Field Notes Podcast by Brand Shepherd · 2026-07-18 · 12 min
Here is a fast, reliable test for what your next creative engagement is going to be like: listen for how the creative uses the word “art.” If they call their commercial work art, brace yourself. This week’s Field Notes gets into why the century-old distinction between art (self-expression) and design (problem solving) still matters, why so many creative professionals have quietly lost that distinction, and why that loss is at the center of the AI backlash in creative circles right now. The word is small. What it reveals about the engagement ahead of you is not. Get full access to Brand Shepherd at brandshepherd.substack.com/subscribe
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