Julie Meridian
@makeitlegit.com
UX, system thinker, advocate for the human touch.
Support the artists who make the art you love!
Support the artists who make the art you love!
Many artistic skills — seeing, composing, making marks —transfer both ways across analog & digital (just ask @loish.bsky.social )
NOTE about gen AI:
It can’t help you see unless you ask, it is limited and repetitive for composition, and won’t help you build skill in making marks at all.
NOTE about gen AI:
It can’t help you see unless you ask, it is limited and repetitive for composition, and won’t help you build skill in making marks at all.
January 30, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Many artistic skills — seeing, composing, making marks —transfer both ways across analog & digital (just ask @loish.bsky.social )
NOTE about gen AI:
It can’t help you see unless you ask, it is limited and repetitive for composition, and won’t help you build skill in making marks at all.
NOTE about gen AI:
It can’t help you see unless you ask, it is limited and repetitive for composition, and won’t help you build skill in making marks at all.
Oof, that hurts to see that called animated. That should remain a term for human skill.
Generated. It’s generated.
Generated. It’s generated.
i gotta say one more thing
having worked in animation for years now, calling this "animated" is a fucking mortal insult. completely get fucked. animation is a creator thoughtfully and painstakingly giving something life. this is fucking nothing compared to animation
having worked in animation for years now, calling this "animated" is a fucking mortal insult. completely get fucked. animation is a creator thoughtfully and painstakingly giving something life. this is fucking nothing compared to animation
First trailer for Darren Aranofsky's new AI animated series 'On This Day... 1776'
• Tells short narrative stories about the Revolutionary War
• Uses Gen AI tools, including tech made by Google DeepMind
• Has SAG voice actors
• Tells short narrative stories about the Revolutionary War
• Uses Gen AI tools, including tech made by Google DeepMind
• Has SAG voice actors
January 29, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Oof, that hurts to see that called animated. That should remain a term for human skill.
Generated. It’s generated.
Generated. It’s generated.
Reposted by Julie Meridian
i gotta say one more thing
having worked in animation for years now, calling this "animated" is a fucking mortal insult. completely get fucked. animation is a creator thoughtfully and painstakingly giving something life. this is fucking nothing compared to animation
having worked in animation for years now, calling this "animated" is a fucking mortal insult. completely get fucked. animation is a creator thoughtfully and painstakingly giving something life. this is fucking nothing compared to animation
First trailer for Darren Aranofsky's new AI animated series 'On This Day... 1776'
• Tells short narrative stories about the Revolutionary War
• Uses Gen AI tools, including tech made by Google DeepMind
• Has SAG voice actors
• Tells short narrative stories about the Revolutionary War
• Uses Gen AI tools, including tech made by Google DeepMind
• Has SAG voice actors
January 29, 2026 at 7:45 PM
i gotta say one more thing
having worked in animation for years now, calling this "animated" is a fucking mortal insult. completely get fucked. animation is a creator thoughtfully and painstakingly giving something life. this is fucking nothing compared to animation
having worked in animation for years now, calling this "animated" is a fucking mortal insult. completely get fucked. animation is a creator thoughtfully and painstakingly giving something life. this is fucking nothing compared to animation
Reposted by Julie Meridian
anyway here's the post i wrote up a little while ago as something to share with people who don't get it yet. even if they don't read it, i'm still doing what i can to take away the "i didn't know better" excuse.
July 22, 2025 at 9:31 PM
anyway here's the post i wrote up a little while ago as something to share with people who don't get it yet. even if they don't read it, i'm still doing what i can to take away the "i didn't know better" excuse.
Reposted by Julie Meridian
Reposted by Julie Meridian
So advice…
When oblivious friends and loved ones send AI-generated shit for laughs and you kinda hate AI-generated shit (not because you’re out of touch but because it’s unethical technology mainly used for unethical behavior), what do you respond?
Note: They don’t want a lecture or convo.
When oblivious friends and loved ones send AI-generated shit for laughs and you kinda hate AI-generated shit (not because you’re out of touch but because it’s unethical technology mainly used for unethical behavior), what do you respond?
