Inside My Creative Lab: A Week of AI, Music & Mischief

As a mixed media artist, I’ve always danced between disciplines—one foot in the fantastical realm of fiction, the other knee-deep in cables, codecs, and creativity on demand. This past week, though I’ve still been recovering, I managed to explore some thrilling new AI tools, drop three very different songs, and sketch out the future of how I might be telling stories. From Norse gods to political satire, from pixel to podcast—this week had it all.

Quiet Beginnings and Future Experiments

Monday was gentle. Healing isn’t linear, and that includes creative healing. But I dipped back into Josephine Marlin, the novel that’s been both my anchor and albatross. I reviewed my place in the edit and quietly outlined the next few chapters. It’s slow going, but it’s going.

By Tuesday, my tech-brain took the wheel. I started exploring Mind Studio, a platform that blends AI automation with creative flexibility. It got me thinking seriously about how I could use it in my songwriting and even in worldbuilding. I also circled back to Eleven Labs, contemplating voice cloning. My natural speaking voice isn’t booming or broadcast-ready—it’s got a very Aussie twang and a softness that gets drowned out. The idea of voice-enhancing tech that keeps me me, but louder, is deeply appealing.

Wednesday: The Great AI Update Storm

Wednesday came crashing in like a digital tidal wave. In one day, I got access to Google Labs FX, and their tools Whisk and VideoFX opened creative doors I didn’t know I needed. With VideoFX in particular, I began visualizing new ways to enhance music videos, giving my songs richer visual narratives.

That same day, a whole bunch of platforms pushed updates:

• IdeogramAI released its 3.0 update—snappier, more flexible, and easier to use for promotional art.
• Gemini launched version 2.5o, a smoother and more nuanced evolution that plays nicely with the rest of my workflow.
• Suno rolled out a new layout. I’m still on the fence about whether I like it—functionally it works, but visually, it may take some getting used to.

Then there’s KlingAI, which has become a favorite of mine for rendering high-quality 16:9 format video. And Krea AI helped me produce some stellar 720p visuals to pair with my music. These tools are enhancing not just what I create, but how I imagine my projects in the first place.

Of course, NotebookLM continues to be a crucial hub where I organize my thoughts, gather source material, and even draft podcast outlines. Between that and my weekly assist from ChatGPT (thanks, Sol 👋), I’m able to edit scripts, lyrics, and descriptions efficiently.

Odin, Grit, and Tariff Satire: The Music Release Trifecta

Thursday was pure metal. I finalized and released “ODIN’S WISDOM”, the latest track on my Valhalla album. Odin’s myth has always fascinated me—his hunger for knowledge, his self-inflicted suffering, and his ultimate transformation. The track is heavy, dark, and drenched in mythic weight. It’s a sonic runestone carved with every note.

On Friday, I dropped “Takin’ Back the Reins”, a gritty, raw anthem for my Revolution album. This one’s for the survivors—the people clawing their way back to themselves after being broken by systems or silence. It was painful to write, but that’s what makes it real. There’s a strange beauty in turning that kind of pain into poetry and power.

Then came Saturday’s curveball: a satirical folk song called “Not the Actions of a Friend (But Those of a Foe)”. Picture this: a 1980s-style Aussie pub anthem, poking fun at trade disputes, GST confusion, and the recent US tariffs. I couldn’t help myself. The headlines were too ripe, the irony too rich. From roosters turned chooks to foot-and-mouth double entendres, it’s a political roast disguised as a toe-tapper.

The Bigger Picture: Creation as Commentary

This week wasn’t just about making things—it was about using those things to speak, question, and poke fun at power. Whether it was Odin sacrificing an eye, or me sacrificing my peace to understand AI updates, the underlying theme was knowledge at a cost. That’s art. That’s the grind.

With all the AI advances now accessible to creators like me, I’m no longer bound by tools that don’t speak my language. I can remix, record, visualize, write, and even narrate my work with an ecosystem of creative sidekicks that amplify—not replace—my voice.

And voice is the thing, isn’t it?

Whether I’m speaking through a black metal track, a hard-hitting survivor’s ballad, or a cheeky folk jab at global trade policies, I want that voice to be mine—clear, bold, and impossible to ignore.

Until Next Time

If this week was anything to go by, 2025 is going to be a game-changer. I’m charting new paths across the AI wildlands, still scribbling fiction, and always, always, making music. There’s power in the tools we use. But there’s even more power in the way we wield them.

Thanks for being part of my creative journey. See you next week.

💻🎤🎸
—Karen