In this episode we sit down with writer and strategist Joan Westenberg to talk about creativity and using AI without losing your humanity. We get into:
- The essay that blew up: deleting her “second brain” and ditching productivity guilt
- Human in the loop: why tools are neutral—and responsibility isn’t
- Joan's AI rule: use it for the stuff you hate (titles, charts, video edits), never for the stuff you love (writing, music)
- Editors vs. yes-bots: why Joan won’t trust AI for feedback
- The real fear behind AI backlash: replacement after decades of creative devaluation
- Choosing friction: manual workflows, single‑purpose tools, and keeping agency
- Comms without spam: building relationships in a world drowning in AI-generated pitches
Whoa Vol. 2
This episode is part of a limited series of ten in-depth conversations put together by sublime.app with some of our favorite thinkers and creatives where we explore how artificial intelligence is changing and challenging creative work.
👉 Get your copy of the zine: https://sublime.app/whoa
Brought to you by Mercury
This interview is made possible by Mercury — business banking trusted by 200,000+ entrepreneurs and hands-down our favorite tool for running sublime.app.
If you’re a founder or business builder of any type and haven’t tried Mercury yet, visit https://mercury.com today.
Disclaimer
Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.
