Tool Users vs. True Creators
The tool user vs. the true creator:
Case 1#
When tasked with programming a new mechanic or feature in their game, the tool user will search for a tutorial that explains how to program and implement it. The tool user views game development as a wall of switches, and they look for the right combination to flip so the desired outcome can be achieved.
The true creator, on the other hand, does not see creation as flipping switches but instead as shaping something out of clay. The true creator would use knowledge, understanding and research on relevant topics to figure out how to get the desired outcome.
Case 2#
The true creator views the choice of what environment they create in—game engine, DAW, programming language, etc.—as choosing the material for their clay.
Exaggerated, but in the case of making a game; if they want something soft and light, which is very light and therefore easy to shape but at the same time very slippery and hard to control sometimes, they pick Unity, or some other game engine. Or they could make their own engine—which is like picking stone. Durable and effective, but very difficult to shape and mold, meaning you need durable and skilled hands in order to shape it into what you want and not make a mess.
The tool user thinks the choice of tools are what determines if they fail or not, while the true creator views the choice as important but simultaneously realizes that it’s ultimately the way they work that determines the outcome. The true creator can get used to and efficiently operate in any environment, with any tools, because he or she possess knowledge and understanding, while the tool user becomes completely numb the second they aren’t in proximity of their usual tools—because they don’t actually know what’s going on under the hood, since they are simply a user of tools, and not a true creator.
Case 3#
The tool user, in a world where it has never been easier to get started, still watches content on or searches for an answer to questions such as “How to Start X”, or “How to get Into X”. They are looking for a premade path, again viewing the world as a bunch of switches on a wall which they need to find a combination for, instead of viewing the world like the true creator—a way to carve out your own path—an authentic, fresh, new path, that only you have taken.
The true creator is keen on jumping into the jungle and trying to carve out a custom, authentic path, while the tool user is afraid and instead circles the edge of the jungle, looking for an already paved path.
Case 4#
When being inspired by something, and seeking to imitate it, the tool user posts a comment saying “How did you do this?”, “Tutorial please”—they can’t figure it out themselves. Again, they’re asking for the right combination of switches to flip.
The true creator knows that discussions of technique, mastery, process, and practice are necessary and productive, but uses knowledge, understanding, problem-solving and research to be able to imitate and replicate something.
Bad and Good tool users#
The tool user lacks understanding and knowledge of what the tools are doing under the hood, and therefore cannot thrive without them, or when placed in an environment with different tools. For example, if AI becomes unavailable, the vibe-coder (tool user) becomes obsolete. They have no foundational, deep understanding in the field they’re working in—they outsource that understanding to technology (the LLM).
If moved from one environment to another, the tool user would have to learn the new environment as if they were learning some completely different thing, because the tool is their whole world, and they will constantly try to find the equivalent feature between the old and new environment, while failing to instead, like the true creator try to figure out how the new environment handles concepts and ideas differently. The true creator can swiftly move between environments, because they understand the reasoning that underpins all environments.
This doesn’t mean the vibe-coder can create something of value, though—tool users can still create impactful and significant things, as long as they emulate the true creator in the four cases above, that is, long as the tool user possesses the same virtues as the true creator: the ability to research, problem solve, self learn and thrive in obscurity, etc. But even if the tool user has these traits they should still remember that because they lack proper understanding of the reasoning that underpins everything, they are limited by their tools and will be unable to create when not in proximity of them—they would have to relearn everything from the bottom up.
So let’s call tool user that possess the ability to research, problem solve, self learn and thrive in obscurity like a true creator a good tool user, while calling a tool user without even those skills a bad tool user.
An example of a good tool user is someone who uses diffusion models to create art, and genuinely creates some novel, intriguing stuff. They think like the true creator, but they can’t create in an environment where these models aren’t available. The true creator would be able to thrive both in an environment where only diffusion models are available, where they are available amongst other tools, and where they are completely absent.
A bad tool user leaves everything on defaults and lets the tool make the decisions, never working with creative intent or any kind of craft, which produces slop.
Strive for the True Creator#
So the most important skills are the ability to research, problem solve, self learn and thrive in obscurity. This can get you a long way, but I think if you want to create something truly significant or evolve yourself in whatever domain you find yourself in, you need to begin understanding and acquiring deep knowledge of that domain in which you create, along with the former skills.
Some people naturally adopt the mindset of the true creator. Sometimes a person is simply too young, and with time they will naturally develop the mindset of a true creator. Sometimes a person needs to be reminded or nudged in the right direction.
We should all strive to be like the true creator, and avoid being like the tool user.
Ocean of Garbage#
Technology has, and genAI will on a much more significant scale increase the amount of tool users, and especially bad tool users. This is evident by how popular the term “slop” has become (try putting the term into Google Trends). The ocean of uninspired, garbage games, music, websites, art, etc., has and will continue to balloon in size, because the tools have gotten so good and can handle so much knowledge and understanding on behalf of the operator, which leads to people being able to create reasonable things without possessing or needing any of the skills of the true creator.