiceWhen I use AI for my writing, I often find myself questioning if the AI’s version is really better than my own. I’m frequently confused about “why” it changed something, and even when I ask about the rationale, I find the explanation isn’t that convincing.Some would tell me that I’m just not prompting AI well enough to get the best result, but I keep asking myself what this tool is in service of.However, I’ve noticed how our tools encourage perfection, and doubt can start to creep in when AI suggests one thing and our intuition tells us something different. This happens to me on days when I show up to work with self-doubt — days when I’m deep in uncertainty about my own abilities. On those days, I trust AI more, and the prompt to change my words makes my swaying confidence even more rocky.On days like these, I remind myself of poetry. Through poetry, we learn that a sentence might not be perfectly correct but it speaks directly to our hearts. It breaks grammatical rules but it’s also able to break us open in ways we could only imagine. One such powerful voice is Maya Angelou, whose words “just do right” have stayed with me.In her wisdom, she says:“You know what’s right. Just do right. You don’t really have to ask anybody. The truth is, right may not be expedient, it may not be profitable, but it will satisfy… your soul.”Image from https://bookstr.com/article/10-writing-quotes-from-maya-angelou-to-inspire-you/These words move with rhythm, but they also remind us that we DO know what’s right. No one knows our voice better than us. And that is what people want to hear. We don’t always have to ask someone else or ChatGPT for a better way to say something. Trusting our own voice makes all the difference.The same way that a design that breaks the rules sometimes becomes more impactful, I remind myself that embracing my unique voice will take me further than a perfectly crafted bullet-style post powered by a robot.2. The courage to be seenThe other day, I read a quote that said “creativity is the courage to be seen.” While writing this post, this quote kept surfacing in my mind. As creatives, it takes courage to show up as our unique selves. It takes courage to show both the good and the bad. It takes courage to be all that we are. The reward for showing up vulnerably and authentically is connection.How we connect to topics. To someone’s story. To each other. When someone speaks from their heart, unedited and unfiltered, it helps us feel something.Connection happens when someone truly sees us for who we are and embraces all of it. That is true connection.There’s a difference between the desire to be seen and the courage to be seen. The desire is often rooted in external validation — wanting to be liked and wanted. Much of our online world is crafted this way. We edit (with or without AI) in order to be liked and followed. We make sure that our voice matches our brand and we craft one-minute elevator pitches to ensure people understand exactly who we are and what we have to offer.However, the courage that helps us connect to others lies beyond the poses and the polish. The courage to be seen is about showing up as our full selves.3. Connection happens in the cracksConnections and feelings are found in the cracks. They are discovered between the lines. In the awkward pauses and the unpolished thoughts. They exist in unedited, real expressions rather than perfectly written, bullet-pointed lists generated by a robot.As Joshua Schrei said on the Emerald podcast:“Art dies when culture decides that there is a certain way you have to say certain things. Then you don’t have art. You have a press release.”Poetry, art, and also the human experience thrive in its willingness to not make complete sense. For example, the raw, uninhibited expressions of artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat show us that perfection isn’t necessary for profound impact. When we share our authentic selves, we invite others to do the same. We often think that the world expects and craves perfection. We’re taught rules… but the human experience is flawed. The cracks make us able to connect with others.Creativity is about connection, and connections are formed in the cracks. When someone shows their weakness or vulnerability, we get permission to show ours.At the heart of it all are feelings. Creative work is about feelings, and even though ChatGPT can act empathetic, it’s not the same as real feelings. Because real connection is built through brokenness. It’s in the cracks that connections are formed.In times of robotsIf Oscar Wilde lived today, would AI have given him prompts? Would AI suggest “improvements” to the works of literary and artistic icons? Would Midjourney have offered to enhance Jean-Michel Basquiat’s expressive style?Would these creative icons have been lured to edit their unique expression to appeal to the masses at the creative direction of a robot? My intuition tells me that they would have resisted the prompts and leaned into their uniqueness even more — and that is what I hope for all creatives today. With our computers constantly prompting us to change and “improve” our own writing, thinking, and making, we have to ensure we don’t lose our unique expression. We must make sure that we don’t lose touch with our creative intuition and that we don’t edit away the uniqueness and the cracks that breed connections.In times of robots, I hope we can lean into our humanness even more. In times of robots, I hope we will remind ourselves and each other that our unique voices matter. In times of robots, I hope you will connect through your cracks without editing your uniqueness.Links and resources:Maya Angelou: Just do right (video)Trickster Jumps Sides: Disruption and the Anatomy of Culture (Podcast)DesignShifts: a better future for and through design (website)The Power of Poetry | Shayna Castano | TEDxLSSC (TED Talk)Burning Questions — James Victore is an irreverent prophet for the creative industries (article)From artificial to authentic was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.