Maybe you have said it before:
"I know I need to learn AI. I just don't know if I can do this."
You are not alone.
AI can feel exciting, useful, and completely overwhelming at the same time. There are new platforms, new features, new terms, and new possibilities appearing every week. Watching a few tutorials may help you understand what AI can do, but understanding is different from confidently using it yourself.
That is why the JMAIA Hybrid Cohort is built around a guided transformation.
Over 12 weeks, you will learn online, practice in person, ask questions, troubleshoot real challenges, and create projects you can see and use. You will not have to figure it out alone.
You will move from:
"I don't know if I can do this."
to:
"I can't believe I created this!"
The journey begins with uncertainty: and that is okay
Your first session may bring questions.
- What if I am not technical?
- What if I ask the wrong question?
- What if everyone else understands AI faster than I do?
- What if I am not creative enough?
- What if I cannot keep up with 11 different platforms?
Here is the reassuring answer:
You do not need previous AI experience.
You do not need to own a business. You do not need to be an artist, content creator, or technology expert. You do not need to become an expert in every platform.
You only need curiosity, a willingness to practice, and a supportive place to begin.
The JMAIA Hybrid Cohort combines online access to the Josie Mae AI Academy with weekly, in-person Guided Implementation Sessions at Josie Mae Creative Lab in Matteson, Illinois. You learn the concept online, then bring it into the studio to apply it with guidance.
Learn it online. Practice it in person. Apply it in real life.
Weeks 1–4: From "Where do I even start?" to your first confident wins
The beginning of your journey is about comfort, clarity, and momentum.
You will not be handed a long list of tools and expected to teach yourself. Instead, you will explore a carefully organized learning path that helps you understand what each platform does and when it may be useful.
This first phase is called FAB 5.
FAB 5
ChatGPT, MidJourney, Canva, Suno & Gamma
Build clarity, confidence, and core AI skills.
During this phase, you will begin exploring how AI can support:
- Writing and brainstorming
- Idea development
- AI-generated imagery
- Graphic design
- Original music
- Presentations and visual storytelling
- Turning ideas into tangible creative projects
You may begin by typing a prompt and wondering whether you are doing it correctly. With practice, you will learn how to provide clearer instructions, add helpful details, review the response, and improve the result.
That is an important shift.
You are no longer just asking AI random questions. You are learning how to guide it.
You will also begin to see that AI does not replace your ideas. It helps you develop them. Your perspective, memories, goals, taste, and imagination still matter. AI becomes a creative partner: not something you have to blindly follow.
What changes by the end of this phase?
You begin to feel less intimidated by the blank screen.
You understand the basic purpose of several AI platforms. You know how to experiment without expecting perfection on the first try. You have created early projects that give you visible proof of your progress.
The first win may be simple. It may be a useful written draft, a visual concept, a presentation, or a song inspired by something meaningful to you.
Simple does not mean small.
Your first successful creation gives you evidence that you can learn this.
Weeks 5–8: From trying tools to bringing ideas to life
Once you have stronger foundations, you are ready to explore what happens when your ideas become more expressive and interactive.
This is the SPECIAL OPS phase.
SPECIAL OPS
ElevenLabs, HeyGen & Heyzine
Bring ideas to life through voice, video, and interactive content.
You will explore ways to move beyond static text and images. Your projects can begin to speak, move, explain, and invite people to engage.
During this phase, you may practice creating:
- AI-powered voice content
- Video messages and presentations
- Digital avatars
- Interactive publications
- More engaging educational or promotional materials
- Multimedia projects that combine several creative elements
At first, these tools may seem more advanced. That is exactly why guided implementation matters.
You will have time to ask questions such as:
- How do I make this sound natural?
- How can I improve the video?
- What should I change in the script?
- How do I make this easier for someone else to experience?
- What can I do when the result is not what I expected?
You will not simply watch someone else demonstrate the process. You will practice it yourself.
Watching is helpful.
Doing is where confidence grows.
What changes by the middle of the cohort?
You begin to think in possibilities.
Instead of asking, "What does this platform do?" you may start asking, "How could I use this for my work, my business, my family, my community, or my next creative project?"
