A Question for the WA Community – Is This a Legit AI Micro-Niche?

byJDenesovych

865 followers

19 hrs ago

This actually started as a conversation between me and GPT, not a niche brainstorm.

I was playing around with Image Studio and ended up generating a goalie mask concept that looked way better than I expected. And Yes, I chose the Calgary Flames, a team I am not a fan of! What I was after was not just “cool AI art,” but something that looked like it could actually be used by a real goalie mask painter.

That’s where the conversation shifted.

Instead of asking “Can AI design helmets?”
I started asking something else entirely:

Could this help a goalie mask painter communicate ideas faster with clients, without touching their actual craft?

That question stuck with me.

Goalie mask painters don’t usually struggle with talent.

They struggle with:

• clients who can’t explain what they want
• endless back-and-forth sketches
• revisions that eat time before a stencil ever gets cut

What I tested with Image Studio wasn’t about replacing design or art.
It was about whether AI could act as a concept translator early in the process.

Once I locked the prompt down and forced constraints (references, layout, intent), the result stopped looking like “AI art” and started looking more like production intent.

That was the moment I thought:

“Okay… this might actually be useful to them, not just interesting to me.”

From there, the idea evolved naturally.

“What if AI just helped them protect their time?”

Not:

• “Sell AI to painters”
• “Teach them to use AI”
• “Replace sketching”

That’s a very different pitch.

I even mocked up what a small FB ad could look like but not to sell anything aggressively, just to see if the message resonated with the right kind of maker.

And that’s when this stopped feeling like a random experiment and started feeling like a real micro-niche test.

Why I think this matters beyond hockey

Goalie mask painters are just one example.

The same concept could apply to:

• custom auto painters
• tattoo artists
• sign makers
• helmet or equipment designers
• fabricators dealing with non-visual clients

Basically any trade where:

• the work is skilled
• the client struggles to explain what they want
• revisions cost real time

This isn’t an “AI niche....It’s more of a workflow leverage niche.

Now! Rather than me running with this solo, I’m genuinely curious:

What happens if other WA members test this idea from their own angle?

So I'd like to propose a challenge if you want to play along:

• Use Image Studio
• Create either:
• • a goalie mask concept
  • or a similar concept for another skilled trade
• Drop the image in the comments
• Briefly explain:
• • what niche you targeted
  • what problem you were trying to solve

I'm curious to see what others come up with.
There will be no prizes, just really cool designs we can all use to target different micro-niches!