How do I actually use these context files when working with AI?

Think of context files like colors on a painter’s palette or lenses in a photographer’s kit. You intuitively know when to use green paint or when to switch to a different lens based on the job. The same applies here—sometimes you need just one context file, sometimes you need to combine several, just like mixing colors or using multiple lenses and filters together. You’re curating which files to include for each conversation based on what you’re trying to accomplish. You don’t use them 100% of the time, but when it’s something substantive in your business where you want genius-level answers instead of generic responses, that’s when you include the relevant context files.

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Asked by an artist learning to apply AI context · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2026-01-27