This June, the sixth (!) edition of our workshop Writing = Design took place. Sonja and I have been hosting the class at the University of the Arts’ summer program since 2020. We explore text as a design tool and as material, and over the years, we developed a dense and playful entry point into writing and words. I love spending this one week in summer with like-minded, careful, and curious people who write together.

One day into the workshop, the unavoidable topic came up: Writing in times of “artificial intelligence.” I was expecting it and tried to navigate through the discussion—staying curious on one hand, but also aiming not to let the topic take over the entire week. The powerful thing about “AI” really is that it can quickly conquer and pollute any space, and squeeze out every last breath of optimism and enthusiasm within a discussion. Luckily, the group quickly decided to let the topic sit somewhere at the sidelines and to appreciate the time and space (one full week!) of human-centered creativity.

Between the lines, and also while writing this, I noticed what really bothers me about the AI Thing™: By now, it feels impossible not to mention it, no matter what topic. I have quite a few design notes in my drafts folder; I want to talk about observations in my creative process and design in general—nothing specifically tied to tools and current developments, really. But it seems like I cannot tidy up those notes without putting them into the context of “current AI developments,” or even worse, “AI trends.” Ugh, all those air quotes—so much hot, steamy air. It’s polluting my way of thinking, without even using LLM tools for that matter.

So, trying to clear the air here: It was so peaceful, this one week of human writing. We developed sentences from words, focussed on first drafts, and provided thoughtful feedback for each other. Our group spanned from 24-year-old students to 60-year-old design professionals, and not for a single thing in the world would I want to exchange those perspectives with some artificial machine-made fabric. I’ll try to take that spirit into my everyday life, aiming to de-pollute (is that even a word?!) my thoughts and words from the possessive narrative that “AI tools” are supposed to dominate my life. They don’t. And that’s called agency—so glad I still have that.

Thank you for everyone who joined our writing week, thanks to Olga Luchanok for the photos, and of course, to my partner-in-crime Sonja Knecht for hosting the week with me. If you, dear reader, want to be part of it next time: You’ll hear about upcoming workshops in this newsletter first!

Keep trying — Related to that, “Please, give me the gift of your trying”, writes Danielle Coffyn about receiving emails written with ChatGPT.

Keep blogging — My former boss (and constant source of inspiration) Erik Spiekermann is getting back into blogging! I always enjoyed his writing, and he does it in German and English on his website, Spiekileaks. Here is a very suitable text for this newsletter: “The hand is the window to the mind.”

Keep experimenting — In June, David Hockney died. What a loss! He was always eager to experiment with new creative tools, and Sam Hampers’ YouTube homage documents this brilliantly.

Thank you for reading, and working your way through this “air quote-filled” newsletter. I appreciate it! As the second part of the year approaches, I hope you’re making your way through that, too, and treat yourself to a little break from time to time. Have some water, breathe some air, and on we go! Yours truly, Christoph.