Note: They don’t want a lecture or convo.
July 22, 2025 at 4:17 AM
So advice…
When oblivious friends and loved ones send AI-generated shit for laughs and you kinda hate AI-generated shit (not because you’re out of touch but because it’s unethical technology mainly used for unethical behavior), what do you respond?
Note: They don’t want a lecture or convo.
When oblivious friends and loved ones send AI-generated shit for laughs and you kinda hate AI-generated shit (not because you’re out of touch but because it’s unethical technology mainly used for unethical behavior), what do you respond?
Note: They don’t want a lecture or convo.
Reposted by Julie Meridian
I found this nice blog post on how to take useful fish pics for illustration purposes www.abachar.com/blogs/news/4...
Taking basic reference photos of fish. - Studio Abachar
Fish, Scientific illustration, baja, marine art, fish illustration, fishing, freediving, spearfishing, angling, sportfishing
www.abachar.com
July 10, 2025 at 1:07 PM
I found this nice blog post on how to take useful fish pics for illustration purposes www.abachar.com/blogs/news/4...
Reposted by Julie Meridian
If you are in any creative or copyright dependent org of any kind, NOW is the time to speak up. You have until March 15 11:59 pm EST to send a note to the WhiteHouse on why we need to follow our current laws.
We all lose if tech’s deranged agenda passes.
www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-st...
We all lose if tech’s deranged agenda passes.
www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-st...
Public Comment Invited on Artificial Intelligence Action Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Trump’s recent Artificial Intelligence (AI) Executive Order shows that this Administration is dedicated to America’s global
www.whitehouse.gov
March 14, 2025 at 8:54 PM
If you are in any creative or copyright dependent org of any kind, NOW is the time to speak up. You have until March 15 11:59 pm EST to send a note to the WhiteHouse on why we need to follow our current laws.
We all lose if tech’s deranged agenda passes.
www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-st...
We all lose if tech’s deranged agenda passes.
www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-st...
Reposted by Julie Meridian
You might know us from the guides we have put together, like the de-risking guide and the UX guide. Governments all around the world have used them to make services more accessible and add more value to the public — all while saving millions of dollars. You can still find them here: 18f.org/guides/
18F Guides
A central resource for all 18F guides and methods
18f.org
March 3, 2025 at 6:19 PM
You might know us from the guides we have put together, like the de-risking guide and the UX guide. Governments all around the world have used them to make services more accessible and add more value to the public — all while saving millions of dollars. You can still find them here: 18f.org/guides/
Reposted by Julie Meridian
18F was doing exactly the type of work that DOGE claims to want – yet we were eliminated shortly after midnight. Read our letter to the American people:
18f.org
18f.org
We're not done yet | 18F
18f.org
March 1, 2025 at 11:38 PM
18F was doing exactly the type of work that DOGE claims to want – yet we were eliminated shortly after midnight. Read our letter to the American people:
18f.org
18f.org
UX thought of the day:
The more a product or service challenges your users' convictions, or demands concessions to fit into their lives, the more open they become to alternatives...including ditching the fundamental "hook" that is at the root of their loyalty to it.
The more a product or service challenges your users' convictions, or demands concessions to fit into their lives, the more open they become to alternatives...including ditching the fundamental "hook" that is at the root of their loyalty to it.
February 19, 2025 at 6:40 PM
UX thought of the day:
The more a product or service challenges your users' convictions, or demands concessions to fit into their lives, the more open they become to alternatives...including ditching the fundamental "hook" that is at the root of their loyalty to it.
The more a product or service challenges your users' convictions, or demands concessions to fit into their lives, the more open they become to alternatives...including ditching the fundamental "hook" that is at the root of their loyalty to it.
Reposted by Julie Meridian
saw this on twitter, Stephen Worth made some extremely good points about what originality is animation production design these days and how nostalgia sometimes passes this point of no return in terms of relatability...
