Why I Use AI for Posters, Blogs and Posts
AI is one of those subjects that can get people fired up pretty quickly. Some people love it, some people hate it, and some people want absolutely nothing to do with it.
That’s fine. Each to their own.
For me, AI is simply a tool that saves time.
I’m a musician, but playing music is only one part of what I actually do for a living. Behind every gig there’s the business side of things too: booking enquiries, invoices, emails, finances, advertising, social media, website updates, organising dates, learning songs, practising, setting up gear, packing down gear, travelling, and then actually performing.
There are only so many hours in the day.
Posters used to take me hours
One of the biggest time savers for me has been creating gig posters.
Years ago, if I wanted to put together a decent poster for an upcoming weekend, I could easily spend a couple of hours on it. Finding the right image, cutting things out, working out the layout, choosing fonts, moving things around endlessly because something looked slightly off, then resizing it for Facebook or wherever else I wanted to use it.
I can still do all of that myself, and I have done plenty of graphic design over the years.
But now I can use AI to help create the image or layout I have in my head in a fraction of the time.
That means instead of spending half an afternoon designing a poster, I can get it done quickly and move on to something else.
Maybe that’s practising.
Maybe it’s learning a new song.
Maybe it’s answering booking enquiries.
Or maybe it’s just spending more time with my family.
That seems like a pretty good trade to me.
The same goes for blog posts
AI also helps me with blogs like this one.
That doesn’t mean I just type “write me something” and blindly post whatever comes back.
The thoughts, stories, opinions and information are still mine.
Usually I’ll explain exactly what I want to say, give examples, tell it about experiences I’ve had, and explain the point I’m trying to make. AI then helps organise those thoughts into something readable without me sitting there for an hour trying to work out whether paragraph three should come before paragraph four.
Basically, the ideas come out of my head, AI just helps me get them onto the page faster.
And yes, ironically, AI helped me put this blog together too.
Social media is another job in itself
Anyone running their own small business knows how much time social media can chew up.
You need a Facebook post for this weekend’s gigs. Then another one thanking everyone afterwards. A wedding post. A new music announcement. A blog promotion. Maybe something for Instagram as well.
Individually they don’t sound like much, but add them all together and it becomes another part-time job.
If I can give AI the details and have it help turn them into a decent post in a few minutes, I’m going to use it.
I’ll still change things when they don’t sound like me. Sometimes I’ll completely reject something and start again. The final result still has to represent me.
AI doesn’t play the gig for me
This is probably the biggest point.
AI isn’t standing on stage playing guitar.
It isn’t singing.
It isn’t learning the songs.
It isn’t carrying the PA into the venue.
It isn’t driving home after midnight.
It isn’t talking to the couple about their wedding music or working out what songs will keep a dance floor moving.
Those are still my jobs.
AI is just helping with some of the stuff surrounding those jobs.
To me, it’s no different in principle to using accounting software instead of writing invoices by hand, using a calendar app instead of carrying a diary, or using digital recording software instead of cutting tape with a razor blade.
Technology changes, and people find ways to use it.
I understand why some people don’t like it
There are completely legitimate conversations to be had around AI, especially when it comes to creative ownership, jobs, misinformation and how companies train these systems.
I’m not pretending those concerns don’t exist.
But I also don’t think using AI automatically means someone is lazy or has stopped being creative.
It depends entirely on how you use it.
If I’m using it to save an hour creating a Facebook poster or to help organise thoughts I’ve already written into a blog, I don’t see a problem with that.
For me it’s about efficiency, not replacing creativity.
More time for the things that actually matter
At the end of the day, I’m trying to make a living as a musician while also running the business that allows me to keep being a musician.
If AI can take some of the boring, repetitive or time-consuming work off my plate, then I’m going to use it.
Because every hour I don’t spend fighting with a poster layout or staring at a blank blog page is an hour I can spend doing something more important.
Practising.
Writing music.
Preparing for gigs.
Or simply being with my family.
And really, that’s the whole reason I use it.