Why "Making It Work" is the Secret to Creative Growth (and How AI is My Co-Pilot)

I’m fresh off a session at the Texas Expo where Damola Adamolekun, the CEO of Red Lobster, dropped a truth bomb that shifted my entire perspective on my business.

23rd Annual Texas Expo - Summer Celebration - Hilton Americas Hotel Friday May 15th 2026

His message was clear: You don’t always need to tear it down and start over. Real success comes from taking what is already there and making it work.

As a creative, I’ve often felt the pressure to constantly reinvent the wheel. But Damola’s "turnaround" mindset taught me that the most powerful thing I can do is optimize the gold I’ve already built. And in 2026, there is no better way to optimize than by pairing human creative skills with AI tools.

I’m officially leaning into the 'Dynamic Duo' of human intuition and AI efficiency. It’s allowing me to deliver faster, smarter, and more creative results than ever before. Here are three ways to frame the use of AI tools as a creative professional:

1. Rapid Prototyping (The "Creativity of Thought")

AI tools like Midjourney or Adobe Firefly allow you to take a single creative concept and rapidly prototype a dozen variations. You can visualize 10 different versions of a concept in minutes, allowing you to find the one that "works" with your existing assets without wasting days on manual drafts.

2. AI as the "Operational Engine"

By using AI tools, like ChatGPT or Notion AI to handle the repetitive "un-creative" operational tasks—from drafting initial project briefs to contracts—I’m freeing up the mental space to focus on the "human-creative" side of my business.

3. Data-Driven Intuition

A CEO uses data to see where a business is failing. You can use AI analytics tools to see which of your creative projects actually resonate with your audience. Instead of guessing what to create next, let AI analyze your "legacy" data to tell you what your customers actually want.

How are you using technology to make your creative work 'work' harder for your business this year? I’d love to hear your favorite AI workflows!"

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