You also become more comfortable adjusting your approach. A first result does not have to be the final result. You can revise, test, compare, and try again.
That is not failure. That is the creative process: and it is how practical AI fluency develops.
Weeks 9–12: From creating privately to sharing with confidence
By the final phase, you are ready to refine what you have created and make it easier to share.
This is the LEVEL UP phase.
LEVEL UP
Beacons, CapCut & Opus Clips
Turn AI creations into polished, visible, shareable assets.
You will explore how to package, edit, repurpose, and present your work. The goal is not to make everything perfect. The goal is to help you take an idea from creation to practical use.
You may work with:
- Link-in-bio pages and digital hubs
- Short-form video editing
- Repurposed video clips
- Social media-ready content
- Branded presentations of your work
- Repeatable processes for sharing future projects
This phase helps connect your creative work to the real world.
A project can be meaningful and still need structure. A video can be helpful and still benefit from editing. An idea can be powerful and still need a clear place for people to find it.
You will practice making those connections.
What changes by Week 12?
You are no longer standing outside the technology, wondering where to begin.
You have tried the platforms. You have created with them. You have asked questions, solved problems, and learned which tools are most relevant to your goals.
Most importantly, you have a body of work that reflects your progress.
You may not use all 11 platforms every day. You do not need to. The goal is to understand their capabilities, recognize which ones fit your needs, and build confidence choosing the right tool for the task in front of you.
By the end, you will have more than notes
The JMAIA Hybrid Cohort is designed to help you leave with practical results.
Your confidence
You will have experience using 11 AI platforms across writing, design, music, presentations, voice, video, interactive content, editing, and sharing.
Your portfolio
You will have a collection of AI-powered projects that show what you have learned and what you can create.
Your workflows
You will develop repeatable workflows that save time and spark creativity, so you are not starting from zero every time you have an idea.
These outcomes are connected.
Confidence grows when you practice. A portfolio grows when you create. Workflows become useful when you apply them repeatedly.
Learn. Practice. Create. Repeat.
This is more than a course
A traditional online course may give you information and leave you to decide what to do next.
JMAIA is designed as a learning ecosystem built for growth, collaboration, and transformation.
You will have:
- Online access to the Josie Mae AI Academy
- Training across 11 AI platforms
- Weekly in-person Guided Implementation Sessions
- Live demonstrations and hands-on practice
- Time for questions and troubleshooting
- A supportive small-group learning environment
- Opportunities to learn alongside other curious creators
- A structured beginning, middle, and end
- A chance to showcase what you create
The weekly sessions take place at Josie Mae Creative Lab in Matteson. The studio is designed to feel welcoming and approachable, so you can learn at a manageable pace and receive personal support when you need it.
You will not have to pretend you understand.
You will not be evaluated on how quickly you learn.
You will be encouraged to ask, experiment, and try again.
Cohort details at a glance
Program: JMAIA Hybrid Cohort
Format: Online Academy access plus weekly in-person Guided Implementation Sessions
Length: 12 weeks
Start date: September 8, 2026
Schedule: Tuesdays, 7:00–8:30 PM
Location: Josie Mae Creative Lab, Matteson, Illinois
Founding cohort investment: $397
The founding cohort is a scheduled opportunity to learn with structure and support from the very beginning.
Explore the JMAIA Hybrid Cohort
You do not need to know everything before you begin
What would change if, 12 weeks from now, AI felt less like something happening around you and more like something you could use with intention?
You could have a clearer understanding of the tools available to you. You could have practical projects in your portfolio. You could have repeatable workflows for work, creativity, content, business, personal projects, or everyday life.
You could still have questions. That is okay.
Confidence does not mean knowing everything. It means knowing how to begin, how to practice, and where to find support when you need it.
At Josie Mae Creative Lab, we believe you are capable of learning AI: even if you are starting with uncertainty.
You do not need to arrive ready.
You only need to arrive curious.
From "I don't know if I can do this" to "I can't believe I created this!": your 12-week journey begins September 8.
Join the JMAIA Founding Cohort
Ready to Create Something Meaningful?
Explore our beginner-friendly creative experiences at Josie Mae Creative Lab in Matteson, Illinois.