All Media is Now Multimedia
All Media is Now Multimedia
How AI changes the creative landscape and expectations for modern creators
Welcome to Unknown Arts, where we explore the intersection of creativity and technology. Ready to forge ahead into the unknown? Join the journey!
As a kid, I was fascinated by the iTunes music visualizer.
I'd sit at my computer, watching as it transformed the sound waves of my favorite songs into pulsing, colorful patterns. What seemed like magic then was just a glimpse of something bigger: machines interpreting and reshaping media.
Today, we've entered an era where AI has pushed this concept beyond imagination. We're not just watching music become patterns anymore – AI transforms voice into text, text into video, and soon, any medium into any other. The idea of single-format media is becoming obsolete.
In this new age, all media is inherently multimedia.
Your ideas want to live everywhere
Modern creators face a new reality. The public expects to see ideas expressed across platforms—from social media to podcasts to video. AI tools are making these transitions easier, pushing creators beyond their original medium.
For an aspirational example of creative fluidity, look at Donald Glover. He started writing for 30 Rock and acting in Community. Then he became Childish Gambino, the musician. Now he directs and produces hits like Atlanta. Glover shows us what a modern multi-hyphenate can achieve by moving fluidly between mediums. And now, new AI tools are making it easier for creators to follow similar paths—translating their ideas across formats with unprecedented speed and accessibility.
The tension between depth and breadth
This shift creates tension. Many creators have spent years mastering one craft, building much of their creative identity around their chosen medium. The push to become a generalist can feel like diluting that expertise.
While AI opens new doors for expression, it challenges the fundamental notion of deep focus in one discipline. Is it better to maintain singular expertise, or embrace the role of creative polymath?
There's a delicate balance between using these tools to spread ideas widely and maintaining the core focus that makes someone great at their craft.
What happens next
The question isn't whether AI will change creative work—it already has. The question is how creators will respond:
Will they see it as an expansion of their creative power? A distraction from their core craft? Or a threat to the craft itself?
The tools that enable creative expansion might also challenge their sense of artistic identity. But no matter their response, they can't escape the fact that in the age of AI, all media is multimedia.
In this new creative landscape, the walls between mediums have crumbled—and the most compelling voices will find their way into every format.
Until Next Time,
Patrick
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