Dispatch No. 7 - Tools vs. Craft
01. Signal
New tools show up every week—plugins, templates, AI helpers. They promise speed. But speed without standards just makes a mess faster.
Put simply—tools accelerate, craft decides.
Craft is the judgment about what belongs, how it holds together, and why it serves the person on the other side.
Where AI tools fit within my craft right now:
- Formatting: I dictate raw notes, ask AI to sort them into an outline, then I soundboard—keep what clarifies, cut what flattens. I rewrite in my voice, add real examples, and trim filler. The tool scaffolds, the craft speaks.
- Distribution: I’ll use AI to help with platform-specific reposts and light SEO keywords, but never without my own edits before publishing.
- Troubleshooting: Hosting quirks, CMS snags, finicky integrations. I use AI to talk through the issue and get to the next smallest fix.
- Automation in Notion: Light workflows to reduce admin—auto-tagging entries, summarizing meeting notes, outlining next steps, and pre-filling tasks.
Tools can structure, troubleshoot, or speed things up. The caliber of craft is whether the work still carries your judgment.
-MG
02. Practice
Before I add a tool (or an AI feature), I run a quick filter:
- Simplify: Does this remove steps or add more?
- Sustain: Will it still matter six months from now? (Skirt migration debt)
- Strengthen: Does it make the work clearer, more consistent, more trustworthy?
This practice keeps the stack lean and the focus on the work, not the gadget.
03. Tools
🎸 IRLXD: Tools vs. Craft → A short, sharp take on why tools will never substitute for judgment—and why designers should care more about decisions than features. ("Most gear-heads are great musicians. But many are not.")
⚖️ OpenAI: Prompt Engineering Guide → Helpful for structuring outlines or troubleshooting steps. The craft remains knowing which prompts are useful, and which still need your own judgment.
04. Fragments
“The machine does not isolate man from the great problems of nature but plunges him more deeply into them.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“A tool is but an extension of a man’s hand. Without a clear mind and a steady heart, it is useless.” — Soetsu Yanagi (Japanese philosopher of craft)