05 — Balance control and exploration
You are the author. The tool is not. If you can't explain every decision, some of them weren't yours.
"You are the author. The tool is not. If you can't explain every decision, some of them weren't yours."
Do this now
Go through your current design and label each significant decision. For each one write either 'I decided this' or 'the tool generated this.' For every generated decision, ask: does this serve my concept, or did I just keep it because it looked fine?
Unpack
The authorship question isn't about whether you used AI — it's about whether you remained in charge of the idea. A designer who uses AI to generate twenty options and selects and refines the strongest with clear intent is the author of the outcome. That defensibility is what makes your work yours in a professional context.
Draw it.
Fast and messy is better than perfect.