Welcome — However You Found Your Way Here
Experience Comes From Trying and Learning
There’s something I’ve come to realize lately — not from books or courses or advice I didn’t ask for — but from surviving, from showing up, from trying to keep a piece of myself alive while everything else demands more than I have to give:
It’s all perspective.
That phrase has sat with me for a while now, especially as I try to write every day — even while juggling two jobs, physical pain, emotional exhaustion, and a gnawing voice in the back of my mind asking, “Does any of this even matter?”
Some days I barely have the mental bandwidth to string thoughts together, but I still want to write.
To say something real. To feel like I still exist.
So yes — I’ve turned to AI for support.
Not for shortcuts.
Not for followers.
But for structure — for help when my brain feels like scrambled code and my mind is too full of fog to hold up the weight of full paragraphs. Even a sentence is difficult a lot of the time for me to come up with on my own.
What People Know VS What I Think
There’s a lot of noise out there.
People talk about AI like it’s the death of creativity.
Like using any tool that doesn’t come “purely” from your own brain is some kind of cheat code.
But I don’t see it that way.
I’m not giving up my voice.
I’m not handing over the wheel.
I’m collaborating with something that helps me keep the engine running on days I can barely keep my eyes open, let alone write a post that feels clear, coherent, and worth sharing.
It’s not perfect.
But it’s honest and it has helped me share the ideas swirling around in my head, even after working literally all day and commuting between jobs.
And if someone wants to judge that from their high horse of energy, time, and privilege?
Let them.
They don’t know my hours.
They don’t live my life.
Perspective Is a Lens, Not a Law
It’s wild how much meaning shifts depending on how you look at something.
A break can be seen as quitting — or as healing. A tool can be seen as cheating — or adapting. A slow pace can be seen as lazy — or as deliberate. Asking for help can be seen as weakness — or as strength that refuses to drown silently.
Perspective isn’t fact — it’s just the angle you’ve been taught to look from. And if that angle doesn’t serve me anymore, I have every right to shift it.
I’m Still the One Holding the Pen
Here’s the truth:
When I use AI to help build a draft, I still have to read it, cut it, reshape it, rewrite it to match the truth in my chest.
I delete what doesn’t feel right and what isn’t true for me. Then, I add what only I can say.
And sometimes I just stare at the screen for a while, exhausted, and let the structure be enough until I can fill it with more.
That’s not giving up.
That’s surviving the storm while still finding time to
write a sentence, or ten, or none at all.
Keep Showing Up, However You Can
If you’ve ever felt like your creative spark flickers under the weight of your job, your body, your past, or the expectations placed on you — I get it.
I’m in it too.
But don’t let anyone shame you for using whatever tools, habits, rituals, or support systems you need to stay in the fight.
I’ve seen enough of it through PVP — Player versus Player games like, “Elden Ring”, where certain players think using the tools IMPLEMENTED IN THE GAME is considered “cheating” or “ruining the game.” (If you know, you know).
Whether that’s AI, notebooks full of scribbles, or writing at 2AM when the world is quiet enough to think — it’s yours.
Your voice doesn’t become less yours because you get help shaping it.
This isn’t about perfection. This is about persistence.
And if perspective changes everything, then maybe it’s time to stop looking at yourself through the lens of people who never tried to understand you in the first place.
Did any part of this sit with you?
If you’ve ever felt the same — or even something close — you’re not alone.
I’d love to hear what came up for you, if you feel like sharing. Whether it’s a quiet “me too,” a story of your own, or just a thought you’ve been holding, the comments are open — and so am I.
No pressure, no performance. Just space
Whether you write by hand, by heart, or with a little help — I see you.
If you’re using tools to stay afloat, what helps you show up in your work or creativity?
Share your thoughts in the comments, or keep them to yourself — either way, I hope you keep going.
Fellow Archivists, welcome, as always.
If you’d like to see the inspirations of this post, check out my other articles on what I think about AI below.
Learning to Work With A.I. — Not Let It Think For Me
A.I. Was Taking Over My Writing Life — I Had to Pull Myself Back
Quarantine Life: In The Confines of Comfort: Idea #1:
Otherwise, if this spoke to you, leave a comment — I actually read them. They remind me I’m not alone in this either. Sharing helps others find this space too. That matters more than you know.
