We’re already two months into 2023, how are you feeling?
In my company newsletter series, I’ve shared some legit masterclasses on storytelling frameworks, best practices, and how they can be used to make waves in the market. At this point, with the ideas and strategic tools that my team and I have equipped you with, I bet you have a dope game plan for your brand story, assets, and overall image. I know I do because I practice what I preach, and so every strategy we’ve shared, I also use myself.
Over the holiday break, I couldn’t sit still (I’m still working on it!). I constantly found myself inspired to set some of the practices we talked about in motion, often staying up until 4am brainstorming and executing new ideas. The truth is, my mind doesn’t stop strategizing. I audited my biography, website, capabilities deck, media kit, and speaking reel by turning myself into a client. Then I asked my new client, “How do you want to show up this year?” From that answer, I put together a strategy that includes an invigorated set of assets that are guaranteed to do most of the heavy lifting for the work I do.
No lie, my media kit ain’t nothin’ to play with. To those who don’t understand, it’s just a deck, but in actuality, it’s your first impression, and the difference between a client choosing to retain your speaking services or not. The biggest challenge I had while attempting to conquer this latest iteration was how to tell my storied career in a way that didn’t overwhelm the person reading it, potentially weighing the possibility of them hiring me.
But that’s my superpower: decoding ideas. Needless to say, I spent many nights over the last few months unraveling mine. I can take the simplest thought and flip it into something so much more. It’s why clients hire our team. We turn their personal stories into brand assets, to create legacy pieces that not only speak to who they are, but can also do the work of concisely speaking on their behalf. In my eyes, this is no different than the many times I experimented on myself. So, what do you think of the new look?
While this space is a great way to bring you along on my journey, I hope you also recognize how much I truly have your best interest at heart. Every lesson I encounter – good or bad – is intended to leave you with something to ponder on. Mentorship and networking aren’t just vertical. They can be horizontal too. Please know that my goal in all of this is to be a resource for you, and all your big ideas. Email or call me directly if you have any questions. Slide in my DM’s every once in a while just to say ‘hey,’ or fill me in on what’s going great in your world. Don’t let our interactions become a one-way street.
As your communications advisor, I’ll always be here to provide you with fresh and insightful information to consider. It’s my job to be on the pulse of industry shifts. And right now, ChatGPT has my attention. The New York Times calls it, “the best artificial intelligence chatbot ever released to the general public.” It’s reported that more than 1 million people initially signed up to test it. Some users even include a few members of our team who’ve utilized the tech to write funny stories with their families, or for help with conducting far more accurate research for client-partners.
As of late, artificial intelligence programs are popping up everywhere. Have you seen any of the AI paintings and photographs that have been floating around? Despite some legal and ethical concerns around the use of these technology types, OpenAI – the company behind ChatGPT – has been rumored to be valued at $29 billion. And for some very good reasons.
ChatGPT can write code, college-level essays, contracts, and even screenplays, as long as it’s given precise instructions by the user. AI art programs like DALL-E 2, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion are highly accessible and remarkably inexpensive, instantly turning every user into a practiced artist. On the flip-side, there’s the problem of plagiarism. The fact that its programming flaws either make the outputs too perfect or way too obscure should be a reminder to us all that it can never replace the authenticity of a human touch, or the creative process that goes into each piece of content we create as storytellers.
There’s a long list of pros and cons that go along with each of these innovations, but what does it mean for the ghostwriting industry, and the future of creativity and design? For one, this is a definite sign that we’re losing our ability to critically think and problem solve in the process of making our lives “easier.” Everybody and their mama is about to be out here calling themselves a copywriter, without actually being a writer. It’s just like when they dropped the iPhone and everyone swore they were the next Annie Leibovitz.
As my clients, please don’t get caught up. This isn’t anything new. Change is constant. While everything serves a purpose, we should approach this like everything else; with curiosity and discernment. This means, as creatives, it’s in our best interest to embrace the changes as they come, even if sometimes that embrace is by force. With that said, as shown through the guidance shared throughout these newsletters, make no mistake, at WritersBlok, we do this. And no form of artificial intelligence on the market can take care of you like we do.