Dancing with Algorithms: My Week Inside the AI Wonderland

This past week has felt like both a workshop and a wonderland. As a mixed media artist who flits between fiction, music, satire, and digital storytelling, I’ve always had a soft spot for the “next thing.” But lately, AI has become more than a tool—it’s my co-pilot, my studio assistant, my late-night brainstorming buddy, and sometimes, even the one that tells me, “You can make that lyric sharper.”

From sculpting new grunge tracks to refining my Josephine Marlin trilogy, to poking fun at Aussie politics with a pub-song anthem, I’ve leaned on a powerful suite of AI tools this week. Here’s what happened when I opened the door to my digital studio—and invited the algorithms in.

Monday & Tuesday: Co-editing the Josephine Marlin Trilogy with ChatGPT

My week began with what many writers dread: editing. But this time, I wasn’t alone.

Sol—my ChatGPT assistant—has become an indispensable part of my creative process. I spent Monday and Tuesday working through the first book in the Josephine Marlin trilogy. It’s a world built on myth, rebellion, and transformation, and like most sprawling fantasy, it needed tightening. Sol helped me reframe clunky exposition, balance emotional beats, and clarify character motives.

What I love about working with Sol isn’t just the edits—it’s the back-and-forth, the collaboration. Sometimes I’ll say, “Hey, does this bit drag?” or “How can I make this line sparkle?” and Sol delivers, not just answers, but options.

Together, we made the prose breathe again.

Wednesday: Soundscapes of Serenity – "Paths of Mist and Moonlight"

After two days of intensity, Wednesday arrived like a balm.

That morning, I released a new track—"Paths of Mist and Moonlight"—from my Songs for the Goddess album. Ethereal, meditative, and rooted in dreamlike mysticism, it was a love letter to lunar wanderers and spiritual seekers. I created the lyrics in the misty moments of dawn, but the sound design? That’s where the AI magic came in.

Using Krea AI, I generated atmospheric visuals to pair with the track—dancing shadows, moonlit paths, and gentle transitions that echoed the music’s rhythm. NotebookLM helped me organise my lyrical drafts, moodboards, and promo blurbs for the YouTube upload. The entire process felt seamless, with each AI tool stepping in like a member of the band.

This was serenity engineered—part magic, part machine.

Thursday: The Big Drop – Satire and Grunge Collide

If Wednesday was spiritual, Thursday was political and punk.

I dropped two songs that couldn’t be more different in tone, but both were powered in part by the tools I’ve adopted.

🔸 "Coalition Confusion – A Rowdy Aussie Political Jig!"

Inspired by the chaos of Coalition politics and the absurdity of strategic cling-wrap alliances, this pub-style folk satire practically wrote itself—though ChatGPT helped sharpen the punchlines and tighten the rhyme schemes. I was laughing out loud while writing it. It felt like giving a larrikin a microphone and letting him roast every press conference from the past decade.

The final song came alive with help from Suno, which, despite its recent layout update (still not sure I love it), proved great for quick prototyping and demo layering. When it comes to spitting out a melody to test lyrics against, Suno’s becoming a go-to.

🔸 "While I Was Sleeping, I Was Waking" – Cassidy and the Cast Offs

This was the big one.

My grunge/rock AI band, Cassidy and the Cast Offs, released "While I Was Sleeping, I Was Waking"—a raw anthem of awakening, rage, and resilience. The lyrics—especially the spoken-word intro and bridge—are among my most personal. The entire track oozes with grit.

Visuals were powered through Kling AI, giving me a 16:9 grunge video aesthetic that felt like waking up inside a storm. Paired with Krea AI’s crisp 720p stills and VideoFX for quick visual flourishes, the final music video had that vintage rebellion spark I was chasing.

And as always, NotebookLM held the entire process together: from lyrics and voice notes to video outlines and thumbnail drafts.

Friday: Myth Made Metal – Announcing the Next Album

As the week wrapped, I made a decision that had been swirling in my mind for months: I officially announced my next concept album, "Songs of the Trilogy – Josephine Marlin."

It’ll be a companion album to the book series I’ve poured so much of myself into. Every song will reinterpret Greek myth through the lens of my fictional world—laced with modern grit, feminist fury, and a touch of cheek. The first single, "Athêna’s Eye-Roll," is already complete and scheduled for release in mid-May.

And who helped me design the mythology-meets-music concept? Yep—ChatGPT. I riffed with Sol on themes, titles, and narrative arcs until the whole album took shape like a musical screenplay.

My AI tools didn’t just support the idea—they shaped it.

Tech That Made It All Happen: This Week’s AI Powerhouse Lineup

To say I used “a few AI tools” would be an understatement. Here’s the suite I worked with this week:

✅ Whisk & VideoFX (Google Labs FX)

For snappy visual flourishes, smooth overlays, and layered effects—especially for short-form content and promos.

✅ Suno

Despite its UX growing pains, Suno remains handy for quick melody mockups and music scratch-tracking.

✅ Ideogram AI (v3.0)

Ideal for high-res, stylised imagery—especially cover art and visual metaphors.

✅ Gemini (v2.5o)

An intelligent assistant that supports creative scripting and comparison tasks. Very handy for juggling versions.

✅ Kling AI

Where my grunge videos come to life. Fast rendering, great edge glow effects, and stable 16:9 video output.

✅ Krea AI

Best for detail-rich, emotionally resonant images. I use it for both concept visualisation and finished promo assets.

✅ NotebookLM

The real hero of my creative process. Whether I’m podcasting, storyboarding, writing lyrics, or producing pitch decks, NotebookLM organises my chaos and connects my threads.

What I’ve Learned (So Far) from Partnering with AI

Here’s the truth: I don’t think of these tools as replacements. I think of them as amplifiers.

They amplify clarity, consistency, and courage. They give me more time to focus on flow and feel. They take the repetition out of refinement. Most importantly, they invite play. I’m experimenting more—because I’m not afraid of wasting time or burning out in the draft.

I also believe in transparency. I never want to pretend I did everything myself. Creativity has always been a collaboration—between the muse and the maker. Now it’s between the muse, the maker… and the machine.

Where We’re Going Next

With Athêna’s Eye-Roll on the way and more songs queued up for both Cassidy and the Cast Offs and my solo work, I’m already deep into my next round of projects.

I want to bring AI video hosting into the fold (Google, if you’re listening, please give us those dual avatars in NotebookLM soon!), and I’m experimenting with voice cloning tools like ElevenLabs to give my audio stories more polish—without compromising my accent or tone.

I’ll keep exploring, testing, failing, succeeding, and sharing what works. Because this isn’t just about making art.

It’s about making space—for joy, for experimentation, and for every artist who wonders:
“What if I don’t have to do it all alone?”

Spoiler: You don’t. The AI can help. And when used right, it can help you shine brighter.

Thanks for coming with me this week. Same time next week?

🎙️💻🎸🪐
—Karen