Sharpening Your Edge
Dean Bradshaw Photography
Everyone's still talking about AI coming for our jobs. My husband and I had this conversation a decade ago about robots replacing his medical profession.
The fear was real then too..But I think we're missing the bigger question.
Yes, AI can generate content. Yes, it can write decent copy, create images, and mimic style. It even helped me organize my thoughts for this piece. (verdict's still out on whether I saved time.).
Here’s what it can’t do: It can't have lived your specific life. Made your mistakes. Built your taste. Honed your craft. Developed your relationships.
It can't have your point of view.
And that's becoming more valuable, not less.
THE FORK IN THE ROAD
As AI makes generic content easier to create, we're heading toward one of two paths: Path One: Use AI to churn out more. More posts, more emails, more noise. Optimize for volume, chase algorithms, blend into sameness. Path Two: Use AI as a tool to free up time for what only you can do. Sharpen your perspective. Deepen your expertise. Build real relationships.
The businesses thriving in the next few years won't be the ones creating more. They'll be the ones creating meaning.
This shift will be in the subtle differences that go unnoticed at first, like the florist who understands the emotions behind milestones, not just arrangements. The photographer who sees story, not just light. The designer who knows your visual language, not just what's trending. These don't come from prompts. They come from years of attention, practice, relationship. From doing the work.
The real question is not: “Will AI replace me?” - but: “Have I sharpened what makes me irreplaceable?”
Are you deepening your expertise? Cultivating your unique perspective? Building real relationships? Creating work only you can create? Or are you creating content AI could generate from Canva’s 1,00000 templates? The people most anxious about AI haven't yet identified what makes them irreplaceable. Maybe they haven't put in the years. Maybe they haven't figured out how to articulate it yet. Maybe they have been reactive to a market that has been failing them for too long to know they are capable of so much more.
AI didn't create that problem. It just made it urgent to solve.
The businesses that aren't worried? They've been building something AI can't touch:
Deep client relationships, irreplaceable expertise, work refined over years, the ability to articulate what makes them different.
WHAT THIS ACTUALLY MEANS
As content becomes easier to create, your relationships become the differentiator. Your perspective becomes the asset. The people who already know and trust you become your foundation.
Generic gets commoditized. Unique becomes invaluable.
Volume gets ignored. Depth gets remembered.
THE INVITATION
Stop competing on what AI can do. Double down on what only you can do.
Practically, this looks like:
Reach out to five past clients this week instead of creating more content
Deepen the skills that are uniquely yours instead of worrying about replacement
Nurture the people who already trust you instead of chasing new audiences
The world doesn't need more content. It needs more of you.
Your specific way of seeing. Your hard-won expertise. Your distinctive taste. Your genuine relationships.
AI can't replicate that. But you can strengthen it.
— Caitlin Backeris
Originally shared in Field Notes. This is where I share what I'm learning about building businesses that grow through depth, not noise. If this resonates, subscribe here to get a bit more personal in your inbox.
