Warning: ‘Bout to get a bit meta
Remember that time when we stopped holding live events because we thought that standing less than 6 ft from another human being would end in a terrible infectious death?
Yeah. Glad THAT’S over.
Last week I co-hosted a kick-ass event in Florida with my business partner Kevin Rogers – all about how we (the humans) are Creative Machines.
Turned this brewery into our own personal “think tank” for 3 days
Got our minds blown by marketing legend Ron Lynch
Talked more about creativity than computers
Chilled with Sam Woods and learned there’s a whole ‘notha level of possibilities with Ai
Got hang time and hugs with some of my favorite people – like Ross O’Lochlainn
And of course… Any Copy Chief event wouldn’t be compete with Kareoke
We dove deep into the future of marketing in this fast-paced world of Ai development…
But the conversations went SO far beyond copywriting and Chat GPT.
I’m still catching up, so I’ll write up a proper recap later…
But suffice to say it was one of the best (and most unusual) mastermind events I’ve been to.
Ai copywriting expert, Sam Woods, shared how writers should ACTUALLY be using Ai.
(Hint – it’s not by asking a chat bot to “write me an article about … whatever.”)
Marketing legend Ron Lynch (Go Pro, Samsung, OxiClean) took us to another plane of reality – revealing how he comes up with genius ideas that have helped him reach a level of success that is “beyond money.”
(Sign me up for the next trip to “Beyond Money” Land please. It sounds nice there.)
And the conversations had in between the speaker presentations were some of the most fascinating I’ve had this year.
Between Sam expanding our paradigms of what’s possible with Ai…
Ron divulging that he built a “Jesus Bot” because God told him to while he was staring at trees…
And all the captivating conversations in between…
It was definitely not your daddy’s copywriting conference.
I won’t go into all the details here (ya just gotta be there at these things to really get it) – but here are my 3 my biggest take-aways from the event:
#1 – We have to start thinking BIGGER when it comes to leveraging Ai and technology.
Forget about memorizing prompts that you found on a blog, or getting Chat GPT to write your newsletter…
Sam showed us some incredible possibilities by demonstrating how he’s using Ai at the highest levels.
And after I picked my jaw up off the floor…
It became clear that we need to get better at imagining clear outcomes that push the boundaries of what we think is possible.
Imagine holding a magic lamp that contained the collective brain power of the greatest minds that ever lived.
Now combine that with all technological advances developed across the whole of human history.
With that kind of power, the list of things that are NOT possible is pretty small.
Basically, with the power of these Ai tools – anything you can imagine – can be done.
Any task – marketing, sales, graphic design, coding, engineering, chemistry, etc…
If you can imagine the outcome that you want the tool to produce for you…
And you can figure out how to TELL the tool how you’d like it done.
Then you can make it so.
#2 – Our main job – both as humans and marketers – is to master the skills of creative reasoning and critical thinking.
Ai tools like Chat GPT are not search engines – scouring the internet for facts…
They’re REASONING Engines.
If you’re trying to seek out and memorize a list of prompts to give Chat GPT…
Then you’re already falling behind.
Stop holding yourself back with templates!
You’ve got to come up with your OWN prompts, based on your OWN frameworks, and your OWN mental models for how YOU think and solve problems.
Bottom line: Stop trying to tell the tool what to do…
And start reasoning with it instead.
Have a conversation with it.
And when it gives you something that doesn’t match your vision – tell it.
Say, “This is not good enough,” and explain why.
Again, if you can imagine it – then it can be done.
But more than that…
If you can DESCRIBE it – then you can speak it into existence.
#3 – We need human connection and a powerful NETWORK of people – now more than ever.
Humans aren’t going anywhere.
If you don’t believe me, pick up the book Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think by Peter H. Diamandis.
We’re not going to become slaves to the machines anytime soon.
And as long as we don’t get lazy, we’re not destined to end up as monotonous “machine operators” pulling the levers for Ai.
Instead, we’re becoming Creative Directors of Ai.
So start thinking of yourself as a creative engineer of the human experience…
And get as much of the “human experience” into your brain as possible.
What has always been true is still true:
Your network – the people you seek out, and surround yourself with, and learn from – THAT is the most powerful tool in your toolbox.
A powerful network is still the best things you can invest in to build a great future for yourself and your business.
That’s why I’m partnering with my friend Ilise Benun on her “Jumpstart Your Networking” live workshop on May 15th.
For over 35 years, Ilise has taught creative professionals how to get better clients, with bigger budgets…
And “level up” their networking skills to make meaningful and long-term connections WITHOUT feeling awkward or salesy.
The May 15th workshop is completely free to join, and you’ll learn:
1. A new way to think about networking that’s painless (and even fun for introverts)…
2. How to find & nurture meaningful connections – even if you feel you don’t know anyone…
3. How to never come off as “pushy” or “salesy”…
Plus, she’s bringing on some special guests – including a few big time introverts – to share how they overcame their networking struggles to create their “dream networks.”
Click here to register for this 1-hour live workshop on May 15th.