CREATIVE DISHWASHER
Creativity isn’t just about finishing the work—it’s about how we get there.
There’s a scene in “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” where a gang of unruly kids, left to fend for themselves, tackle a mountain of dirty dishes—not by scrubbing, but by hauling them outside and blasting them to pieces with a shotgun. When the dust settles, one of them smirks and declares, “The dishes are done, man.”
When it comes to AI, a dishwasher might be a better metaphor—something that takes on the tedious work while we focus on other things. But the movie scene captures how it feels to watch creative tools and processes evolve so fast. Smashed. Unrecognizable. Nobody wants to lose Grandma’s antique tea set—or the pencil and paper, the film camera, the hands-on craft we know and trust. The idea of moving too fast, of losing touch with what makes creativity human, is a real concern. But maybe these old tools don’t have to disappear. Maybe they become something we return to for special moments, while AI handles the daily creative demands. The creative landscape is shifting. That can be terrifying—but it can also be freeing. The only way through is curiosity.
That’s the promise of AI in creative work—not to replace, but to reshape. It’s easy to see it as a shortcut, but what if it’s more like picking up an electric guitar after years of playing acoustic? At first, it’s unfamiliar. But then, there are knobs and pedals, layers of distortion and reverb. The artistry is the same, but the possibilities expand.
AI can handle the mundane, yes, but in doing so, it gives us new ways to play. An animator experimenting with AI-assisted tools might discover new approaches to camera movement—complex tracking shots and dynamic perspectives they never would have attempted manually. A writer using AI prompts might stumble upon an idea that shifts their entire story. A designer using AI-powered tools might push their craft into unexplored territory.
The key is seeing AI not as a replacement, but as an amplifier. Maybe the dishes aren’t just “done.” Maybe they’ve been transformed into something new. And maybe that’s where the next creative breakthrough begins.
What do you think?
