Building a Gallery with AI
You know those Facebook ads that pop up and drown out your friends’ posts? One caught my eye the other day. It said, “People aren’t using AI to its fullest ability. They’re using it like Google. It can do so much more—like create websites.”
That made me pause. I had already used AI to help me plan a jam-packed trip to Maryland and DC. It guided me through what was in the area, the costs, the best routes, the dates, times, and even which tickets I needed. It was incredibly helpful! But a website? That felt like a whole new world. I had to ask—and AI answered back: “Yes, absolutely.”
From there, the adventure began. With my creative ideas and AI’s technical knowledge, we built a plan. I wanted a free online gallery for my artwork. I’d tried WIX, but with too many pictures, it was going to cost me. Together, we decided on a better path. AI generated the code, and I wrestled with uploading it. That alone felt like a mountain climb—but I made it.
Then came the real work: page by page, line by line. It wasn’t easy. I’m no programmer. My only brush with coding was way back in high school, and yes—it was in HTML. I had to dust off those cobwebs, remembering that every little slash and comma mattered. AI guided me through tweaks and fixes. The frustration was real. At one point I told it flat out: “I quit.” It didn’t flinch. Calm and encouraging, it suggested I take a break. AI's reassuring and understanding tone sans any irritation helped to ground me. "I can do this." I told myself.
There were plenty of moments I wanted to pull my hair out. But with a calm AI guiding the way, I took deep breaths. AI couldn’t just reach into the site and do the work for me—I had to decide, adjust, and enter everything myself. But when I look at the site now, I feel proud. The gallery is neat and balanced, with a link for older works so nothing feels overcrowded. My son even has his own page with links to his earlier pieces and music videos. There’s a page for my exhibits too—a glimpse of where my art has traveled in the world.
Of course, there were some stings along the way. AI doesn’t really “remember” in the way we hope. If you don’t get things settled in one sitting, the next day it won’t recall the exact details of what you did before. I learned that the hard way. My husband had his own frustrations— his AI once skipped twelve accounts on his work schedule, then tried to “fill the gap” with twelve fake ones! He wasn’t amused.
But here’s the truth: even with its quirks, I couldn’t have done this without AI. I’d say the credit breaks down 80/20—80% to AI for the knowledge and troubleshooting, and 20% to me for stubbornness, patience, and sheer trial-and-error.
All in all, I’m glad I pushed through. The site isn’t just a gallery—it’s a reminder that with the right help, even the tech-shy can build something beautiful.
I'm excited to share that my art website is now ready to explore:
With paint on my hands and code in my eyes, I'm learning that creativity has no limits.
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