Let me set the scene.

I (27F) used to draw every single day. Sketchbooks full, Procreate files piling up — art was my whole outlet. It’s how I coped with stress, how I processed emotions, how I connected to myself and others. But a few months ago, I suffered a wrist injury that hasn’t healed right. Now, even holding a stylus too long makes my hand throb.

I tried everything — braces, rest, rehab — but nothing made it possible to draw like before. I felt trapped in my own mind, surrounded by creative visions I couldn’t bring to life. It was genuinely heartbreaking.

Then I discovered an AI art generator. Completely free. No limits. I could make as many images as I wanted, whenever I wanted. It didn’t require physical effort, expensive tools, or hours of strain. Just imagination and a few words. And for the first time in ages, I could finally turn my ideas into art again — vivid, emotional, surreal, personal. It felt like getting a piece of myself back.

So I posted some of my creations online — not pretending I hand-drew them, just proud to be creating again.

That’s when it all blew up.

People I considered friends — fellow artists — tore into me. One told me I was “setting the art world on fire.” Another said I was “taking the easy way out.” Someone else said, and I quote, “It would be better if you just stopped making art altogether than stoop to this.”
Like... what??

They don’t seem to care that I’m not making money off of this, or that I physically can’t draw anymore. They don’t care that this tool, this free and unlimited generator, is the only way I can stay connected to the thing I love. Apparently, using an accessible tool to keep creating is worse than giving up entirely.

I’m honestly devastated. I thought art was about expression, not gatekeeping. I’m not claiming AI is perfect. But it’s helping me stay me. AITAH?