Turning Point

My name is Mike Murphy 👋.

I've been creating content online for over a decade — tutorials, podcasts, courses, and digital products. For most of that time, I convinced myself I was making real progress, but the truth? I was swimming upstream, desperately trying to make it all "click."

Still, I kept showing up.
Kept uploading.
Kept pressing publish.
Call me stubborn or call me persistent, but I believed (and still do) that staying in the game long enough meant eventually figuring something out.

Then AI arrived — and presented a clear fork in the road. I could watch from the sidelines as others seized the moment and passed me by... Or I could learn, adapt, and finally create the work — and life — I set out to build when I launched the Mike Murphy Co brand in 2015. A decade later, I'm choosing the path forward!

Introducing: AI Unplugged

This newsletter marks a clear mindset shift. I'm planting my flag and ending the BS I've been telling myself about my progress as a solopreneur and content creator. Yes, I work extremely hard and show up daily. Yes, I create more tutorials than any person should. But I've been "waiting" for doors to open instead of simply pushing through the ones staring me in the face. This newsletter launch officially marks my new chapter, and I couldn't be more excited for where I'm headed.

AI Unplugged is my way of documenting this journey — learning AI, building digital products, and finally transforming my content creation into a real business (one that actually generates revenue).

It's not about AI trends or hype. It's about practical tools, real projects, and honest insights for creators who want to build something meaningful — and make a good living doing it.

I'm not an AI expert. I'm a creator figuring it out — just like you. Let's learn together.

📘 AI Term of the Week:

What is AI (Artificial Intelligence)?:

• Definition: AI is a branch of computer science that aims to create machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence

• Goal: To mimic human cognitive functions like learning, reasoning, problem-solving, and understanding language.

• There is Narrow AI (designed for specific tasks…think ChatGPT, Claude, etc) and General AI (AGI) (similar to human intelligence. This doesn't exist yet…this is the scary phase.

• Origins in the 1950s with the term coined by John McCarthy

🧠 Tool of the Week: Cursor

• Cursor: A smart AI code editor that helps developers write, debug, and optimize code faster. Cursor is also very popular with ‘vibe coders’ and beginners with no coding experience because you can build apps and tools and just about anything that uses code by simply typing in text prompts like you do with chat assistants like ChatGPT & Claude.

• I used Cursor to build my own custom panel for After Effects that adds the Wiggle expression to any selected property. Did you even know it was possible to build panels for After Effects - without writing a single piece of code? Kind of bonkers and it was fun and also useful. Watch the course and build your own dock-able panel for After Effects that you can use to add all of your favorite expressions, effects, presets and more!

🛠️ Mini Course: How To Use Cursor AI To Build A Wiggle Panel for After Effects
Full Playlist (4 Videos) → Watch it here

💬 Thank You!
Learning AI.
Building digital products.
Make a living as a content creator.

This is the start of something I’ve been chasing for a long time.
I thank you for being here and on this journey with me.

If this resonated, I’d love to hear from you — just reply to this email.

Until next week…cheers.
Mike 🚀

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