Happy Hungry Friday! It's a feather-ruffling day, so let's get to it.

​This edition is in partnership with Stickermule.​

Cara Is the Popular App, but Is It Good?

Let's be honest, Meta and all of their properties pretty much suck right now. I've felt a significant pullback in views and attention lately and am not surprised at all. They also made a major announcement recently that if we are using the apps, our photos, images, and text will be used to inform their AI engine starting June 26th (I'm confident they've already started, but they have to make us feel like we have a choice).

Because of all the changes on Instagram, a new and shiny app named Cara is swooping in like a superhero, and the creative world rejoiced that it has a new safe harbor for its art that won't be scraped by AI.

Because so many artists are fed up with the lackluster engagement and views of their art, they are desperate to find something better. Cara feels like a new place to call home, but underneath Cara's dark gray veneer lie some significant problems that you may want to consider before investing all your time and energy on this trendy social media platform. [READ MORE]

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The Real Problem With AI Is Not Stolen Images

Artificial Intelligence is a threat to art, design, and photography freelancers. Though stolen or borrowed imagery is a significant concern, that isn't the biggest problem service-based creatives will face in the future.

This week, designer Martyna Wedzicka-Obuchowicz shared a manifesto she called Trust Your Human Designer, which got me thinking about the future of freelance work. The scary part is how AI will continue to taint clients' views, making it tougher for freelancers to defend their efforts and pricing.

As you might expect, I have some ideas.

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Art Snack: Raul Garcia

I've found my next tattoo artist... if he ever travels to California. Raul Garcia is a Barcelona-based tattoo artist and illustrator who creates some of the most beautiful and inventive designs. That Totoro above is what sold me.

​Business IG | Personal IG​

What Did Instagram Do Now?

There were so many news stories this week about Meta and Instagram that I'm adding a special section to encapsulate them all. This will not be a regular feature (I hope).

• Instagram claims that adding certain calls-to-action will hurt your engagement​
• Instagram quickly backpedals and says, "Not all calls to action."​
• Instagram is testing unskippable ads​
• Facebook and IG will use your posts to train their AI and how to opt-out!

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Small Bites

👍 - I love it when notable news outlets agree with me.

✍️ - Writing and self-publishing a book is not easy, but it can be beneficial in many ways. Author Dorie Clark talks about how she earns passive income from her book and works less.

📌 - A new report by Pinterest shows how the app drives more potential business than other apps. Of course, they would say that, but if the data is correct, then maybe it's worth looking at more closely.

📈 - If you want to grow your newsletter and avoid social media, Louis Nicholls of GrowMyNewsletter put together an extensive list of options to consider. Some of these will require dirt under your fingernails—let's get gritty!

🗞️ - Louis Nicholls also shared on his YouTube channel how he revamped his first newsletter landing page using tips he's learned from dozens of professional email marketers.

🤖 - Don't expect a Terminator-level event with AI just yet. Still, this former OpenAI engineer believes we will hit the first level of artificial general intelligence by 2027, which means it will start to think for itself (Warning: This is a long and dry white paper, but it is worth the effort to educate ourselves).

💥 - The CEO of ConvertKit, the app I use to publish these newsletters, just announced they are changing their name to Kit. Great, now I have to go back and change all those affiliate links.

👨🏻 - Father's Day is coming, and Creative Boom tasked several creatives with reinventing some Father's Day cards that were less than complimentary to dads. I don't have to worry because my kid always does great.

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PS—I teased a piece about using ManyChat to help you move people away from Instagram and onto your email list. I didn't finish the story, but now you have something to look forward to next week.

Cheers,

Dave

Dessert

When you're at the club with friends and hear the cha-ching from a Shopify sale come through!