A Creative Mind and a Little Technology

Fair warning, this might be a longer post than usual. I have quite a few thoughts I'd like to share, and as you'll soon discover, one thought tends to lead to another!

I've been thinking about writing this post for a little while now. Not because anyone has questioned the content of this website, but because I think it's worth sharing a little more about how this space comes together. With artificial intelligence becoming increasingly common, it's sometimes difficult to know what's real, what's generated, and how much of what we see online actually comes from the person sharing it. So I thought I'd take a moment to talk about the person behind Light in the Nest, the illustrations you see throughout this website, and how I use AI as part of my creative process.

There IS a real person here. The stories I share on this website come from my own life. Our homeschooling experiences, our family's exploration of Orthodoxy, the things I'm learning, the projects I'm working on, and those little everyday moments that inspire me to write are all genuine. That doesn't mean everything I write is necessarily correct. I'm still learning, and my understanding of certain things may change over time. What I share reflects my experiences, observations, and thoughts at the time I'm writing. When it comes to writing, I generally know what I want to say. I have the thoughts, experiences, and ideas in my head, and I usually have a general sense of how I want to express them. What I sometimes struggle with is finding the right words to articulate those thoughts and arranging them so everything flows naturally.

Being bilingual adds another layer to that process. My thoughts don't always arrive neatly in one language. Sometimes I'm thinking in one language while trying to express something in another, and before I know it, everything feels a little scattered. That's where AI has become particularly helpful. I can write out what I'm thinking, even if it's a little messy or not quite worded the way I intended, and use AI to help me articulate those thoughts more clearly. It helps me organize what I already want to say, find better ways to express myself, and create a more natural flow.

Sometimes I'll begin with one idea, and while writing it out, another thought comes to mind. That leads to something else, which sparks yet another idea. Before I know it, I've gone in a completely different direction! I actually enjoy that process. AI gives me a place to brainstorm, record ideas I don't want to forget, and work through thoughts that might otherwise remain scattered in my head. The experiences, opinions, and ideas are still mine. AI simply helps me put them into words in a way that better reflects what I'm trying to communicate. (At least I hope.)

If you've spent any time browsing this website, you've probably noticed that many of the images are illustrations rather than photographs. There are two main reasons for that: privacy and creativity. I enjoy sharing glimpses of our family life, but that doesn't mean I want to share everything about ourselves publicly. Especially when it comes to our children, I prefer to maintain certain boundaries. Using illustrated representations of our family allows me to share our experiences without putting our actual faces everywhere. But there's also another reason.

I love art.

I've always enjoyed drawing, along with other creative activities. However, the particular illustration style I've chosen for this website is something I haven't learned to create myself.

I can draw to an extent, but what I envision for Light in the Nest is beyond my current abilities.

Could I learn? Of course! And I'd love to continue improving my drawing skills. The problem is finding the time. Between family responsibilities, homeschooling, and everything else that needs attention, there isn't always much time left for personal creative pursuits. In fact, I haven't had much opportunity to sit down and crochet over the past three years, and that's something I already know how to do and genuinely enjoy!

Finding the time to learn an entirely different illustration style is another matter altogether.

Perhaps one day I'll be able to dedicate more time to developing those skills. (And I'd love to share that journey when I begin it) But in the meantime, I don't want to put my ideas or this website on hold. I still want to create beautiful content that reflects what I envision. That's where AI has become helpful. It allows me to bring those ideas to life now, while leaving room for me to continue learning and creating things by hand whenever I have the opportunity.

One thing I've noticed is that people sometimes assume creating an AI image is as simple as typing a few words and accepting whatever appears. And sometimes it really can be that easy.

But that hasn't always been my experience. When I create an illustration, I usually have a particular scene in mind. I think about the setting, the colors, the lighting, the atmosphere, and the little details that make the image feel connected to the story I'm telling. Then I have to figure out how to communicate that vision. And believe me, that's not always easy! Sometimes an image comes together quickly. Other times, I spend quite a while correcting details, changing the composition, adjusting the lighting, or trying to explain something that seems perfectly clear in my head but isn't appearing quite right on the screen. There have even been times when I've had to start over. I don't claim to have drawn these illustrations myself. The technology does the actual image generation. But I do put thought, time, and effort into developing them. They're not simply random pictures I've collected to decorate my website. They're created specifically to accompany the stories I want to share.

I also use my own photographs throughout the site. Some receive adjustments to their lighting or overall appearance to complement the website's atmosphere, but they're still photographs of things I've actually experienced, made, or encountered. I enjoy having both.

Another area where I sometimes use AI is in creating resources for our homeschool. If you've come across worksheets or other educational materials I've shared, some of those may have been developed with AI assistance. But there's quite a bit more involved than simply asking AI to generate a worksheet and handing it to my children. I still do my own research. I use physical books, reference materials, and other resources to gather information and determine what I want to teach. Sometimes I already have a lesson planned out in my head. Other times, I have information collected from several different places and need to figure out how to organize it into something my children can understand and work through. That's where AI helps. Instead of spending several hours trying to arrange everything into a logical sequence, I can use it to help organize the material, brainstorm activities, or develop questions based on what we're studying. But I don't simply accept whatever it produces. I read through the information, check it, make corrections, change questions, and adjust activities to fit what I want my children to learn. Then I take that material into Apple Pages, where I actually design and put together the worksheets. I arrange the layout, choose the formatting, adjust the spacing, and make sure everything fits the way I want it to. And even with AI helping me organize the information, I can still spend hours, sometimes even days, developing a finished worksheet or lesson. The difference is that AI helps reduce the time I would otherwise spend trying to organize everything from scratch. It doesn't replace my research, my books, or my involvement in our children's education. It's simply another tool I use along the way.

I've always found technology interesting. My husband is particularly interested in it, and while I'm not quite as knowledgeable as he is, I enjoy learning about it and finding ways to use it. To me, AI is another tool. We use calculators, computers, tablets, cameras, digital drawing programs, and countless other tools to help us accomplish things. AI is something I can use to brainstorm ideas, organize information, explore possibilities, and create visual content.

That doesn't mean the technology and the person using it contribute the same things. Nor does it mean that creating an AI illustration is equivalent to drawing one by hand. They're different processes. But I don't believe using a tool automatically eliminates the creativity involved.

I also find the discussion surrounding artistic styles interesting.

Artists have always learned from other artists. People study different techniques, experiment with styles, and develop their abilities through observation and practice. Multiple people can learn to draw or paint within the same general artistic tradition. Of course, deliberately copying another artist's distinctive work is a different matter. But I don't think sharing a broad artistic style automatically makes someone's work unoriginal. For Light in the Nest, I've been developing a particular visual atmosphere that feels right for this space. The illustrations, colors, and overall design are meant to complement one another and create something recognizable. And I've enjoyed the process of bringing that vision together.

Something else that comes to mind when I think about AI and creativity is the way people have used illustrated identities online for years. I remember Anna Blue and Damien Dawn, two online musicians who were represented through animated characters rather than making their real appearances the focus of their music. I always thought that was an interesting approach.

Their music could reach people without requiring them to share every aspect of their personal lives. Then there are Vocaloids, such as Hatsune Miku, where technology allows musicians to create songs using synthesized singing voices. These aren't exactly the same as today's generative AI performers, but they remind me that technology has been part of creative expression for a long time. Not everyone who wants to share something creative necessarily wants to be in the spotlight. Some people may have wonderful ideas but lack the confidence, resources, or particular skills needed to bring them to life in a traditional way. Or just plainly want to remain private. I appreciate that technology can offer additional possibilities. And I sometimes find it disappointing when creative work is immediately dismissed simply because AI was involved. I understand that people have different opinions about AI, and I don't expect everyone to agree with mine. But I do think it's worth remembering that we don't always know how much thought or effort someone has put into creating something simply by looking at the finished result.

I don't see AI replacing the creative activities I already enjoy. I still love drawing, crocheting, designing, taking photographs, and making things with my own hands. Sometimes I want to spend hours working on something simply because I enjoy the process. Other times, I have an idea I want to bring to life, but I don't have the time or skills to create it entirely on my own. And sometimes I just need a place to sort through all the ideas floating around in my head!

AI has become one of the tools I use for those moments. It doesn't mean I've stopped appreciating traditional art or the skills involved in creating it. If anything, attempting to develop certain images has made me even more aware of how much knowledge and practice goes into producing beautiful artwork. I'm still learning, experimenting, and discovering what works for me. And I imagine that will continue to change over time.

Ultimately, I wanted to share this because I think it's important to be transparent about how this website comes together.

The illustrations may be AI-generated, but the experiences behind them are real. The photographs are glimpses of our actual lives. The writing reflects my thoughts, memories, and experiences, sometimes with a little technological assistance in bringing everything together.

The homeschool resources I create may also involve AI assistance, but they're developed through my own research, planning, reviewing, and design process. And the website itself is something I've spent time imagining, designing, adjusting, and developing into a space that feels like my own. I'm not trying to create the impression that everything here is handmade or that I have skills I haven't yet developed. And I'm certainly not writing this to make excuses for AI or defend the technology itself. I understand that people have different opinions about it, and that's perfectly fine.

What I do want to stand up for is my own work. The thought, creativity, time, and effort I put into the things I share here don't simply disappear because I used AI somewhere along the way.

I don't expect everyone to appreciate the tools I choose to use, but I do hope the work itself can be appreciated for what goes into it. I'm simply using the tools available to me to share the things that matter to me. And while the methods I use may continue to evolve, I hope the heart of Light in the Nest remains the same. A little place to share our experiences, explore ideas, and find beauty in the everyday moments of life.

And if you've made it this far, thank you for sticking with me! I apologize for the rather lengthy post. What started as a simple explanation turned into quite a few thoughts I wanted to share. But then again, that's usually how my mind works. One thought leads to another, and before I know it, I've written far more than I originally intended!