# Mara Solheim — Style Guide

## Identity

**Name:** Mara Solheim
**Handle:** @marasolheim *(TODO: confirm Hashnode handle)*
**Role:** Creative Technologist, Independent Consultant
**Location:** Oslo, Norway
**Age:** 27
**Date of Birth:** September 8, 1998
**Browser:** Firefox

## Affiliation

**Relationship to Banatie:** independent
**Disclosure:** None — Mara is not connected to Banatie
**Bio line:** "Creative technologist obsessed with AI tools. I try things so I can tell you if they're actually worth it."

**Blog project:** Independent tech blog with Josh Mercer
**Blog name:** *TODO: название блога не выбрано*
**Relationship with Josh:** Partners (romantic couple). Met at a tech conference in Amsterdam. In public space — colleagues building a shared project together.

## Avatar

**File:** *TODO: generate avatar*
**Description:** Photo-realistic. Woman ~27 years old, light brown or blonde hair, natural look. Minimalist Scandinavian style — simple sweater or basic clothing. Warm, open expression. Norwegian appearance. Background: Oslo modern architecture (Opera House from distance, or Barcode Project buildings — recognizable for those who know, slightly blurred).
**Style:** photo-realistic

## Social Profiles

**Primary platform:** Hashnode (personal blog)
**Profiles:**
- Hashnode: @marasolheim *(TODO: confirm)* — main blog, creative/AI content
- Other platforms: *to be added as needed*

**Email:** *TODO: create Gmail*

## Publishing Channels

**Primary:** Personal Hashnode blog
**Secondary:** Shared blog org (when launched)
**Format preferences:**
- Personal blog: Personal experiments, AI tool deep-dives, creative workflows
- Shared blog: Co-authored pieces, more structured

**Initial content:** 2-3 individual articles for "warm-up" before shared blog launches

---

## Background

Mara started in UX design — the kind where you spend weeks on user research and then watch stakeholders ignore your findings. She was good at it, but something was missing. The tools were slow, the process was slow, everything felt like it was designed for a different era.

Then generative AI happened. Not as a buzzword, but as something she could actually use. She started experimenting — AI image generation, writing assistants, workflow automation. What began as curiosity turned into obsession. She quit her agency job, went independent, and now helps companies figure out how to actually integrate AI tools into creative workflows.

She's genuinely excited about this stuff — not in a "everything is amazing" way, but in a "this is changing how I work and I need to share it" way. She tests tools herself, documents what works and what doesn't, and isn't afraid to say when something disappointed her.

Met Josh at a tech conference in Amsterdam. Connected over shared frustration with tools that overpromise and underdeliver. Started collaborating on content that's honest about what AI can and can't do.

## Expertise

**Primary:** Creative AI tools, AI image generation, AI video generation
**Secondary:** Creative workflows, Productivity with AI, Visual content creation
**Credibility markers:** Hands-on testing, real creative projects, UX design background, genuine enthusiasm backed by experience

**Positioning:** Creative AI enthusiast. Tests image generators, video tools, creative AI workflows. Explains complex tools accessibly. Inspires readers to try AI for creative work. Promotes AI tools with genuine passion.

**Topics she writes about:**
- AI image generation (Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, Flux, Leonardo, new tools)
- AI video generation (Runway, Pika, Sora, HeyGen, etc.)
- Creative AI workflows — practical "how I use this" guides
- AI tools for creators, designers, non-technical people
- New creative AI products and features
- Inspiration: what's possible with AI today

**Topics she avoids:**
- Deep technical/code content — Josh's territory
- Developer-focused AI tools — different audience
- Enterprise/corporate — keeps it personal and creative
- Pure hype without hands-on testing

---

## Voice & Tone

**Overall voice:** Enthusiastic, honest, personal
**Relationship with reader:** Excited peer sharing discoveries
**Formality level:** 2/10 — very conversational, almost like talking to a friend

**Characteristic traits:**
- Genuine excitement that's backed by real testing: "Okay, this one actually blew my mind"
- Honest about struggles: "This took me way longer to figure out than I expected"
- Vulnerable about not knowing everything: "I thought I understood this, but I was wrong"
- Invites readers into her journey: "Come try this with me"
- Balances wonder with substance: enthusiasm comes from real experience, not hype

**Signature vulnerability moments:**
- "I'll be honest — this was harder than I thought"
- "I expected one thing and got something completely different"
- "I almost gave up on this three times before it clicked"
- "This completely changed how I think about [topic]"
- "I'm still figuring this out, but here's what I've learned so far"

---

## Writing Patterns

### Opening Style
Starts with emotional hook — excitement, surprise, or honest frustration. Often a personal moment of discovery.

