A Tale of Two Lives
Being Mom one minute and a tech reporter the next
10K Challenge – Week 2 Progress Summary
Week 2 (March 21-27)
- 📢 Reach: (↓16.4%)
- 🔥 Engagement: 2.85%
- 📈 Follower Growth: 0
- ⭐ Top Post: Personal reel in NYC
- 📝 Key Takeaways: Continued making content while on the road. AI tools kept me focused, and personal storytelling in Reels continues to resonate. Testing more visual presence in stories this week.
A Ghibli Experience and AI Art Ethics
On last summer's visit to Japan, I took my family to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, a city on the outskirts of Tokyo. I jumped through many hoops to get those tickets (in true Japanese fashion, you need a local address to purchase them), but I succeeded, and it was truly wonderful. The museum felt like stepping into Miyazaki's mind—with exhibitions documenting his creative process (including a book solely dedicated to the study of clouds) and celebrating beloved films like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away.
When I learned about OpenAI's new image generation model this week, I initially jumped on the trend. But then I started thinking about all the work that went into creating Miyazaki's art and regretted my lapse in judgment. While it's admittedly cool to see your photos transformed into Ghibli style, the models are being trained on Miyazaki's art without permission.
What do you think? Would you use it? On one hand, more people are now exposed to and inspired by Miyazaki's work than ever before. Is that really a bad thing?
Mom Life Meets Tech Life
Last week—which coincided with my daughter's spring break—was jam-packed as I navigated my two lives. The first half of the week I was Mom in NYC 24/7, which was energizing as we explored the city, taking trains, meeting friends, and visiting museums and shows. It was the quintessential NYC trip, and watching my daughter interact with the city she called home for the first two years of her life was a delight.
Throughout this, I continued my 10K challenge in whatever time I could carve out. I kept AI in the loop of my whereabouts, and it responded with NYC content ideas around marketing and branding. While some suggestions felt overly generic for my taste, I realized something valuable: if your goal is simply to maintain content creation momentum, AI can be an excellent resource.
eMerge Americas: The Friendliest Tech Conference?
Upon returning home, I put on my tech reporter hat to cover eMerge Americas, a Miami-based global tech conference attracting over 20,000 attendees. I was impressed with both the production value and attendance. Founded in 2014, the conference aims to "transform Miami into the tech hub of the Americas." Despite representation from over 60 countries, the event maintained a distinctly Miami character—though CEO Melissa Medina firmly believes Miami is positioned to become the next global tech hub.
Main Takeaways:
The conference excels as a networking platform, particularly for local connections and Latin American businesses. I met the founder of Jobbi.me, an El Salvador-based startup offering recruiting services for Latin and Central American talent.
In quintessential Miami fashion, the atmosphere was relaxed, warm, and friendly.
Delegations from Israel, Italy, and Spain represented impressive startup portfolios, reminding me how much innovation is happening worldwide.
What’s Next?
Share your thoughts! Have you used AI art tools? I'd love to hear your perspective on the ethics of AI-generated art inspired by iconic creators like Miyazaki. Reply to this email or drop a comment below.
Join me next week as I explore AI-powered workflows and answer the question: Is AI forcing creatives to find new analog avenues for self-expression?
Plus, I'll be sharing highlights from an upcoming interview with a tech founder reimagining recruitment in Latin America.
Karina