Celebrant Creativity and the Shunning of AI and Ghost-Celebrant Writers
The world is changing at a rapid rate, and that includes the celebrant world. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my life as a celebrant which started before the use of the internet, the ownership of a celebrant website, and the need to be social-media savvy. When I started out, it was just me and my business cards and word of mouth. And you know what? I did perfectly well. In fact, I’ve been thinking of returning to those roots.
Another major change to celebrant life is the dumbing down, indeed the killing off, of creativity. Surely our desire to be creative is one of the fuels which enables us to serve our clients in beautiful and meaningful ways?
And yet, here we go: the increasing use of AI to generate scripts and the sub-contracting of scripts to ghost-celebrant writers is insidiously creeping into celebrant life. Whatever happened to professional pride? Surely if a celebrant doesn’t have writing skills, they’d have the integrity to develop them? You don’t have to undertake a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing, like I did, but you could do a night class or short course in writing. Let creativity to be a renewable resource in your life. It teaches you about who you are and your place in this world.
Why oh why would someone outsource the very soul of what it means to be human? The gift we give to our clients comes from our heart, from our inner being. If we pass that ‘heart’ onto someone or something else to generate, then what do we think we’re giving to our client?
The technology which will arrive in our lives over the next twenty years will make what we use now seem as outdated as cassette players and landlines. It’s okay for humans to develop technology but let us not lose our hearts in the process. I, for one, will never use AI to write my books, blogs or ceremonies, and nor would I ever employ another celebrant to write my scripts.
Veronika Robinson and Paul Robinson (voice and presentation coach for celebrants) are tutors at Heart-led Ceremonies Celebrant Training. Veronika Robinson is a specialist in ritual and has been officiating beautiful, bespoke ceremonies since 1995. She’s a certified Infant Loss Professional; founder of Penrith’s first Death Café; is certified in Self-harm and Suicide Awareness and Prevention; is a celebrant for the charity Gift of a Wedding; and mentors celebrants around the world in all aspects of celebrancy including mastering writing life stories and love stories. Veronika also runs workshops and retreats for celebrants.
Alongside celebrant training, Veronika Robinson officiates beautiful and bespoke ceremonies across Cumbria, from Cornwall to Callanish, and internationally, She earned her Master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Cumbria.
Veronika is the author of many books both fiction and non-fiction, including the popular Celebrant Collection:
Write That Eulogy;
The Successful Celebrant;
Funeral Celebrant Ceremony Planner;
Wedding Celebrant Ceremony Planner;
The Blessingway.
Three more titles will be added in late January 2024:
The Gentle Celebrant’s Guide: Funerals For Children;
The Discrimination-free Celebrant;
The Celebrant’s Guide to the Five Elements.
