If you’re curious about how I came up with the name and what I plan to write about on my blog, keep reading.
About My Blog
I’m curious about three main things:
- The Experience of Working with AI
How will I navigate the process of working with AI to create and publish coloring books—and maybe other types of books, or even entirely different projects in the future? What challenges will I face? What will surprise me along the way? What will the results be? Will I stick with it or give up? What will AI bring to the table, and what might it push aside? - The Content of My Books
What ideas will inspire my books? What stories will they tell? How far can I push creative expression within coloring books? How will AI’s limitations and possibilities influence their content? - My Audience
Who am I creating these books for? Who is my audience, and what are they looking for? What do they want, need, like, or dislike? How can I best serve them? I’m curious about their world and their creativity. I’m also curious about the collaborative nature of it all—after all, I’m just providing the starting point, and they’re the ones who will bring the final product to life.
About the Name – Chromabird
Coming up with a name I liked was harder than I expected, especially since I wanted the matching domain. It’s incredible how many domain names are already taken, often just sitting unused—either purchased by people planning to use them later or by those intending to sell them to the highest bidder. On the other hand, it was fun to see the creative projects tied to some of the names I considered.
I knew I wanted to create coloring books with the help of AI, so I needed a name that reflected that. I brainstormed words like “book,” “art,” “creative,” “AI,” “color,” “collaboration,” and “harmony,” then started combining them: creative design became “crede,” mixed media became “mime,” and so on. But every name I liked was already taken.
I even used a domain name generator, which suggested words like “pixel”, “chroma” and “meld”. Combining these words resulted in names like “pixelpalette”, “allymeld”, and “minglemeld”. I liked “minglemeld” because it made me think of a blacksmith hammering away at his anvil, combining different kinds of metal into one final object. This was exactly what I aimed to do: combine and fuse human and artificial creativity. However, when I tested “minglemeld” with others, the reaction was lukewarm.
Frustrated after days of searching, I went for a walk in nature, hoping to find inspiration in the river, the trees, or the flowers. I considered nature-themed names like ‘Silvertree Publishing,’ but they still didn’t feel quite right.
Then, I came across an article criticizing AI-generated art for “stealing” from real artists. It made me wonder: If AI is combining existing art into something new, isn’t that a form of collage? In that case, people using AI to create art could be considered collage artists. This thought brought to mind the bowerbird. Bowerbirds are known for collecting a variety of colorful objects—such as flowers, shells, and even human-made items—to decorate intricate structures called bowers. These displays are used to attract mates, showcasing the male’s creativity and ability to gather desirable materials. The bowerbird metaphor resonated with how I envisioned AI working.
But “Bowerbird” didn’t connect with coloring books. Then it hit me: color… chroma… Chromabird. It captured both the idea of creativity and color. When I ran it by people, the response wasn’t enthusiastic, but I realized that those who weren’t into colors might not get it. However, the people I’m creating for—those passionate about art and color—would.
And so, Chromabird was born.
About the Tagline – Me, Kai, Shapes, and Colors
When choosing a name, I had an international audience in mind, so I was looking for something that would resonate with English speakers. But since my first language is German, I also explored German words when I ran out of ideas in English. In German, AI is called “KI” (Künstliche Intelligenz), and “Kai” is a common name.
I have a habit of anthropomorphizing things—whether it’s a car, a tree, or even a cup. So, when I wanted the name (or at least the tagline) to reflect that I create coloring books with the help of AI, the idea of giving this creative partner a name seemed perfect. “Kai” became a stand-in for the AI tools I work with. In fact, it represents not only the AI tools but also all the artificial helpers I use, like Photoshop (not an AI), Canva (not an AI either), and Midjourney (which is AI). I might add or remove tools in the future, so bundling everything under the name ‘Kai’ to represent all the tools that aren’t me could work well.
As for the last part of the tagline, “Shapes and Colors,” it’s pretty straightforward. I come up with the shapes for my coloring books, which can then be filled in with color to complete the picture.
If you’re interested in the process I follow to create a coloring book, you can read more here (coming soon).