I’m Not a Content Machine

I’m not a content machine - and I’ve been thinking a lot about what that means in a world that seems to expect us to be.

I think of myself as a photographer first and foremost, although I seem to also fall into the category of “content creator” - whatever the heck that means. I suppose it’s somewhat accurate, because I do spend a fair amount of time creating “content.”

In my world, that includes published photographs, YouTube videos, blog posts, newsletters, digital products, courses, and social media posts. That’s what I create. That’s my “content.”

The challenge with being a content creator - at least as I see it - is that it can feel like a treadmill that never stops. If you’ve spent years creating and sharing, there’s an expectation that it will continue indefinitely. You get pulled into the need to keep feeding the machine - algorithms, view counts, subscribers, sales - and somehow the treadmill just keeps speeding up.

It’s a lot to think about.
It’s a lot of work.
And more than anything, it’s a lot of time.

These days, many creators are using generative AI to produce more content, faster - creating things they can quickly share, distribute, and sell. I understand why. It keeps the machine fed and the treadmill moving.

But that’s not me.

I want to craft things myself - not have a machine generate something that I simply approve and publish. I want to write it, build it, shape it. I want to pour myself into the work so that it reflects who I am as an artist at that moment - not something produced in five seconds by some random data center.

I want it to be real.
I want it to be my art.
I want it to be me.

Now to be clear, I do use tools like ChatGPT - but as an assistant, not a replacement. It helps me refine what I’ve already written, simplify ideas, remove redundancies, and sometimes improve a title. It’s incredibly useful in that role. But I don’t - and won’t - use AI to create for me or instead of me.

That doesn’t interest me. It feels hollow.

I have an entire whiteboard in my office filled with ideas - new products, new courses, and other projects I know would be valuable. Could I use AI to crank those out faster? Sure.

But I won’t.

Instead, I chip away at them when I have the time. I edit, refine, rethink, and sometimes start over entirely - until it feels right. Only then do I share it.

In a machine-driven, AI-fueled world, I guess I’m choosing the slower path. And if that means it takes longer to publish something, so be it. At least it’s my work - an honest reflection of who I am.

And maybe that’s the point.

I’m not here to produce as much as possible, as fast as possible. I’m not trying to win a race against an algorithm.

I’m not a content machine.

I’m a person. A photographer. A creator who needs time to think, to rest, to step away - and to come back with something better. Something meaningful.

So yes, you may see fewer YouTube videos from me these days. Fewer blog posts. Few social posts. Fewer “things.”

But what I do share will be more thoughtful. More intentional. More me.

Because I’d rather create something meaningful than just create something.