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AI can write our emails, help us design websites, automate repetitive tasks, and solve problems in seconds. But is all that efficiency making us more creative, or just giving us new ways to avoid doing the creative work?

After Squarespace Circle Day in New York City, I sat down with six creative professionals to talk about AI, creativity, and the pressure to produce more.

And wow, did they have some thoughts.

We're talking about the temptation to automate everything, what happens when we outsource our creative thinking, and how to protect the unique perspectives that make our work worth sharing.

From AI-powered editing tools that create more work to the surprisingly relatable experience of spending hours automating a task that takes minutes, these conversations are full of reminders that being more efficient doesn't always mean being more creative.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why AI-powered efficiency doesn't always save time
• How relying on AI for content creation can affect your creative process
• Why your personal voice matters more than perfectly polished content
• How to recognize when automation becomes procrastination
• Where creative professionals are drawing their own boundaries with AI
• Why human creativity is still the most important ingredient in great design

I love using AI to help bring creative ideas to life. But I don't think we need to fill every minute we save with more things to produce.

Sometimes, the best thing we can do with that extra time is simply make something because we want to.

Episode Chapters

00:00 AI, creativity, and efficiency after Squarespace Circle Day

01:33 Christy: AI content creation and finding your authentic voice

03:39 Aaron: When AI productivity tools make us less efficient

05:51 Monica: Can AI make creative writing harder?

07:46 Will: When AI automation becomes procrastination

09:19 Kristine: Why human creativity still matters in web design

10:29 Sam: Using AI for research without losing your creative voice

12:15 Becca: Making more time for creativity in an AI-powered world

Meet the Guests

Christy — Squarespace Designer
https://christyprice.com/

Aaron — Sueño & Co.
https://www.suenoandco.com/

Monica — Hold Space Creative
https://www.holdspacecreative.com/

Will — Squarespace Developer & Educator
https://www.will-myers.com/

Kristine — Squarespace Designer & Strategist
https://kristineneil.com/

Sam — Culture Boy
https://cultureboy.substack.com/

More From Inside the Square

Explore more episodes of Think Inside the Square:
https://www.insidethesquare.co/podcast

Visit Inside the Square:
https://www.insidethesquare.co/

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Has AI helped you become more creative, or have you noticed yourself spending more time working with AI than getting things done?

Let me know in the comments or email me at hello@insidethesquare.co.

And as always, have fun with your Squarespace website!

Support the show

The term "Squarespace" is a trademark of Squarespace, Inc. This content is not affiliated with Squarespace, Inc.

For a transcript of this episode, along with the links to any resources mentioned, visit insidethesquare.co/podcast

Send a message to InsidetheSquare

I redesigned my website.

Again.

Yes, this is the second time this year. Apparently some people buy sports cars during a midlife crisis; I apparently rebuild websites.

But this time, I went much further than swapping a font and moving a few sections around. I changed the structure of Inside the Square, retired hundreds of old pages, created new content, changed what I want the site to be known for, and rebuilt the entire thing around where the business is going next.

And while the new design is a lot more fun to look at, this episode isn't about the design.

It's about everything I did behind the scenes so Google wouldn't wake up one morning wondering where my entire website went.

In this episode, I'm talking about the difference between a website refresh and a true redesign, what to check before you launch, what needs to happen immediately afterward, and why your work isn't quite finished when the new site goes live.

And yes, the new Inside the Square is officially live.

It's weird. It's handmade. There are doodles I drew on my kitchen counter, crumpled pieces of paper I photographed, strange little animations, and considerably more personality than the last version.

Maybe considerably more personality than any version I've made before.

Go explore the new site at insidethesquare.co.

And if this redesign has you thinking about what you could do differently with your own Squarespace projects, enrollment for Beyond the Basics is officially open too.

Beyond the Basics is where I teach Squarespace designers how to take the ideas that don't fit neatly into the standard settings and turn them into working solutions with AI — using your Squarespace expertise to direct the process instead of hoping AI magically figures it out.

Use the tools. Trust your judgment. And most importantly, have fun with your Squarespcae website.

Support the show

The term "Squarespace" is a trademark of Squarespace, Inc. This content is not affiliated with Squarespace, Inc.

For a transcript of this episode, along with the links to any resources mentioned, visit insidethesquare.co/podcast

Send a message to InsidetheSquare

Some of the worst website design decisions start with perfectly good advice.

Keep everything above the fold. Make your content scannable. Keep your layouts consistent. Make your buttons stand out. Add more interactivity.

Sound familiar?

In episode 105 of Think Inside the Square, Becca takes a closer look at five common design principles that can make a website less effective when they're treated like rules instead of guidelines.

From overcrowded hero sections to repetitive layouts and animations that compete with the content, we're talking about why context matters more than following every so-called best practice.

In this episode:

• Why everything important doesn't need to fit above the fold
• The difference between scannable content and content that's too short
• Why consistency doesn't have to mean repetition
• How too many calls to action can create confusion
• When website animations become distractions instead of enhancements

Good design isn't about memorizing more rules. It's about knowing which decisions make sense for the website you're creating.

Resources

Explore more Squarespace design resources and find the episode transcript at https://insidethesquare.co/podcast

About Think Inside the Square

Think Inside the Square is a podcast about thoughtful website design, creative possibilities, and making Squarespace uniquely yours.

Hosted by Becca from Inside the Square.

Support the show

The term "Squarespace" is a trademark of Squarespace, Inc. This content is not affiliated with Squarespace, Inc.

For a transcript of this episode, along with the links to any resources mentioned, visit insidethesquare.co/podcast