The Story Behind Some Of My Blog Images
If you’ve spent any time browsing HodgePodge Crochet, you may have noticed that some of the featured images on my blog don’t look like traditional crochet photography. That’s because many of them are created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).
I know AI can be a sensitive topic in the creative world, so I wanted to take a moment to explain how I use it, why I use it, and where I draw the line.
A Tool, Not a Replacement
For me, AI is simply another creative tool.
Years ago, blog graphics were often made with clip art. Then came stock photography. Later, programs like Canva and Photoshop made it easier for creators to design eye-catching images without being professional photographers.
I see AI as another step in that evolution. It helps me create illustrations and featured images that fit the topic I’m writing about, especially when there isn’t an actual photograph that tells the story.
How I Use AI on This Blog
Most of the AI images you see here are used as:
- Featured images for blog posts
- Decorative illustrations
- Visual concepts
- Graphics for social media
Their purpose is to catch your eye and give you a visual sense of what an article is about before you ever read the first paragraph.
Running a blog involves much more than simply writing articles. Every post needs a featured image. Social media posts need graphics. Pinterest pins need visuals. Newsletters often need images as well. Those visuals help bring a blog to life and make it more enjoyable to browse.
If you’ve ever looked into creating custom graphics the traditional way, you quickly discover how expensive it can be. Purchasing commercial-use stock photography often requires licensing fees. Hiring a photographer means paying for their time, equipment, editing, and image usage rights. Commissioning an illustrator or graphic designer to create custom artwork can easily cost anywhere from tens to hundreds of dollars for a single image, depending on the project.
For a large company with a dedicated marketing budget, those costs may be manageable. For a small, independent crochet designer and blogger like me, they simply aren’t realistic—especially when I’m publishing new content on a regular basis.
As a one-person business, I have to be thoughtful about where I invest my limited time and resources. I’d much rather spend my budget on quality yarn, developing new patterns, pattern testing, website hosting, and improving the tutorials and patterns I share than on commissioning a custom illustration for every single blog post.
Using AI allows me to create original visuals that reflect the topic I’m writing about without the ongoing expense of purchasing licensed artwork or custom illustrations for every article. It also helps me maintain a consistent visual style across the blog while stretching my limited time and resources. In the end, I’d rather invest in creating better crochet content than in creating more expensive blog graphics, because those are the things that directly benefit my readers.
What AI Does Not Do
This is probably the question I get asked most often.
I don’t use AI to create fake crochet projects and present them as real patterns.
If I’m publishing a crochet pattern, I want you to see the actual item that was crocheted. Real stitches. Real yarn. Real photos.
AI doesn’t replace the designing, testing, crocheting, photographing, or writing that goes into creating a pattern. It simply helps me create some of the supporting artwork that accompanies my blog posts.
Different Creators, Different Choices
I also understand that not everyone feels the same way about AI.
Some people love it. Some prefer not to use it at all. Others are still deciding how they feel, and that’s perfectly okay.
Every creator has to choose the tools that best fit their workflow, budget, and creative goals. This is simply the approach that works for me.
My goal isn’t to convince anyone to use AI. It’s simply to be transparent about how I use it here on HodgePodge Crochet.
Creativity Still Comes First
At the end of the day, the ideas, tutorials, crochet patterns, tips, and words on this blog come from me.
AI doesn’t decide what to write, what to design, or what to teach. It doesn’t crochet a single stitch or develop a new pattern. Those are still very human–very me–parts of the creative process.
Whether a featured image is illustrated with AI, photographed with a camera, or designed in a graphics program, my focus remains the same: sharing crochet inspiration, helpful tutorials, and patterns that I hope you’ll enjoy.
Whether you love AI, dislike it, or are still undecided, I hope you’ll judge HodgePodge Crochet by the quality of the crochet, tutorials, and patterns you find here. That’s what this blog has always been about.
Thank you for being here, and thank you for supporting HodgePodge Crochet—however you found your way here. I appreciate every visit, every comment, and every stitch we share together.
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