Go Ahead — Be My Hero
Bridging Curiosity, Fearlessness, and Connection
This article reflects on the experience of discovering my creativity and how it’s helped me explore my Agency and grow more confident.
Creativity is a cornerstone of my life and work. As the founder of XperientialAI, an AI consulting firm focused on leveraging technology for transformative learning and innovation, this century I’ve been designing pedagogical models and experiential learning programs that empower individuals and organisations to unlock their potential. With over 330 articles published on Medium, my mission has been to explore, articulate, and inspire creativity in many forms.
Creativity is a heroic act. Like the mythical journeys detailed by American philosopher Joseph Campbell, the creative process involves leaving the comfort of the known, facing challenges, and returning transformed, carrying something valuable to share with the world.
Creativity is a metaphorical bridge that takes you from a predictable life to one with greatly expanded possibilities.
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It is an act of reclaiming agency, allowing us to shape our narratives and imagine new possibilities. It’s not confined to the arts; creativity is woven into every field — engineering, medicine, education, business, and beyond. Yet, creativity is often misunderstood, underappreciated, or stifled despite its universal relevance.
This historical misunderstanding stems from a narrow view of creativity as the domain of prodigies or professionals — painters, musicians, or inventors whose works achieve widespread acclaim. However, creativity is far more expansive. It’s not limited to crafting masterpieces or inventing revolutionary products; it is about the act of exploration, of daring to think differently and act courageously.
Even if the outcome isn’t “a thing of beauty and a joy to behold,” the significance lies in the bravery of the individual who sets out to discover and express their innate creativity. Creativity is the ultimate form of freedom, allowing us to transcend external constraints and engage with the world through our unique lens.
Creativity is essential for everyone. It fuels problem-solving, drives innovation, and enriches our understanding of ourselves and the world. It is the mechanism by which we imagine and bring forward new possibilities. To stifle creativity is to deny the human potential for growth, transformation, and connection.
The late and very wonderful Sir Ken Robinson eloquently argued that creativity is as important as literacy, yet it is often treated as an optional extra in education and beyond. This failure to recognise creativity’s role has profound implications, limiting individual potential and societal progress.
To create is to make oneself vulnerable, and venture into uncharted territory to face the fear of judgment.
This act of courage is what makes creativity heroic. As Julia Cameron and Elizabeth Gilbert have observed, it is not the perfection of the result but the persistence in the process that matters most. Creativity transforms the creator, often in ways far more profound than the end product ever could. Exploring your innate heroic capacity is ultimately a choice you can readily exercise. This journey of courage and vulnerability should inspire you to embark on your creative endeavours.
In this article, I explore the parallels between creativity and the Hero’s Journey, emphasising that creativity is not simply producing art but about fostering change, connecting ideas, and inspiring others. It’s a cycle of curiosity, fearlessness, and connection — a process requiring courage and vulnerability that promises transformation and growth.
AI as Our Creative Muse
In the past, the creative process often relied on human feedback to validate ideas and shape embryonic expressions. Artists, writers, and innovators sought mentors, colleagues, or audiences to offer insights and critique. But today, artificial intelligence is a new kind of muse, offering both inspiration and feedback at unprecedented speed and scale.
AI liberates creators from the fear of premature judgment, allowing them to experiment freely in private before sharing their work with the world. It provides a safe space to explore ideas, ask questions, and receive constructive suggestions. For example, writers can collaborate with AI to refine their sentences or generate alternative story arcs. Visual artists can use AI tools to experiment with styles or visualise concepts that seem intangible. When the creative well runs dry, AI can spark new ideas, suggest unexplored directions, or remix existing elements into something fresh.
This shift doesn’t replace human creativity but enhances it, acting as a partner in the iterative process. As a creative muse, AI empowers individuals to push boundaries, break through mental blocks, and achieve more than they could alone.
Yet, this relationship with AI also invites reflection on what it means to be creative. Creativity remains fundamentally human — a fusion of emotion, intuition, and individuality that machines cannot replicate. AI offers a mirror and a catalyst, amplifying our ideas and broadening our horizons while leaving the uniquely human elements of creativity intact.
