When I retired, I imagined spending rather less time at my desk. Instead, I've recently found myself using AI to create metallic flowers.
INTGOM — I Need To Get Out More — continues to live up to its name.
It started with a question. AI can now produce extraordinary images in seconds, but can those images become something people genuinely want to hang on their walls? And might someone actually pay for them?
I decided to find out.
From pixels to prints
I've created a small collection exploring very human experiences — overthinking, burnout, resilience and change — through something decidedly artificial: intricate, sculptural flowers with metallic surfaces.
The idea isn't simply to make pretty pictures. It's to see whether AI can help translate something emotional and recognisable into an image that makes someone stop and look.
This one is called Overthinking. The petals curl endlessly inwards, almost trapping themselves.
Is it art? That's an interesting debate. But perhaps a more useful question is whether it makes you feel something.
The first reality check
I've now received the first physical test prints, and I'm impressed. The detail, colours and depth have survived the transition from screen to paper remarkably well.
But creating an attractive print and creating something people will actually buy are two very different achievements.
That's where the experiment gets interesting.
Next comes the commercial test: can these images attract genuine customers, and can the whole process make financial sense without consuming ridiculous amounts of time?
I'm keeping the experiment deliberately small. I'll share what happens as it develops — the results, costs, mistakes and any surprises along the way.
No claims of effortless passive income. No promises of an AI-powered money machine.
Just a practical experiment to see whether something entirely artificial can create a little genuine value.
And if it doesn't? That should be worth documenting too.