To the AI creatives: I remember when AI became a sensation a few years ago. EveryoneTo the AI creatives: I remember when AI became a sensation a few years ago. Everyone
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Samuel's avatar
Samuel Carvajal
• 10h
To the AI creatives:
I remember when AI became a sensation a few years ago. Everyone was amazed by the realistic quality and the infinite possibilities for creation. It was new, exciting, fun—but also intimidating.
Fast-forward to today. Even though its popularity has grown and the technology has improved significantly, I've realized that many people who are not experienced with these tools have developed certain expectations about them.
AI = Fast = High Quality = Cheap
No.
Yes, tools like Nano Banana, Kling, and Seedance can produce impressive results, but don't forget that behind those results is a person sitting at a computer, iterating over and over and over again until they find that "perfect" final image.
I've had bad experiences with clients who think that just because I'm using AI, I should charge less.
"You use AI. You can do it in 20 minutes. Why are you charging so much?"
Well, what about the credits? What about post-production in Photoshop and Lightroom when needed? What about the constant back-and-forth to match branding guidelines and client feedback?
Those minutes and hours count too—not just the speed of Higgsfield, Kling, or ComfyUI.
And what about our hardware? Our storage drives? Our electricity costs? Our subscriptions?
Know your value.
Just because you're using AI doesn't mean you're an emotionless robot working nonstop, generating endless iterations for cheap dollars.
Take your time. Trust your process. Don't fall for the "it's instant and effortless" narrative that many content creators promote—or that some clients expect.
Plan your work. Define your goals. Sometimes a single image can take hours to get right.
If a client thinks that because something is generated quickly it should automatically be cheap, the answer is still:
No.
Know your value. Have a detailed understanding of how much you spend on credits, software, hardware, post-production, and revisions.
Clients are paying for results, experience, taste, creative direction, problem-solving, and the countless hours you've invested in mastering these tools—not just for the seconds it takes an AI model to render an image. Peace.
AI ArtAI WritingMidjourneyfreelancerlifeClaudeAI Content Creation
Sharon's avatar
Sharon Olusanya
• 2h
Love this!
Boluwatife's avatar
Boluwatife Delight
• 2h
Really solid piece great clarity, nice composition, and everything feels intentional. Keep going, this is strong work.
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