Just over two years ago, I designed a badge to use on my books that declared it was free from the influence of generative artificial intelligence. That project proved a popular concept, and a few people asked if they could use it. I offered it (and still do) for free on ko-fi. A year later, I updated the design and added an alternative, more positively messaged, design declaring a book as “100% human creativity”. Those both took off, and I have seen one variation or another of the three badges incorporated into independent books either on the cover or inside dozens of times.
This past October, The Guardian reported on a company launching a similar certification, declaring books free from GenAi, though they allowed for its use in “idea generation”… But isn’t that the fun part? This didn’t impress much in the independent author communities I’m part of.
I was reminded of a story that, though disputed amongst linguists, rings true. The origin of the word “Sincere”. As I learned it, it originates with marble sculptors in antiquity. They would sometimes make mistakes when shaping the stone, and would either trash the piece entirely or fill in the mistake with wax to make it look undamaged. Unfortunately, the wax would melt in the heat when the statue was displayed in the sun, revealing the lie. Upstanding and talented sculptors then began advertising their art as “without wax”, or “sine cera”, thus becoming the origin of the word “sincere”.
I believe in art that originates in the human mind, is accomplished by human determination (mistakes and all) and stands up to the heat of investigation without melting.
So I made something new. A new badge that declares these beliefs. “Sola mens humana sine cera” only the human mind without wax.
As the last three were, and continue to be, I am offering it for free. Use it on whatever form of art you create that came from that place in your mind that sparks and shines, either front and center, or tucked inside.
Feel free to use this badge for any of your online creativity as well:
