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- 1-2-3: Forfeiting Uniqueness
Happy Sunday!✌️
Welcome to Ponderer's 20th edition.
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Here are 1 idea to ponder, 2 resources to skill up, and 3 tools to try out.
Let’s do it.
PONDER THIS
The Big Idea
Forfeiting Uniqueness.
One of the things I love about AI besides its ability for automation is how quickly it can produce multiple versions of an original work [in seconds] to provide different perspectives, whether it’s art or content.
That’s a big win for us.
However, this benefit comes with a downside:
The more we use AI in our creative process, the more we risk losing our unique voice as creators. Think of it as an automated assembly line at a factory.
Production skyrockets and uniqueness disappears.
It is a trade-off.
Is it possible we could increase production at scale while maintaining our uniqueness and blue ocean positioning? Maybe.
This idea also brings a different problem I’ve been pondering:
“Most creators forfeit most of their own voice, genuine perspectives, soul, and values to be exactly like other successful creators in the hopes that they'll become as successful.”
By doing this, they are actually forfeiting a big part of who they are and how they show up [with their work] in the world every single day.
How do you stand out when you do that?
Simple: You don’t.
You don’t cut through the noise by copying exactly what they do and how they do it.
Matthew Fried illustrated this concept for us with his words:
If you're going to copy something from other creators…
Emulate their frameworks, study their influences, offer positioning, consistency, values that align with what you stand for, relentlessness, discipline, etc.
Make an effort to deeply understand why something works and why it doesn’t.
This is something you have to figure out on your own.
To do that, you have to trust your own vision [do you have one?], your voice, and your own ideas, and let them evolve over time.
Do not forfeit your gift in the name of productivity.
LEARN
“Learn via iteration. Do not wait for clarity to take action. Take action to engineer clarity. Learn, iterate, put skin in the game.” —@rickyshq
2 Resources
Skill up and expand your mind with our top picks of the week:
I. Deep-Dive Guide
[Read it] AI-powered productivity: A founder’s guide to gaining 2-3 hours per day minimum. Full template, tools, and AI strategies at your fingertips.
II. Video Tutorial
[Watch it] A step-by-step video tutorial on how to build a complete app with only a single prompt by using GPT Engineer. We’re officially mindblown.
TRY IT
“Input, output. We leverage AI and AI leverages us.” —@rickyshq
3 Tools
Leverage our top picks of the week:
I. Can I Rank
Can I Rank is the first SEO software using AI to give you specific action recommendations and detailed instructions rather than just data. [Try it]
II. Dora
Dora is a web design platform that helps you create and publish stunning 3D and animated sites without coding. [Try it]
III. Keyword Search
Keyword Search uses AI to maximize ROI for your Google and Youtube ad campaigns in minutes. [Try it]
Behind the Pondering
This new section is designed to share an insight, confession, or story about Ponderer that we have not shared publicly.
Let’s get to it.
Ever since we launched Ponderer, we have been asked countless times, “What design tool are you using to create your animations? They’re sick!”
Everybody thinks we use some expensive, fancy, or complicated tool.
When I reveal the name of the tool we use, their reaction is priceless.
100% of the time, they think we use Adobe After Effects.
Nope. It is a free tool that’s not known for motion design.
Its name is Keynote.
I will be teaching how we use it to create our motion designs and how you can put your own ideas in motion, inside the Beehiiv Design Masterclass.
CREW PONDERINGS
🐙 Creatures: Can AI help us see beyond our human capabilities? Sofia Crespo brings this idea to life with a blend of tech, nature, and art. [Watch it]
🪲 Insects: Are insect brains the secret to great AI? Neuroscientist Frances Chance thinks so. In this talk, she shares all the buzzy examples. [Watch it]
🐳 Hmm: Could an Orca give a TED Talk? What if we could hear nature’s ultrasonic communication—and talk back? AI did that. [Watch it]
TWEET TO PONDER
So many great lessons from our friend, Greg.
Founder rules for myself:
- Pay your invoices fast. People appreciate it
- Recurring meetings are mostly useless
- Your best internet ideas come when you are off the internet
- Really interesting people apply for Chief of Staff roles
- You need 1000 bad ideas to get to 1 good… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…— GREG ISENBERG (@gregisenberg)
Jul 29, 2023
TOGETHER > SOLO
Tired of running solo? Here’s how we can help:
⇢ Beehiiv Design Masterclass — tactical video lessons on building and designing beautiful, powerful, and effective newsletters with Beehiiv. [Skill up]
⇢ Ponderer Design — done-for-you newsletter design and motion design services to elevate your newsletter game. [Book a call]
⇢ Roast My Landing Page — we’ve partnered with Olly, founder of Senja to give you a 15-minute, private video, packed with personalized, easy-to-implement advice that will improve your landing page conversion. [Get roasted]
Today’s edition was sent with Beehiiv and written, designed, edited, pondered, purified, criticized, and approved by me.
If you’re working on any exciting tool or project designed to serve creators, reply to this email or DM us on Twitter: @pondererco or @rickyshq.
Thanks for reading! Reply whenever you need to.
Until next time 🫡
Ricky
p.s. AI in 1981.