I will admit that it took me nearly to the halfway point of "Honest Creativity" to start to feel in sync with its unique literary rhythms. Written by Craig Detweiler, the current President & CEO of Wedgwood Circle and Dean of the College of Arts & Media at Grand Canyon University, "Honest Creativity" is a call of sorts to creatives everywhere to live into "honest creativity," a genuine personal exploration that is meaningful and uniquely human in a world where artificial intelligence has begun to play a role in our daily lives in profound ways.

Detweiler has a long history of teaching others how to live into their creative selves with intention, awareness, and confidence. Having been named Variety's "Mentor of the Year" in 2016, Detweiler is undeniably successful at fostering honest creativity - his students have founded festivals, started companies and schools, written acclaimed graphic novels, and even directed Marvel Cinematic Universe motion pictures.

Early in "Honest Creativity," I struggled with where it was going and what all Detweiler's storytelling really meant. However, over the course of the book I began to catch Detweiler's rhythms and his call for honest creativity as a cultural essential that helps to separate humans from machines, honest creativity from, for example, A.I. generated works.

Using powerful examples throughout "Honest Creativity," Detweiler guides us through prioritizing ideas, producing cohesive and enduring works, creating outside our comfort zones, and fostering a like-minded community of creatives that both motivates and challenges.
Readers will learn, not only how to prioritize ideas, but also how to develop their own method for producing cohesive, whole, and enduring works; escaping comfort zones; and cultivating a like-minded community that both motivates and challenges.

Detweiler, also a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, weaves together a tapestry of honest creativity that emphasizes both the richly human and the wondrously divine. In so doing, he powerfully illustrates why A.I. may exist but it can't replace that which is honest, good, and holy.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic