Half-measures are for half-careers: making my sabbatical all about generative AI
A couple weeks ago, I announced I'm taking a sabbatical.
The only thing left to do was figure out how to use all that free time productively.
The answer has been staring me in the face: Learn how to use AI creative tools like a ninja. And design the course myself.
This DIY approach will either be brilliant or spectacularly inefficient. Either way, beats binge-watching Netflix.
What I'm Actually Going to Do
I'm calling it "Carl Loeb's AI Mastery Project." (Claude is workshopping something catchier. I told him I'm not above shameless alliteration.)
Here's why this matters: I started my career on electric typewriters. White-out was cutting-edge technology. Now I want to make ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, and Runway sing like Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat—my creativity and ideas, electrified and amplified.
Way back when media went digital, I stayed comfortable in traditional advertising. Big mistake. This time, I'm jumping in headfirst, with the gift of time to learn new ways to swim.
I know everyone on LinkedIn has strong AI opinions. Many folks I respect say it'll never replace truly creative thinking. I agree. Neither did Photoshop or CGI. But they opened up entirely new creative possibilities. This feels like that moment.
What You'll Get Out of This
I'll document everything: the wins, the spectacular failures, the prompts that work, the ones that produce nightmare fuel. I'll write because I can't truly understand something until I've written about it. Plus, watching a copywriter from the typewriter era wrestle with AI should be educational (and mildly entertaining).
My final exam by year-end: Create a complete brand campaign using only AI tools. Not just passable work; work I'd actually be proud to put my name on.
Let's Build Something
If you're as fascinated by this stuff as I am, let's connect. If you're curious whether this will work, follow along. I guarantee you'll learn something.
And if you have ideas for what I should tackle first, or want to share your own AI experiments, hit me up. The best discoveries happen in community.
Onward, with great anticipation.
