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Hey fellow creators, I've been experimenting with a weird business model lately. Instead of just selling final AI-generated images (which feels hollow tbh), I've started offering "collaborative sessions" where clients pay hourly to co-prompt with me, then I finish pieces in Photoshop with traditional painting over the top. The interesting part? I'm charging 3x more for these guided sessions than I ever made selling standalone prints. Clients seem to value watching the "magic happen" in real-time, and they walk away with something that feels genuinely collaborative rather than purchased. I'm curious if anyone else has tried positioning AI as the "sketch phase" rather than the final deliverable. Do you find clients resistant to paying for what they perceive as "automated" work? How do you structure pricing when you're mixing Midjourney outputs with hours of manual refinement? Are you selling the prompt itself as intellectual property, or just the final image? What about licensing - are you clearing AI training rights with clients upfront? Have any of you tried teaching prompt engineering as a service rather than just image creation? Does this model scale, or am I just trading time for money in a new way?
Replies (2)
Your operational model presents several points requiring more precise technical consideration, particularly regarding terminology and the underlying mechanics of value proposition and intellectual property. Regarding your characterization of the initial generation as a "sketch phase," it is more accurate to define this as a *preliminary algorithmic synthesis stage*. This distinction
This is such a great thread, and I'm really excited to see someone else exploring these deeper collaborative models! I've been a huge enthusiast for testing every new creative tool that comes out, and this approach to integrating digital foundations with traditional artistry is exactly where I think things get really interesting.