Where did all my words go?

This time last year, giddy with the excitement of a fresh start, I decided to build this website and add a blog page to it.

Art was going to be my new beginning. It was all about the pictures, but I knew I didn’t want to completely let go of the words.

Because words have always played such a big part in my life, from the stories I wrote as a young child to my later career in advertising. Finding the right language to convey whatever I wanted to say was always an enjoyable challenge. The beauty of how some words just sat so elegantly together, the magic of swapping them around, editing them down and changing the tone with something as simple as a full stop.

So, what happened? I wish I had an answer. I’d like to say that it was a conscious break, a step away from the familiar to explore something new. But I don’t think that’s the case. Sadly, I just didn’t feel like I had anything of interest to say any more.

Then this weekend I was chatting with some friends about AI. They felt strongly that we need to embrace it to avoid being left behind. And I was agreeing, up to a point, but could not let go of this question: If we use AI to do everything for us, then what are our brains doing instead?

And if I am not writing, as a human, even with nothing much to say, am I prematurely shutting down parts of my brain that have served me so well over the years?

So I’m trying to bring my words back. Like old friends, they’re still there somewhere, waiting to be called upon. I just hope I haven’t left it too late. Because I believe the world will always need real human words. Especially those that are tinged with a little self-doubt.