Podcast

January 23rd, 2025

The Apple Cart: S1, E2: The Evolution of Creativity in the Time of AI

In this episode of the Apple Cart, I’m joined by Laura Pearman to talk about the evolution of creativity increativity the time of AI.

Laura is a Personal Branding Consultant for experts, leaders and business owners. She specialises in empowering female leaders to elevate their personal brands and achieve industry impact.

She achieves this with blend of strategic insight and creative vision and has a commitment to authenticity and excellence.

Listen to the Interview

How Political Change Leads to Periods of Intense Creativity

Laura and I both grew up in the north east of England in the late 90s and early 2000s. Although our taste in music isn’t the same, we had similar experiences of gigs, nightclubs and buskers nights in grubby bars.

As Laura says, most of that scene is now gone. “But in times of political change and upheaval, artists of all types are inspired to create. Clubs are closing down, but perhaps something new is coming. Discos died out and were replaced by punk, which was a clear response to what was happening in the world at the time.

“And today, we’ve got artists like Amyl and the Sniffers as part of a burgeoning new punk scene. Political unrest and periods of intense emotion lead to the best art and creativity. So who knows what might come next?”

The Impact of AI on Artistic Endeavours

It’s fair to say that AI is making its presence felt in all industries, and particularly in the creative sector. It’s easy to dismiss it by saying ‘I don’t like it’, but it’s not going anywhere at the moment. And it has its uses, as Laura points out.

“My background is in photography, and AI is making post-production and retouching a lot quicker and easier. And if you’re a real creative, you should be able to take a new idea and use it to stretch your creative muscles. Find ways to work with AI and don’t have a fixed mindset that it’s bad.

“But on the other hand, I’d far rather have Rosey the Robot from The Jetsons to clean my house so I can do the photo retouching. Why have we defaulted to AI creating masterpieces? Instead, we should get it to do the things we don’t want to do.”

creativity

Everybody is Creative

We all have busy lives, whether you’re running a business or going to work, managing households and kids. But we should embrace the magic of what it is to be alive, says Laura. “There are so many opportunities and options that we should all be able to find some small way of indulging our creative side.

“And I do think everybody has one. I think you just need a little bit of encouragement to play. Explore things and choose what you like most.” For those people who say they’re not creative, Laura says that’s just not true.

“If you can pick up a pencil or a brush or something that makes a mark, you are drawing and you are being creative. It’s just that you think that there’s a right way and a wrong way. The people who don’t follow the rules are the ones who are usually the real creative virtuosos.”

Different Ways to Explore Your Creativity

Following on from that, it makes sense that creativity goes beyond traditional art, classical music, ballet and the like. If you enjoy making and experiencing something, that is being creative.

I love to cook and host dinner parties. So when I invite people for a meal, I go all out. For instance, it’s hard to get English-style curries here, so I make them for friends. Then I decorate the dining room, get incense burning, play Indian music and so on.

As Laura says, “What you’ve done there is create an immersive experience that celebrates a whole subsection of culture. You’ve recreated what the British find so special and brought it to rural France. And that is epic creativity.”

Listen to the Interview

Time Stamps

  • 06:43 – 07:38: How political upheaval leads to periods of intense creativity
  • 07:40 – 09:50: The future of the local music scene
  • 14:50 – :16:43: Opportunities for young musicians
  • 17:05 –21:30 The impact of AI on artistic endeavours
  • 23:25 – 21:11: Will AI bring about the end of social media?
  • 35:40 – 40:25: Everybody is creative
  • 41:27 – 44:26: Different ways to explore your creativity
  • 46:00 – 47:33: Humans are inherently creative

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