Sometimes it blows my mind, and sometimes AI is just… dumb.
Psst… AI is changing faster than Taylor Swift at an Eras Tour concert. This is current as of June 2025.
I’m kinda obsessed with using AI in my photography business, but also at home and at my day job.
It’s like having a super-smart (but sometimes totally clueless) intern who’s always ready to pitch in… or pitch me straight into a facepalm moment.
Writing emails that actually sound like me
One of my go-to uses for AI is editing emails. Here’s how:
- I rough-draft an email.
- I drop it into ChatGPT—who I’ve named Vera.
- Vera tightens it up without losing my voice.
She’s like an editor with a fancy MFA degree and no judgment about my spelling errors.
Vera suggests tweaks and cleans up my messy drafts—no corporate drone voice, just me… but better.
Writing emails that get opened
Not long ago, my email open rates tanked. Like, ouch.
Vera analyzed a bunch of my past emails and gave me the scoop: Too many images and links. So now I keep my newsletters simpler—fewer images, more plain text.
(And I switched from Flodesk to Kit, which made a HUGE difference.)
Tracking my business expenses like a boss
This is one of my proudest AI hacks: I built a custom tool that reads my confirmation emails and receipts, then:
- Extracts the important info (what I bought, how much, who sold it).
- Tags it with the IRS expense category (you know, to keep Uncle Sam off my back).
- Matches it to the right vendor (or creates a new one).
- Processes photos of receipts if I’m out and about.
It’s like having a teeny-tiny bookkeeper who never takes a vacation.
My big sister was my accounting virtual assistant, so… sorry sis. AI definitely took this part of your job.
Photo editing
Let’s be real—AI photo editing is where I really geek out. Here’s my setup:
- ImagenAI (trained on my editing style with over 3,000 images!) does the first pass.
- What used to take my human editor 7–9 days? Now it’s done in 15 minutes.
- But I still tweak every photo myself. Some things only my eyes can see.
AI for SPEEDY EDITING: SKIN, HAIR, AND WRINKLED CLOTHES
Acne? Gone. Flyaway hair? ADIOS.
This tool is faster (and better) than me wrestling with Photoshop. Evoto is friggin’ awesome.
Get Evoto: Use Promo Code “EvotoLydia” to get 15% off your first subscription.
Capturing ideas while driving so I don’t crash
Meet Letterly: the app that turns my “drive-time rambling” into polished blog posts or newsletters.
- I talk through an idea while I’m driving.
- Letterly transcribes and cleans it up.
- By the time I park? Draft ready to roll.
Food journaling that doesn’t suck
Logging what I eat used to be a total drag—until Parrot Pal showed up. It’s a voice-based food journal app where I can:
- Talk through what I ate.
- Scan barcodes or take photos.
- Skip the clunky MyFitnessPal nonsense.
Practicando Español (sí, ¡de verdad!) 🇪🇸
Vera’s also my Spanish conversation buddy.
We chat about the weather, my dog, and whatever else I feel like. It’s like having a language partner who’s always ready to practice—no passive-aggressive owl guilt trips included.
(Though seriously, I adore Duolingo, and I’ll never stop using it… but their Max level subscription, which includes back-and-forth conversations, isn’t worth it considering I can do the same thing with Vera for free.)
Where AI falls flat on its digital face
Not everything’s sparkly and genius, though. Some flops:
- It can totally make stuff up. Like a tipsy friend telling stories at 2am, you should double-check everything.
- Tech troubleshooting? AI’s like, “Sure! Here’s 18 paragraphs of nonsense.” It’s better at code and formulas, but don’t trust it blindly.
- Tone takes practice. Vera started off so stiff, then went full Disney poet—“fleeting moments,” “forever memories”—until I reined her in.
Why I can’t fully trust it (yet)
Working with AI reminds me of that boutique salesgirl who insists every single dress looks amazing on you—when you know some of them are hideous. 🤔
Vera hypes up everything, so I’ve had to train her to be brutally honest.
AI helps me do more and get unstuck faster—but it still needs me to direct, refine, and say ‘um, no—try again.’
Over to you—How are you using AI?
I’d love to hear how you’re using AI (or where it’s totally flopped for you!).
Drop a comment below or shoot me a message!
P.S. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click through and sign up, I might make a few bucks. I only recommend stuff I actually use and love. Thanks for supporting me!
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