...and what it means to be a consumer vs a creative as an animation artist
...and what it means to be a consumer vs a creative as an animation artist
February 19, 2025 at 1:30 AM
saw this on twitter, Stephen Worth made some extremely good points about what originality is animation production design these days and how nostalgia sometimes passes this point of no return in terms of relatability...
...and what it means to be a consumer vs a creative as an animation artist
...and what it means to be a consumer vs a creative as an animation artist
Reposted by Julie Meridian
If you want to write heroes in the year 2025, you have to decide what they stand for, and then stand for it. The mealy-mouthed, offend-no-one approach no longer works. People respond to the Walter Whites bc you can put truth in their mouths. So put truth in the mouths of the good guys.
February 18, 2025 at 11:46 PM
If you want to write heroes in the year 2025, you have to decide what they stand for, and then stand for it. The mealy-mouthed, offend-no-one approach no longer works. People respond to the Walter Whites bc you can put truth in their mouths. So put truth in the mouths of the good guys.
Reposted by Julie Meridian
Am I too sensitive or is it that you have unlearned how to talk to strangers and fail to consider that you’re rudeness might not read as playful to someone who doesn’t know you?
November 14, 2024 at 11:30 PM
Am I too sensitive or is it that you have unlearned how to talk to strangers and fail to consider that you’re rudeness might not read as playful to someone who doesn’t know you?
Reposted by Julie Meridian
Keep using your voice, making your effort, enjoying the process, learning how to do it yourself. Resist using AI for creative things.
The fact of it: Use it or lose it.
The fact of it: Use it or lose it.
February 7, 2024 at 3:52 PM
Keep using your voice, making your effort, enjoying the process, learning how to do it yourself. Resist using AI for creative things.
The fact of it: Use it or lose it.
The fact of it: Use it or lose it.
Reposted by Julie Meridian
I’m a grantwriter and I recently had a client use ChatGPT to help write a first draft for me to review. We had to spend HOURS fixing it line by line 💀 By the end she was like “oh wow you’re even faster than the AI!!” yeah because I have 20 years of experience with this foundation and it doesn’t!!!
I had a client try to write a whitepaper with chatgpt prompts and then asked me to "edit" it. I said if they wanted an actual whitepaper I would need the hours to actually write it from scratch. There was no "editing" that could save that word vomit (they agreed btw!).
Oh geeze, yes, on the AI thing. Work wants us to use it, and it blows my mind C suite execs actually think it makes writing easier. And my job has nothing to do with writing!
January 30, 2024 at 11:35 PM
I’m a grantwriter and I recently had a client use ChatGPT to help write a first draft for me to review. We had to spend HOURS fixing it line by line 💀 By the end she was like “oh wow you’re even faster than the AI!!” yeah because I have 20 years of experience with this foundation and it doesn’t!!!
I’m weary of this graphic design trend that uses abstract shapes (instead of illustrations or photos) and motion (just because they can).
dovetail.com/insightout/
dovetail.com/insightout/
Insight Out 2024
Join us on April 11, 2024 for an industry conference all about the power of creating, sharing, and leveraging customer insights to build better products.
dovetail.com
January 17, 2024 at 7:56 PM
I’m weary of this graphic design trend that uses abstract shapes (instead of illustrations or photos) and motion (just because they can).
dovetail.com/insightout/
dovetail.com/insightout/
Using AI tools where judgment is needed is hiring someone who sounds good but can’t distinguish between correct results & making things up, lies about their expertise, and hides their sources so you can’t independently confirm what they say.
I think about this every time I see an AI announcement.
I think about this every time I see an AI announcement.
January 12, 2024 at 8:12 PM
Using AI tools where judgment is needed is hiring someone who sounds good but can’t distinguish between correct results & making things up, lies about their expertise, and hides their sources so you can’t independently confirm what they say.
I think about this every time I see an AI announcement.
I think about this every time I see an AI announcement.
