What Else Can I Become?
AI, Identity, and the Evolving Creative Process
Recently, I enjoyed listening to an episode of I’ve Got Questions hosted by Sinead Bovell, where they had a fascinating chat with innovation strategist Alexander Manu. Their conversation revolved around a thought-provoking yet surprisingly simple question that sparks a lot of cultural conversations.
“What else can I become?”
That question completely changes how we see the AI discussion. Instead of just asking ‘What jobs will disappear?’, it encourages us to think about something even more meaningful: ‘How will our ability to grow and adapt expand?’ For artists and writers, this isn’t just a future possibility—it’s happening right now.
The Shift: From Fixed Identity to Kinetic Identity
For generations, people have often associated creative identity with mastering their chosen medium: a painter paints, a sculptor sculpts, and a writer writes. These skills were built through repetition, refinement, and control—values that still hold true today. Craft remains just as important as ever.But AI introduces a new dimension. It expands the field of possibility. It asks creators not simply to perfect their existing craft, but to reconsider their creative posture.
The question becomes:
What else can I become within my own practice?
This is the heart of what makes both Kinetic Becoming and The Forever Student so meaningful.
AI as Tool — Not Replacement
Manu explains that AI is more than just automation—it’s about enhancing what we do. It helps artists create unique variations and explore new ideas faster, allowing them to experiment with concepts before committing to physical work. For writers, AI offers a way to test different structures, refine their tone and arguments, and have insightful conversations that sharpen their thoughts. This approach makes the creative process more dynamic and exciting, opening up new possibilities for everyone involved.The creative process becomes less linear and more conversational.
AI doesn’t take away the role of the author; instead, it encourages creators to embrace a new set of roles, such as being a curator, editor, orchestrator, or question-asker. The true skill now lies in the art of discernment, guiding how we shape and interpret content. And discernment is timeless.
Kinetic Becoming in Practice
Kinetic Becoming suggests that our sense of identity is always changing. It’s a dynamic process, influenced by our experiences, experiments, and reflections. AI helps move this process forward even faster. It acts like a gentle force that encourages us to see things differently: highlighting areas we might overlook, opening up new possibilities, questioning our assumptions, and uncovering exciting new aesthetic horizons. When an artist engages AI intentionally, the work becomes layered:
Human intuition, machine permutation, and human judgment come together in an exciting dance. This dynamic synergy is truly lively and full of energy. The creator isn’t just making objects anymore; they are exploring and navigating new creative frontiers, engaging in a fascinating journey of innovation complexity.
The Forever Student in an AI World
The idea behind The Forever Student is that growth doesn’t stop with formal education. It’s about maintaining a lifelong curiosity and passion for learning.
Bovell’s perspective on AI highlights that adopting a similar open-minded and adaptable attitude can be really beneficial in our professional lives.
Rigid expertise can be quite fragile, but adaptive expertise shows its true resilience. Embracing adaptability helps us grow stronger and more flexible in the face of challenges.
Artists and authors who truly flourish in this environment are those who embrace change and growth. Rather than sticking to old boundaries, they are the ones who keep learning, experiment bravely, and always strive to improve.
The lifelong learner wonders:
What new skills can this tool help me discover?
How can I incorporate it into my work while staying true to my unique voice?
In which areas should I trust my judgment the most?
Remember, AI isn’t here to replace creativity—it’s here to elevate it to new heights.
Redefining the Creative Process
Traditionally, creative work moved from idea to execution. Nowadays, it often flows in a more dynamic way: from an initial idea, then a prompt, followed by iterations, selections, refinements, and finally material realization. This process becomes more iterative, layered, and exploratory, allowing for greater flexibility and creativity at every step.In my own mixed-media work — integrating clay, projection, photography, and digital layering — the creative act is already about movement between mediums.
AI blends seamlessly into that environment, serving as another tool in the studio—not the master or the author, but just an instrument. And just like any instrument, it needs skilled hands to bring out its best.
A Cultural Inflection Point
“What else can I become?” isn’t just about choosing a career; it’s a deeply personal question that touches on our very existence. Artists have traditionally been the first to embrace new forms of expression—whether it’s oil painting, photography, film, digital design, or now, AI. Rather than fearing that artists might become less relevant, we should see this as an exciting opportunity to grow—by sharpening our skills, broadening our horizons, challenging ourselves conceptually, and staying forever curious. In essence, it’s about staying true to our creative spirit motion.
AI does not end the creative journey.
It accelerates it.
And for those committed to kinetic becoming and the discipline of lifelong learning, that acceleration is not something to fear.
It is something to shape.
Hands to clay, eyes to the future.
