Announcing a new series

If we're worried about AI, we should celebrate human creativity

Last night was the Spring music program at my kids’ small parish school. As is customary, Father Roga (our Tanzanian priest) gave the brief invocation before the program. He talked about how we create because we are made in the image of a creative God, how we should celebrate the making of beautiful things, how our talents and giftings are treasures to share with the world, not to hide or hoard. He said that the world needs the light of our bright young students, who were standing behind him, scrubbed clean and ready to belt out folk songs in the school gym. You will be unsurpised that I felt quite teary at this. I could not clap hard enough for our students, and yet those same gifts of creativity and beauty, the ones we all cheer so hard for in our kids, often can feel discouraged and mocked these days.

My little Frenchman at last night’s program. Ready to make art!

Without fail, if I chat with an author friend or teach a writing class, someone asserts that AI will soon replace us all, which absolutely makes me crazy, or that everything has already been written, which makes me crazier.

No. Just no. AI might replace some things, like copywriters (RIP to my previous career) but it will never be able to replace the God-given talent of human people. No one can tell the story that you can, because no one else is you. Nothing can ever replace your imagination, your style, the quirky way you see the world, the surprises that our fellow humans are always producing. There is always room for more beauty in the world, more originality.

So, I want to celebrate the good art being made out in the world, the art being sweated over and edited and made from thin air by real people with geuine brains and hearts and souls. There is so much of it, from funny shows to thoughtful books to good wine and food. I am a mother of three, so I am not usually current in the art that I consume (hi ancient truffle oil I recently found in my spice cabinet), and am certainly not equipped to weigh in on fashion or celebrity gossip. But I do love good art. I love storytelling and beauty and good-humor and would love to write about why I love what I love.

So, I’m going to start a new regular series here about good art, or, if there is no good art in my orbit, some bad art I encountered and why I think it’s bad. I hope you will disagree and debate with me about the good and bad categories, and recommend other artful rabbit trails for me to follow. I don’t mind an old classic or retro deep dive! Together we can sift through the noise and maybe find some quality creativity, together, because that is something humans have always done. I don’t think we’re going to quit any time soon.

Look for the first installment next week, and tell me, what art (TV, book, music, performance, winery, cheesy-baked-covered-dish y’know, just an idea off the top of my head) should I review?