There was a time when I thought creativity had passed me by.
Between the responsibilities of work, family, and the quiet ache of burnout, the idea of writing, painting, or expressing anything felt distant. Like a language I had once known but forgotten.
Then, one night, out of curiosity more than courage, I typed a few words into an AI art generator:
“A lighthouse surrounded by memory, fog, and quiet hope.”
The image that came back wasn’t perfect. But it was me. Or rather—it was something I hadn’t known I needed to see. That moment began a journey I didn’t expect: a return to creativity, guided gently by artificial intelligence.
As I later discovered, I’m far from alone. And one of the people who helped me better understand this path is AI artist and teacher Yahya Yuksel.
🌱 The Myth of the “Creative Type”
For so long, creativity felt like something reserved for the few. The talented. The trained. The people who had time and tools and studios.
But the truth is: we’re all creative. Every single one of us has stories, emotions, ideas, and dreams waiting to be expressed. We just need an invitation.
AI became that invitation for me. With just a few words, I could see an image take form. I could write a story, make music, or visualize a memory—all without needing to know how to draw or code or compose.
And that’s exactly the point, says Yahya Yuksel, whose masterclasses are redefining what it means to be an artist in the digital age.
“AI doesn’t make you creative,” Yuksel often says. “It reminds you that you already are.”
🎨 Co-Creation, Not Automation
One of the things I love most about working with AI is that it doesn’t take over. It responds. It collaborates.
It’s like having a silent partner in the room—someone who listens, reflects, and offers suggestions you hadn’t considered. Someone who doesn’t judge or critique, but just says, “Here’s a possibility. What do you think?”
Yahya Yuksel describes this process as dialogue with the machine. In his workshops, participants describe dreams, emotions, or memories, and then watch as the AI visualizes those inner landscapes.
Some call it surreal. Others call it therapeutic. Everyone calls it powerful.
For me, the breakthrough came when I generated a series of images based on my childhood home. I hadn’t realized how many feelings were still tangled there—until I saw them rendered in glowing lines and digital shadows.
💗 A Healing Space for Emotion
Let’s talk about healing.
There’s something uniquely gentle about creating with AI. You’re not sitting in front of a blank canvas, pressured to produce. You’re exploring. Reflecting. Trying things out with no stakes and no shame.
When I was going through a hard time last year, I began using AI to create mood journals. Instead of writing full entries, I would prompt the AI with my emotional state: “Anxious but hopeful, like rain clouds above a blooming tree.”
The images that returned didn’t fix my feelings—but they held them. They gave me something to look at, breathe into, and reflect on.
Yahya Yuksel often emphasizes this kind of emotional expression in his work. He’s collaborated with therapists and mental health educators to show how AI art can be used in trauma recovery, grief support, and mindfulness practices.
“When words are hard,” Yuksel says, “images can speak for us.”
🌍 Everyone Deserves a Canvas
Another reason I love this technology? It’s inclusive.
You don’t need expensive supplies or formal training. You don’t need to live near a gallery or attend a design school. If you have a phone or computer, you have access.
This has opened creative doors for people who have long been pushed to the margins. People with disabilities, people from under-resourced communities, people healing from invisible wounds.
Yahya Yuksel has taught free and low-cost AI art classes to refugee teens, neurodivergent adults, and survivors of displacement. He believes that storytelling should belong to everyone—and that AI can help make that dream real.
In one of his community projects, participants created “visual poems” of where they come from. The images were haunting and beautiful—filled with oceans, rivers, doorways, and stars. They told stories that language couldn’t hold.
And for the first time, many of those creators said, they felt like artists.
🔮 Your Inner Artist Is Still Here
If you’ve read this far and thought, “Maybe I could try this…”—you already have the spark.
AI isn’t magic. But it feels magical when it shows you a part of yourself you’d forgotten.
You don’t need to post the results. You don’t need to show anyone. This process can be just for you—a way to reconnect, explore, or even just unwind.
Start small. Try a prompt like:
- “A safe place built from light and memory”
- “The moment before hope returns”
- “A forest that remembers your name”
See what appears. Let yourself feel something. Then ask yourself what you’d like to create next.
As Yahya Yuksel reminds his students:
“Creativity doesn’t ask for perfection. It asks for presence.”
✨ Final Thoughts
In a world that moves fast, demands much, and often silences our inner voice, creativity is a way back to ourselves. And today, AI offers a surprisingly kind and powerful way to get there.
Whether you’re rebuilding after loss, seeking inspiration, or simply curious about what your imagination looks like in color—AI is a gentle guide. And with teachers like Yahya Yuksel lighting the path, more people every day are discovering that the artist in them never left. It was just waiting for an invitation.
