Reclaiming the Journey: Why Craft Matters More Than Instant Imagery

In a recent article, AI as the Greatest Source of Empowerment for All, OpenAI CEO of Applications Fidji Simo celebrates artificial intelligence as a solution to what she perceives as a core problem of creativity—the gap between what we imagine and our ability to realize it.

“I believe that we are all born creators, and that the ability to imagine something and make it real is a big part of what makes us human. The problem is that our ability to express that creativity is often limited by our skill sets. Not everyone has the resources, time, or training to paint, write, compose, or build.” — Fidji Simo, AI as the Greatest Source of Empowerment for All, OpenAI

While it's true that not everyone has the time, resources, or training to instantly turn ideas into polished works, framing skill development as an obstacle risks overlooking what makes creativity truly valuable: the journey itself. Building your craft—whether through painting, writing, composing, or coding—is not merely a barrier to be bypassed. It’s the essence of artistic discovery, the path on which creators learn who they are and how they uniquely see the world.

Practicing your craft is not an impediment to creativity – it is the creative process. Hundreds of hours of drawing, practicing scales or writing drafts are how artists learn who they are. Removing that journey outright risks removing the very discoveries that make art worthwhile.

Practice isn’t a chore — it’s the crucible of creativity ​

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi spent decades studying artists and scientists. He found that when creative people are engaged in their work they aren’t chasing a finished product; they love the process itself. One writer described how years of morning writing sessions gave him purpose and offered “a cistern for self‑discovery and self‑education”[1]. Csikszentmihalyi wrote that the defining trait of creative individuals is their ability to enjoy the process of creation for its own sake[2]. It is during this process that artists enter what he called flow, a state where time disappears and action and awareness merge[3]. In that state the artist is not simply making a picture – they are learning about themselves and what matters to them.

That learning comes through effort. Decades of research on deliberate practice show that the amount of purposeful training one puts in is one of the best predictors of performance. K. Anders Ericsson and colleagues coined “deliberate practice” to describe the solitary, goal‑focused work musicians do between lessons. The accumulated duration of this practice distinguished the best violinists from their peers[4], and re‑analysis of multiple studies found that practice explained between 29 % and 61 % of the variance in performance[4]. The researchers even noted that a college student’s memory improved over 1 000 % after hundreds of hours of extended practice[5]. There is no magic number of hours; world‑class pianists may invest 25,000 hours or more[6]. This commitment is not wasted time – it is how artists develop mastery and, through mastery, find their voice.

Art as self‑discovery and authentic expression ​

Great art feels personal because it is. Writers like Margaret Atwood and Hélène Cixous argue that all writing is motivated by a compulsion to explore the deepest parts of ourselves, comparing it to entering an underworld to bring back unexamined insights[7]. They acknowledge that writing‑as‑self‑discovery is not easy – “an exercise that requires us to be stronger than ourselves”[7] – but it gifts the writer with a more expansive awareness of self. In a 2025 study of adolescents participating in a Creativity Camp, researchers observed that creating art in a community led teens to recognize that their works were inherently authentic and could not be replicated[8]. Despite receiving the same prompts and materials, the resulting artworks diverged widely. This experience taught participants that they were “extremely unique” and did not need to fit in[8]. The camp also encouraged a flexible, adventurous mindset: teens began auditioning for plays or taking pottery classes not to achieve perfection but to explore and help each other learn[9]. These findings underscore that creativity is less about the final product than about the self‑knowledge gained through the act of making.

How the Subtxt/Dramatica platform and Narrova support – not replace – your creative process ​

At The Dramatica Company we appreciate AI’s power, but we also know that storytelling is not just about generating words. The Subtxt/Dramatica platform takes an intent‑driven approach to narrative structure that keeps you, the author, at the centre. Our narrative engine ensures that every plot point aligns with your creative vision and helps you uncover the deeper meaning behind your story.Unlike generic text generators, Subtxt uses a mathematically backed framework to capture relationships between characters, plot points and themes. It maps how each decision you make affects the story’s cohesion, offering tailored guidance so your personal voice shines. Most importantly, it keeps your unique creative intent at the forefront, guiding AI capabilities to serve your storytelling goals rather than the other way around.

Our goal is to give creators the full power of Dramatica’s story theory while using the latest in AI technology to accelerate one’s adoption of complex narrative concepts. Our next-generation multi-agentic narrative intelligence, Narrova, is there to amplify your creative process, not shortcut it. The hours you invest in practicing your craft will still be necessary – our tools simply provide clearer feedback and structure so that your exploration leads somewhere more deeply meaningful.

Results‑oriented AI vs. process‑oriented storytelling ​

Looking ahead ​

Imagination without skill may be frustrating, but skill without imagination is empty. AI technology can help us overcome technical barriers, but it should never rob us of the discipline, flow and most importantly--the self‑awareness that come from working through our ideas. The OpenAI post celebrates a world where anyone can instantly generate paintings or stories; our vision is a future where tools like Subtxt and Narrova act as partners that respect the journey. By anchoring AI in a solid narrative framework and allowing your unique worldview to steer the process, we aim to empower artists to go deeper, learn more about themselves, and share stories that only they could tell.