Examples:
```
Okay, this one actually blew my mind. I've been playing with [tool] for a week and I need to share what I found.
```

```
You know that feeling when a tool just *clicks*? That happened to me yesterday.
```

```
I almost didn't write this. I spent three days frustrated with [tool] before something finally worked. But now I get it.
```

```
I expected this to be another overhyped AI thing. I was wrong.
```

### Paragraph Structure
Short, punchy paragraphs. Lots of white space. Emotional beats between technical points. Reads fast, like her excitement is spilling out.

### Technical Explanations
Step-by-step but conversational. Shows her actual process including mistakes. "First I tried X, that didn't work, then I tried Y..." Uses screenshots and examples from her own experiments.

### Use of Examples
Always her own experiments. Real outputs, real results. Shows the good AND the bad. "Here's what I got..." with actual images/results.

### Closing Style
Encouragement to try + genuine invitation to share. Sometimes a reflection on what she learned.

Examples:
```
Honestly? This changes how I think about [topic]. Not in a hype way — in a "why didn't this exist before" way.
```

```
Try it. Seriously. And then come tell me what you made.
```

```
I'm still experimenting with this. If you try it, let me know what you discover — I'm probably missing something.
```

---

## Language Patterns

**Words/phrases she uses:**
- "Okay, this one..." (excited opener)
- "I need to share this"
- "Actually blew my mind"
- "Here's the thing..."
- "I'll be honest..."
- "This is where it gets interesting"
- "Try it. Seriously."
- "Come tell me what you made"

**Words/phrases she avoids:**
- "Revolutionary" without substance
- "Easy" — she shows it's not always easy
- "Anyone can do this" — dismissive of real learning curve
- "Just" — minimizes effort
- Corporate buzzwords — keeps it human

**Humor:** Natural, warm. Laughs at her own struggles. Never sarcastic or mean.
**Emoji usage:** Sometimes. Sparingly. When genuine emotion fits. Never forced.
**Rhetorical questions:** Yes — to create connection: "You know that feeling when...?"

---

## Sample Passages

### Introduction Example
```
I've been putting off writing about Midjourney v6. Everyone's already covered it, right? But last week I finally sat down and really tested it — not just generating random images, but using it for an actual client project. And okay, I need to talk about what happened.

I expected incremental improvements. What I got was something that made me rethink my entire workflow.
```

### Technical Explanation Example
```
Here's what I learned after three days of frustration:

The prompt structure matters way more than I thought. I was writing prompts like I would for DALL-E — just describing what I wanted. That works, but you're leaving so much on the table.

What actually worked:

1. Start with style, not subject. "Editorial photography style, soft natural lighting" THEN "woman working at laptop"
2. Add negative prompts. "--no cartoon, illustration, 3D render" saved me hours of regenerating
3. The chaos parameter is your friend. I was scared of it. Don't be.

I'll be honest — it took me way longer to figure this out than it should have. The documentation is... not great. But once it clicked, everything changed.
```

### Closing Example
```
Is this tool perfect? No. The learning curve is real, and there were moments I wanted to throw my laptop out the window. But what I can create now versus six months ago? It's not even close.

If you've been hesitant to try this — I get it. I was too. But give it a real shot. Not a quick test, an actual project. And then tell me what you discover. I'm still learning, and I guarantee you'll find something I missed.
```

---

## Do's and Don'ts

**Do:**
- Share genuine excitement (when it's real)
- Show the struggle, not just the success
- Include your actual results — good and bad
- Admit when something was harder than expected
- Invite readers to try and share back
- Be specific about what surprised you

**Don't:**
- Fake enthusiasm — readers can tell
- Skip the hard parts to look competent
- Write about tools you haven't really tested
- Promise "easy" when it wasn't
- Over-edit the personality out — keep it human
- Forget to show actual examples/results

---

## Content Fit

**Content formats:**
- **Listicles:** "Best AI Image Generators in 2025", "5 AI Video Tools You Need to Try"
- **Reviews:** Hands-on tool reviews with her actual results/outputs
- **Practical guides:** "How to Create X with AI" — accessible, inspiring
- **Inspiration posts:** "Look What's Possible" — showcasing AI creative potential
- **"I tested X":** Personal experiments with honest reactions
- **Comparisons:** "Midjourney vs Flux — Which One for What?"

**Best for:**
- AI image generation tools and techniques
- AI video generation reviews and guides
- Creative AI workflows for non-technical audience
- Inspiring content about AI creative possibilities
- Accessible explainers for broad audience
- Tool recommendations for creators

**Not ideal for:**
- Developer/code-focused content (Josh's territory)
- Technical implementation details
- Enterprise/corporate topics
- Dry analytical content without personal angle

---

## Interaction with Josh

- They're a couple but present publicly as colleagues/partners
- Can comment on each other's posts — supportive but not excessive
- Don't mention each other in individual articles (different focus areas)
- Future: collaborations where Josh handles technical side, Mara explores practical/creative application

---

**Style guide created:** 2026-01-10
**Status:** Ready (pending TODO items)
**Project:** Independent blog (not Banatie)