Reposted by Julie Meridian
Anyone ages 12 – 26 living in the United States can get a San Diego Public Library Books Unbanned card. With the card, the library’s online collection of banned or restricted eBooks and eAudiobooks are available for FREE, no matter where you live in the U.S. libraryfoundationsd.org/news/stories...
San Diego's Books Unbanned protects the freedom to read
Library Foundation SD and library launch Books Unbanned in San Diego to resist book bans, promote intellectual freedom among young readers, and cement libraries as a place where everyone belongs.
libraryfoundationsd.org
October 3, 2023 at 12:58 AM
Anyone ages 12 – 26 living in the United States can get a San Diego Public Library Books Unbanned card. With the card, the library’s online collection of banned or restricted eBooks and eAudiobooks are available for FREE, no matter where you live in the U.S. libraryfoundationsd.org/news/stories...
I'm on the cusp of a big art show (Feb) and a big milestone for my UX work (Apr). More details soon!
The strong bond that I have between these opposites is that artists will *always* be my users. I am compelled to respond where there are intersections of art and technology.
The strong bond that I have between these opposites is that artists will *always* be my users. I am compelled to respond where there are intersections of art and technology.
January 6, 2024 at 4:54 AM
I'm on the cusp of a big art show (Feb) and a big milestone for my UX work (Apr). More details soon!
The strong bond that I have between these opposites is that artists will *always* be my users. I am compelled to respond where there are intersections of art and technology.
The strong bond that I have between these opposites is that artists will *always* be my users. I am compelled to respond where there are intersections of art and technology.
Reposted by Julie Meridian
Reluctantly crouched
At the starting line
Parsley
Sage
Rosemary and thyme
At the starting line
Parsley
Sage
Rosemary and thyme
December 22, 2023 at 5:29 PM
Reluctantly crouched
At the starting line
Parsley
Sage
Rosemary and thyme
At the starting line
Parsley
Sage
Rosemary and thyme
These are necessary things for the health of a social network. I want Bluesky to succeed — which means prioritizing tools for people to protect themselves from the abusive behaviors of people who will do it as long as they get away with it.
Without proper filtering and blocking and safety prioritized, plus the added bonus of holidays making everything more tense and people even more charged, this place is just the other place minus DMs in a lot of ways. It should have grown more by now.
December 21, 2023 at 8:00 PM
These are necessary things for the health of a social network. I want Bluesky to succeed — which means prioritizing tools for people to protect themselves from the abusive behaviors of people who will do it as long as they get away with it.
Reposted by Julie Meridian
COMICS WON'T JUST BREAK YOUR HEART - Tynan Stewart
"...the momentum generated by the strikes in Hollywood has caused a lot of people to ask, 'Can we do something like this in comics?'"
roadmapmag.com/articles/com...
"...the momentum generated by the strikes in Hollywood has caused a lot of people to ask, 'Can we do something like this in comics?'"
roadmapmag.com/articles/com...
Comics won't just break your heart
by Tynan Stewart on Dec 01, 2023 // On the unforgiving economics of making comics—and cartoonists’ efforts to change them—in the wake of #ComicsBrokeMe
roadmapmag.com
December 4, 2023 at 1:29 AM
COMICS WON'T JUST BREAK YOUR HEART - Tynan Stewart
"...the momentum generated by the strikes in Hollywood has caused a lot of people to ask, 'Can we do something like this in comics?'"
roadmapmag.com/articles/com...
"...the momentum generated by the strikes in Hollywood has caused a lot of people to ask, 'Can we do something like this in comics?'"
roadmapmag.com/articles/com...
Reposted by Julie Meridian
This is one of the most honorable way to approach making art, to believe in your ability to put something into the world that helps *somewhere, sometime* & that hypothetical audience is worth caring about
Listening to an album for the first time that released nine years ago and every time I do this with music, I remember it works the same way with books. What you write today may take some time to be found by those who will love it but you can’t lose hope of that discovery occurring.
December 3, 2023 at 4:29 AM
This is one of the most honorable way to approach making art, to believe in your ability to put something into the world that helps *somewhere, sometime* & that hypothetical audience is worth caring about