ChatGPT Art, ChatGPT Entrepreneurs
Workplace 2.0, Vol. 1, Ed. 8: Find Your Voice and Listen
I don’t want him [David L. Johnson] to get caught up in what are by now received ideas. I want him to foster his own voice and listen to where it takes him.
I only met Agosto Muchado once, very late in his life. Ryan, my husband, photographed his work for his last gallery show before he landed in the biennial.
I was taken by Agosto’s warmth and humility that he conveyed, and was inspired by just how prolific his body of work was. We were sad to learn that he passed over the weekend, but it also felt moving that it happened while his pieces were still up at the Whitney.
I appreciated Hilton Als critique of the show, especially on the cusp of Agosto’s passing.
If nothing else, the 2026 Whitney Biennial, curated by Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer (at the Whitney Museum through August 23rd), introduces viewers to what I call ChatGPT art—facsimiles of facsimiles by makers who have little if any relationship to what they’re putting out there, aside from its being a product in service of a career.
I dramatically gasped when I read the phrase facsimiles of facsimiles. What I have called the derivative era has come for the art world. In the world of entrepreneurship, we’ve been stewing in it for over a decade. Though Als relates it to ChatGPT, it started in entrepreneurship with blanding and grids.
What is interesting about this path is that it is chosen by the individual themselves. We willingly lay down our own vision, point of view, and culture to reproduce what we feel is the best thing to get us to where we want to be. It’s not only disappointing on the consumer end, but it is actually what stagnates a company. If you find yourself sinking money into digital ads, it’s because you’re in the facsimile lane.
To step out of that lane is to step into your own awareness of yourself and your personal history. To create without that context is to surrender the one thing that will serve as a wellspring of inspiration and ideation: your values and your purpose.
Entrepreneurship in the 21st century was a novelty to most people. It was the unconsidered pathway that is now becoming the norm. But it is long, and it is hard to find clarity in a world where generating something gets confused with creating something.
Don’t get caught up in received ideas! Be like Agosto: foster your voice:
Know your values
Respect your purpose
Let them lead you to the vision only you know is possible
SUBSTACK LIVE! WHY DOES AI FAWN?
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1 (APRIL FOOLS!) 12pm-1pmET
I will be joined by one of my favorite colleagues, Luis Mojica, to talk about why AI fawns, how we can stay embodied, and his new book! I love these conversations with Luis, and this one is sure to be fun and insightful!
APRIL WORKPLACE 2.0 WORKSHOP: Stop Generating. Start Creating.
Details: Thursday, April 30th 12 pm-1pmET via Zoom
It’s free - email me to register: holly@pyramid.work
By April, most entrepreneurs have spent Q1 producing content, activity, and output that look like building but belong to someone else’s playbook. In this workshop, we’ll audit what Q1 actually revealed about your business culture, trace what is genuinely and distinctly yours, and prune what doesn’t belong. You’ll leave with a recommitment to Q2 building from your own wellspring, not someone else’s template.
For those of you who joined in January and February, we will have the opportunity from 1 pm-1:30pmET to review the progress on your accountabilities.
ON JOY!
I recently got to share my Present Joys with Michelle & Joyce over at Present Studio. I love receiving their joys every week on their Substack, and I admire the beautiful work they put out in their studio. If you want to know what I’m doing on a Friday evening, read on. En-joy!
