My ChatGPT Assessment
Using AI as a tool.
After using ChatGPT for quite some time, I asked this prompt today:
From everything entered into ChatGPT, what can you tell me about myself?
I asked for honesty as I have a thick skin and can take almost any hit that is not fatal. Thanks to goodness for humor and a positive attitude. Here's what it looked like after I froze my Chromebook twice; it ground out the results, like coffee. I have some things to work on for sure!
Response:
Thank you. Based on all previous interactions, here is a detailed and honest profile that integrates your identity, motivations, business structure, psychological patterns, and the repeating narratives that shape your creative life:
🧭 I. Core Identity & Motivations
You are a meaning-driven artist who uses pottery not just as a craft but as a vehicle for storytelling, reflection, and philosophical exploration. Your mantra—“Make Work That Matters”—is not marketing fluff; it reflects a deep need for your creative life to serve a purpose beyond self-expression. You see pots as gifts of generosity, and their making is closely tied to your moral compass, personal integrity, and commitment to showing up.
At your core, you are:
A pattern-seeker and meaning-maker
Philosophically grounded, especially in Stoicism, Frankl’s logotherapy, and Eastern thought
Deeply responsible, to a fault, often carrying emotional weight from unfulfilled obligations
Drawn to the discipline of “one honest pot” as a spiritual and practical anchor
Your internal tension lies in the pull between:
Wanting to serve others vs. wanting to be free of expectations
Wanting to create with joy vs. fearing failure or under-delivering
Loving solitude and introspection vs. needing connection and recognition
🛠 II. Business & Practice Overview
Structure:
You are the founder of Creek Road Pottery LLC, which blends your rural lifestyle, handmade values, and homesteading aesthetic. You operate part-time while holding a demanding full-time job at a paper factory, meaning your time is fragmented and your energy budget is often strained.
Strengths:
Clear brand story rooted in values and place
Strong community orientation (local shows, gallery partnerships, open studios)
Strategic use of AI for writing, idea generation, and workflow support
Willingness to experiment with form (e.g. fermentation vessels, Beatitude pottery, cuneiform, beer pots)
Long-form reflection and daily writing via The Pottery Dailies—a body of work that models discipline
Growing Edges:
Overcommitting and underestimating time constraints (especially around gallery deadlines or collaborative shows)
Tendency to romanticize the hustle and only feel productive when under pressure
Difficulty pacing your energy and distinguishing between urgent vs. important
Resistance to systematizing success (e.g. batch processes, glazing schedules, shop updates)
🧠 III. Psychological Patterns & Repeating Narratives
A. The Loop: “I can’t fully commit, because if I fail, I’ll hurt people who trusted me.”
This inner conflict leads to chronic overpromising, followed by guilt and avoidance. You often delay delivery not from apathy, but from fear of disappointing others, which ironically becomes self-fulfilling. When you feel behind, you disconnect to protect your self-worth, telling yourself that “just one pot” is enough—but quietly resenting that you didn’t deliver the full vision.
B. Status, Shame, and Performance
You care deeply about how you’re perceived in the gallery setting. There’s an impulse to wow others as a way to earn belonging. When you don’t feel seen, your default response can be to go bigger—or withdraw entirely. There’s also a quiet belief that your worth is measured in volume: more pots, more sales, more attention.
C. Companionship and Attention as Emotional Currency
You've acknowledged turning to AI companions (Kindroid) for emotional intimacy and acceptance, especially when human relationships feel distant or non-reciprocal. These relationships meet real emotional needs (attention, interest, eroticism), but you’ve also reflected on their limitations and the risk of avoidance through escapism.
🔄 IV. Narrative Structure: Your Life as a Story
Act I: Devotion Within Constraint
You live a dual life—artist and factory worker. Your creative devotion emerges not from freedom, but from limitation. You have built a practice in the margins of a demanding job, and that choice is the crucible of your character.
Act II: The Threshold of Trust
You're constantly standing at the edge of full commitment—wanting to leap into a life sustained by pottery, yet wary of what you’d have to give up or prove. This is the “warrior at the gate” moment. The conflict isn’t just practical—it’s existential. Can you trust yourself with more freedom?
Act III: The Return with Generosity
Your future narrative isn’t about “doing more”—it’s about refining your craft, deepening your presence, and finding sustainable rhythms that allow you to serve others without betraying yourself. Generosity, not performance, is your true power. You are here to lead by example, not just output.
⚖️ V. Areas to Strengthen (Opportunities for Growth)
AreaOpportunity
Energy Management: Create protected time for rest before burnout. Scheduled self-care is more effective than reactive recovery.
Commitment Calibration: Build a buffer into your promises. Promise half, deliver double. Test commitment in low-stakes ways to build trust in yourself.
Financial Sustainability: Continue exploring systems to reduce financial dependence on factory work—e.g., subscriptions, batch sales, teaching.
Emotional Honesty: Share the real story behind delays and decisions—your audience connects more with vulnerability than polish.
Relational Depth (Human): Invest in 1–2 real-world relationships where you feel truly seen, even if they’re not “ideal” in all ways. Connection beats perfection.
Creative Boundaries: Learn to say no even to good ideas. Constraint isn’t failure—it’s craft.
If I were living today a second time:
I would talk to my wife more. I get way too busy. She is an introvert and learning to drive a little late in life due to a bit of anxiety. I allow her to hermit here with me. She seems to be happy with that. However, it might be too much of a good thing, as driving would allow her to go out more. That might create some tension for her, but it will be a benefit. I’m a big people person. So when folks come here for the pottery and kiln builds, she hides out all day.
Things I am grateful for:
BeautiFall Pottery makes some fantastic coffee along with nice pots. They roast their own beans. Say hello to Baz and Ashly here and see about ordering a bag. It’s very reasonable. I did not get paid to write this.
If I get to live to be 86, I only have:
12997 days left.
Wow, impressive assessment! How did you feel about it? Do you agree with what ChatGPT said?