Moving beyond the prompt

From prompting to creating with generative AI

When I first started teaching prompting last year, I would share my prompts and tokens as a learning tool for the community. However, as time went on, I stopped sharing them. It wasn't because I wanted to hide my prompts (if I could prompt it, you could too), but rather because my generated content now rarely comes from a single prompt.

I'm not exactly sure when this shift occurred (likely around the time inpainting was introduced in Midjourney), but I discovered a new approach to generating imagery—the transition from prompting to creating. In a recent article, I discussed how my perspective on creativity has evolved through the use of generative AI. I understand that it may be difficult for some to believe or comprehend, but I believe it represents a significant change not only in my creative process but also in my perception of the role of generative AI in the act of creation.

In that article, I mentioned there are two ways to prompt. I think as our tools increase in sophistication (e.g. provide us with more inputs beyond a prompt), this will evolve to something more complex. I now see my use of GenAI as two different processes, or levels:

• Level 1: Prompting with generative AI

• Level 2: Creating with generative AI