The best creations come from the swirling dance between our personal stories and our mythological fantasies. Napali Coast mountains in Kauai, Hawaii with the words "I believe that the best way to create is to let truth dance with myth."

We’re all Dorothy in Oz, Frodo going to Mordor, and Luke Skywalker facing his father in the books we write, the movies we make, and everything we produce. Every creative work in every decade has a different story to tell based on the world around us.

In the early 20th century, the “Strange Fruit” that Billie Holiday sang about was directly from her American experience as a black woman, and when Cole Porter wrote songs, he was songwriting from his experience as a gay man.

Homer had his Lotus Eaters and Mary Shelley had her monster. John Coltraine was reaching for “A Love Supreme” and Shantideva wanted to help us be relieved from suffering. Maya Angelou was a Caged Bird Singing, and David Bowie was a Starman.

We’re the ones who slay the dragons in our myths, and slaying those dragons might mean creating a non-profit organization to end hunger, homelessness, or racism.

Sometimes, we forgive our oppressors and change the world like Desmond Tutu, or we live as spiritual fugitives and global change-makers like Thich Nhat Hanh. Both lived heroically, wrote extensively, and became mythological in their lifetimes.

Dig in, be fearless, be vulnerable, be courageous, and produce something incredible. Use your own experience and think of all your mythological heroes. Dance with them, dance with those myths, and then make something uniquely you.

I’m here to help if you need me. I’m a producer and creative mentor, and I do creative development for many different kinds of projects, clients, and organizations. Get in touch.