How Not to Burn Out in an AI-Drawn World

It took me eight whole years to finish my bachelor’s degree. That’s as long as it takes to become a doctor in Latvia - except in my case, I arranged myself a diploma in graphic design. (lol)

The studies dragged on because I couldn’t motivate myself to finish. Every now and then I’d get bored - mainly because I was already working in the field, and a lot of what we were learning I already knew.

But in my final year, while working on my bachelors degree, I started writing my thesis: “How Does Technological Development Affect the Visual Communication of Subcultures?” 

For the first time, I was genuinely excited. Strangely enough, the theory part turned out to be the most fascinating.

I explored how and why technology shaped subculture fashion, skate and surf magazine covers, music album artwork, and all the other media where graphic design can be printed, stuck on, or otherwise applied. Since I was still pretty active in the local "extreme" sports culture at the time, the topic came naturally–I could dive in without effort.

1960s — Surf culture, hippie vibes, The Beach Boys. 

1970s — Skateboarding takes off, and color photography becomes more accessible. 

1980s — Snowboarding emerges as a mountain counterculture against skiers, while printers and CMYK printing go mainstream. 

1990s — Grunge hits pop culture, and personal computers appear in nearly every home.

2000s — Minimalism returns and stays for a long time; less is more, despite tech being more available than ever.

It’s not a huge stretch of time, but I started noticing patterns.

I started focusing on graphic design, posters, art, and other forms of visual media. When personal computers started reaching everyone in the early ’90s, design didn’t necessarily improve. In fact - it often got worse. (Yeah, I know – “good” and “bad” design is a huge topic. But I trust you know what I mean, so I won’t ramble.)

How is that possible?

Because suddenly everyone had access. And “everyone” doesn’t always care. “Everyone” just creates - often for themselves, for fun. Usually without context, without knowledge of history, without respect for what came before, and without a vision for the future. Even skilled designers and poster artists saw their work take a hit during this transition period.

Fonts became widely available - personal handwriting styles disappeared for a while. Templates, colors, effects, gradients, 3D text, shadows, clipart, WordArt – all this “freedom” somehow began to limit creativity.

Once upon a time, an “open/closed” sign in a shop was hand-painted. Then came the age of infamous A4 sheet glued to the office door in Comic Sans saying: “Employees only!!!!!!” or “CLOSE THE DOOR WHEN YOU LEAVE!!!”

If that’s not a step backwards in visual communication, I don’t know what is.

And then someone says: “Design is too expensive. I can do it myself.” Artists and designers panic – less work, more change, new tools, frustration. 

But then time passes. And that same “everyone” gets bored. Turns out – it’s not that easy. Too many choices. Too many decisions. Meanwhile, the same designers who’d gone quiet start figuring out how to use the new tech to their advantage. They regain confidence. Possibilities. Creativity. The ability to take their vision to the next level appears. Growth kicks in again - at least until the next tech disruption.

So why am I telling you all this?

Because I’m seeing exactly the same curve now – with AI. I’m sure you can already tell the difference between something rushed, misplaced, and awkward… and something refined and well thought out. And both can be made with or without AI.

Designer Wim Crouwel once said: “You can’t make a better design with a computer, but you can do the work much faster.”

Will AI make all design better? No. Will it make it faster? Yes.

I’m convinced that in the future, it won’t really matter whether something was “handmade,” “computer-made,” or “AI-made.” It will only matter whether it’s excellent or garbage – just like it’s always been.

Because both AI and human hands can produce work that deserves the trash bin – or work that delights, amuses, tells a story, or makes everyday life easier for entire communities or even countries.

At the moment I use AI - mainly for idea sketches at the moment. But the final result always comes through my experience, my instincts, and my dialogue with the client. Often, I still get to the core idea faster by simply calling the client and asking the right questions -because in just a few minutes, they often reveal the real problem we need to solve.

And as I said - after the dip, there will be another spike in growth. As artists, designers, and experts in our fields, we have no reason to lose faith in ourselves during these changes. On the contrary - we should multiply our skills, stay adaptable, and clearly understand and communicate our value.

And most importantly - turn off the screen in time, eat in time, spend time with people, and get enough sleep. That’s how you avoid burning out in an AI-drawn world.