One of our designers was celebrating a birthday last month and our team got a big, beautiful cake, both cheesecake and chocolate, for the occasion.
It was 3 pm, everyone was ready for an afternoon dessert pick-me-up. We gazed at the sweet goodness sitting atop the communal table. Plates were passed out, forks were readily available, but when it was time to actually cut the cake, all we could find in the kitchen was a grill spatula and a butter knife. Pic for evidence.
We had no idea where all the knives went. Did we ever have one? Surely, we must have cut a cake before. Did we use the butter knife? We decided to go with the spatula due to its sheer size against the massive cake and it worked wonders. It even doubled as a serving utensil, so we kind of hit the jackpot.
It inspired me to write this blog as I thought about the tools we have in our lives, especially as creators, and how we use them.
Table of Contents
AI is a Butter Knife (It Cuts, It Doesn’t Carve)
As a writer my entire career, it took me a very long time (a very LONG TIME) to come around to the idea of using ChatGPT or Claude for anything. While I’ve changed my mind on certain aspects and I certainly see the benefits for some of my work, it's still the butter knife to a real one.
AI performs a basic skill. It looks at existing material and it frames up information for me. It does some research (not always accurately) and it does help me take content that already exists (and materials I’ve already created) and repurpose it for new avenues. It cuts, it doesn’t carve.
Think Bigger Than the Prompt
If your first thought when it’s time to write a blog or a press release, or a new bio for your website or social media posts for the month, is what prompts should I use, I’m going to hand you the grill spatula and encourage you to think bigger.
AI couldn't write this blog because it didn’t have our cake experience. It can’t have any experiences, so it’s always going to fall short on story.
If you were sitting around with a bunch of your best friends right now, what would you be doing? You’d be sharing life events. You’d be looking at photos or videos. You’d be reminiscing about the past. You’d be sharing stories of your time together, the connection that’s kept that friendship alive.
The Human Ingredient: Content That Connects
You can do the same with your audience, when you create content and provide value that feels real, that feels honest, that feels like a peek into their world. If you feel overwhelmed at the thought of content creation, let me give you the best piece of advice I can… if you would share the story with someone, it’s probably a blog, or an email or a social post.
My cake story is one example. Think about your day, just today. Where did you go? Who did you talk to? What did you read? What did you watch? What did you listen to? What dreams did you have? Something inspired you. Something made you laugh. Something made you cry. Something surprised you. Something scared you.
Whatever the emotion, it’s a lesson, a story, a tip. You can relate anything to business. Because at the core, we are people, working with people.
Craft Your Narrative with Vendilli
At Vendilli, storytelling is a key part of what we do. We work with clients on a discovery process, we ask questions, we do research, we create strategic plans, and we do it with results in mind.
We might not have the right cutlery, but we have the creativity to do just about anything. Give us a call and let’s talk about your next project.
