The playing field’s never been more even.
Everyone’s got the tools now.
The same fonts. The same mockups. The same AI tools and the same prompts.
Some creatives are deep in the doom & gloom….But me?
I am not worried at all. I trust my taste. It is my moat.
SOOO… WHAT EVEN IS TASTE?
Taste is NOT about fancy schools or knowing the rules.
It’s an instinct. A compass. Your 1/1 north star.
It’s that quiet little voice that says, “That’s it. Right there. Don’t touch it anymore.”
It’s knowing what not to do just as much as what to do.
HOW YOU GROW GOOD TASTE
You don’t build taste by doomscrolling. You build it by looking around.
Design is EVERYWHERE. Everything around you is a reference if you’re paying attention.
study old magazines that smell like dust.
look at the menu design from a diner that hasn’t changed since ’82.
pause a movie just to note the lighting when you feel an emotion.
Start collecting data points that make you feel something. And then try to understand why it makes you feel something.
It is actually pretty simple… your taste is just your input diet.
Garbage in = garbage out.
If all you’re consuming is the latest TikTok trend, don’t be surprised when your work looks like the latest TikTok trend (and dies with it).
TASTE VS. TREND (simple)
Trend is loud = “LOOK AT ME!”
Taste is quiet = “I’ll be over here.”
Trend asks for permission. Taste trusts its gut.
Trend fades. Taste lasts.
Taste builds trust → Trust builds longevity → Longevity = name of the game.
WHY IT MATTERS
In a world where AI can design a logo, write your caption, and build your brand before lunch…. taste is the last thing the machines can’t touch.
It’s human. It’s earned. It’s the soul inside the system.
You can feel it when something’s made by someone who cares.
You can copy a design. You can mimic a font. You can type a prompt.
But you can’t fake “I just had a feeling.”
To conclude, don’t overwhelm yourself with all algorithms and creating solely to try and ‘keep up.’
Instead, go consume inputs that nobody else is, and develop your moat of taste to become future proof.
Love y’all. Keep creating
-Carson