Back in 2023, during the early days of AI image generation, the main players in image creation were Midjourney and DALL-E. While I experimented with these services, I was particularly interested in tools that could run locally on my own hardware.
I wanted to leverage my graphics card to generate images locally, so I downloaded Stable Diffusion WebUI - a tool that would let me run AI image generation on my own machine.
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My original concept was called “AICatCard” - a small business idea that seemed perfect for cat lovers. The concept was simple: cat owners could upload photos of their pets, and I would use AI to generate artistic versions that could be ordered as postcards. Who wouldn’t want beautiful AI-generated art of their beloved feline companions?
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However, as the project evolved, I decided to expand beyond just cats and explore other subjects as well.
My goal was ambitious: run multiple AI models locally to produce high-quality outputs, then sell them as postcards or larger artistic prints online to a global market. I envisioned creating life drawing-style images and other artistic interpretations that could appeal to art lovers worldwide.
I dove headfirst into the technical setup:
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I found myself particularly drawn to generating AI portraits of beautiful people - there was something captivating about the process.
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For anyone interested in getting started with Stable Diffusion installation and prompt engineering, I found these resources invaluable: [Links to helpful Notion pages and tutorials would go here]
My workflow became streamlined:
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While my original cat-focused AI postcard idea evolved into something quite different, the project was making progress. However, due to a specific incident that I may share in a future post, I had to halt the entire operation.
After stopping the business, I distributed the remaining postcards to friends and acquaintances. Even after giving many away, I still had inventory left over.
Now, I’m looking to handle the remaining stock online. If you’re interested in receiving one of these AI-generated postcards, check out the website below:
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This failed venture taught me valuable lessons about AI image generation, local model deployment, and the challenges of turning creative AI projects into viable businesses. As we enter 2025 with even more advanced AI tools and a better understanding of the market, I’m excited to share how I’m approaching this space with fresh eyes and new strategies.