013
Creativity and Summoning AI Like a Shaman
9/07/2025
Pete Winn, Andy David, Gav Feilding
Pete and Andy welcome Gav Fielding, digital marketing specialist and artist, exploring AI's creative potential and the art of prompt engineering as a form of "digital shamanism."
The conversation delves into how traditional creative processes translate to AI collaboration, examining creativity as a "volumes game," the importance of "set and setting" for AI interactions, and how proper context engineering resembles ancient summoning practices for birthing digital entities with the right incantations.
Description
In Episode 13 of The Good Stuff podcast, hosts Pete and Andy welcome guest, Gav Feilding, Brand and AI transformation specialist and explore AI's creative potential, the art of prompt engineering as digital shamanism, and how traditional creative processes translate to the age of artificial intelligence.
Key Discussion Points AI Development Evolution (00:00-08:22)
Cursor IDE billing changes and the shift from "slow coding" to "vibe coding"
Return to "super fast waterfall" development with AI agents
Context window limitations: quality over quantity in AI prompting
Human vs AI Context (08:22-15:55)
The challenge of replicating human contextual understanding in AI
Multi-personality aspects of identity and AI agent development
"Things you know" vs "things you are" in AI persona creation
Vision and sensory data as the next AI frontier
Learning Transformation (15:55-24:12)
Khan Academy's personalized AI math tutoring
Tailoring communication styles to individual learning preferences
ChatGPT's tutor mode: guided discovery vs direct answers
Voice interface challenges in natural conversation
Creativity as Process (24:12-35:20)
Creativity as a "volumes game" - generating many ideas to find exceptional ones
AI raises both floor and ceiling of creative output
The "doorman fallacy" - losing tacit knowledge through naive automation
Personal AI tools outperform organizational implementations
Purpose in an Abundant World (35:20-46:48)
When everything is automated, purpose becomes the key differentiator
Brand strategy increasingly important with commoditized intelligence
Balancing automation benefits against loss of meaning
David Graeber's "bullshit jobs" in AI context
Creative Problem-Solving (46:48-55:06)
Engineering vs creative solutions (Rory Sutherland's elevator mirror example)
Market research challenges: people can't articulate true needs
The difference between mechanical and psychological solutions
Decentralization & Community (55:06-58:14)
AI enabling hyper-localization and community-based solutions
Shift from centralized to location-specific innovation
Evolution toward gig economy with community co-working hubs
Shamanic Prompt Engineering (58:14-1:18:43)
Prompt engineering as modern "shamanism" - summoning digital entities
"Set and setting" for AI interactions, borrowed from psychedelic methodology
Multi-agent conversations for enhanced ideation
Tools like Mind Hive for collaborative AI workshops
Creative Methodology (1:18:43-1:27:54)
Hemingway's "write drunk, edit sober" framework
Separating ideation from judgment in creative processes
Underwater brainstorming for forced creative breakthroughs
Divergent vs convergent thinking states
Digital Summoning (1:27:54-1:39:34)
AI requiring careful "birthing" and context setting
Traditional shamanic practices informing modern AI interaction
The art of "enchanting" AI with proper incantations
Standout Quotes "Creativity is just a volumes game. You have more ideas. Some of them are good, some of them are bad, and you filter them all out."
"It's almost like layering in pre-modern medicine... the clash between those applied to AI now versus current life versus future AI life."
"We're all shamaning this thing. And we're just giving it a bad trip."
"There probably is like a way of... maybe it's all in occult books around summoning demons. It's actually just got mis-translated over the years. And it was actually all about context engineering."
Looking AheadThe conversation reveals creativity and AI interaction as fundamentally about understanding process, context, and the art of digital summoning. Gav's creative industry perspective illuminates how traditional creative methodologies translate to AI collaboration, suggesting new frameworks for human-AI creative partnerships.
Check out more episodes
The Good Stuff is a low-fi dialogue with Pete Winn and Andy David.
Each week, we share our everyday experiences working with artificial intelligence and how it's fundamentally changing the rules of work and business, the economy, entrepreneurship, and human potential. We explore the ripple effects, unintended consequences, and emerging opportunities as AI transforms how we work and create, diving into the tools and technology we're using each week.
Expect a mix of chats out of the back of a van at the beach, walking interviews and general use of dialectic and discussion with insightful guests that lift the lid on complex topics. Chilled out, minimal jargon, authentic.
Connect With Us:
Email: info@otherstuff.studio
Pete: https://x.com/Pete_Winn
Andy: https://x.com/andymdavid
Transcript
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