Challenging the Status Quo is Your Call to Adventure
The first step in any creative journey is recognising that the status quo isn’t enough. The world often clings to familiar patterns, valuing predictability and efficiency over innovation. Yet, as Edward de Bono observed, “It is no longer enough to do the same thing better.” Creativity calls us to question, disrupt, and reimagine.
Challenging the status quo demands ‘patient impatience’ — a willingness to persist in the face of resistance while maintaining the urgency to act. This concept is about being patient enough to allow ideas to develop and mature but also impatient enough not to let them stagnate. It’s about asking the hard questions: Why are we doing this? What if there’s a better way? This curiosity is the spark that ignites the creative process, setting us on a path of discovery.
Facing Fear and Seeking Feedback
As Seth Godin aptly puts it, “Real artists ship.” Sharing a creative idea, product, or solution is fraught with risk. What if it’s rejected? What if it’s not good enough? Fear, the ever-present companion of creativity, often whispers these doubts.
But creativity thrives when we confront our fears head-on. Shipping early and often, as Mark Zuckerberg’s “hacker way” philosophy suggests, allows for iteration and improvement. Feedback — even critical feedback — isn’t an obstacle but a tool for growth. As Adam Grant reminds us, the question isn’t “How can I get this project done?” but “How do I make it better?”
Navigating Self-Confidence, the Inner Critic, and Imperfection
The creative journey is not without its trials. Fear of failure and the inner critic — that nagging voice insisting that our work isn’t good enough — can be paralysing. Maya Angelou’s wisdom — “The more you use creativity, the more you have” — reminds us that creativity is a muscle. The more we engage with it, the stronger it becomes. Mistakes are a vital part of the process, not barriers to it.
Joseph Campbell, one of the foremost authorities on mythology, saw creativity and transformation as central to the human experience. His works, including the monumental Historical Atlas of World Mythology, explore the “hero sequence of actions” in myths worldwide. Creativity follows this path, requiring a kind of symbolic death and rebirth, where we let go of old ideas and embrace new ways of thinking.
In The Myth of the Birth of the Hero, Otto Rank’s profound observation reinforces this notion: “Everyone is a hero in their birth. The baby has undergone a tremendous transformation from a little, you might say, water creature… to an air-breathing mammal that ultimately will be self-standing… it is a heroic act, and it’s a heroic act on the mother’s part to bring it about.” Creativity, too, demands this kind of transformation — a leap into the unknown that births something entirely new.
Building Connection and Embracing Curiosity
Creativity isn’t a solitary endeavour. Its power lies in connection — connecting ideas, people, and emotions. Storytelling, one of the most human skills, transforms facts into meaning. It bridges gaps, builds empathy, and inspires action. In the Conceptual Age, where emotional intelligence is as valuable as technical skill, storytelling is a superpower.
Sir Ken Robinson, a leading advocate for creativity in education, famously said, “We don’t grow into creativity; we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out of it.” His work highlights the systemic barriers that stifle creativity and calls for environments that nurture curiosity and innovation.
In defining creativity, one might consider its essence as: “Solving by asking open questions to elicit thoughtful replies, exposing new knowledge that inspires non-obvious, novel solutions and artistic works©.” (Copyright © Greg Twemlow 2020)
Creativity as Lifelong Heroism
To embark on a creative journey is to step into a cycle of courage, curiosity, and connection. It is to leave behind the comfort of the known, face the trials of fear and feedback, and return with something valuable to share. Creativity, like heroism, is an act of transformation — of ourselves and the world around us.
To be a creator means to ask brave questions, ship your ideas, embrace feedback, let your curiosity guide you, and “never be afraid to hang your art on the wall©” (Copyright Greg Twemlow).
Creativity is everyone’s heroic act — so go ahead, be my hero. Embrace the courage, curiosity, and connection that define the creative journey, and take that first step toward transforming yourself and the world around you.
About the author: Greg Twemlow, Founder of XperientialAI©. Read more of my 300+ articles at: https://gregtwemlow.medium.com/
Greg Twemlow: Sharing what I’ve learned from my career of 35 years as a citizen of the world, parent, corporate executive, entrepreneur, and CEO of XperientialAI, focused on experiential learning for maximum impact with AI. Contact Greg: greg@xperiential.ai