Kim Hermanson's Blog, page 2

AI and authentic creativity: How visionaries can use AI without losing their voice

I recently read an article about teachers using AI tools to detect whether student papers were AI-generated. It struck me because, over the past year, I���ve been using AI every day for one thing or another.

Is it ethical for creatives, visionaries, and thought leaders to use AI in their work?

I think the answer lies in how the tools are used. Visionary work is about originality, authenticity, and pushing boundaries���those are qualities that no AI can replace. But does using AI compromise authenticity? Here are some thoughts on how I���ve been leveraging AI for my creative work while staying true to my unique vision.

The Ethics of Using AI-Generated Content: How Much Is Too Much?

AI has been a game-changer for organizing my writing and producing content quickly. I use AI to save time, but every piece I share is carefully reviewed, infused with my voice, and aligned with my vision. For me, it���s about working smarter while staying true to my creative essence.

I don���t feel like I���m ���cheating��� because I���ve spent over 25 years studying the transformative power of metaphor, writing books and articles, and teaching my work in high-level graduate schools. Now, toward the end of my career, I have an amazing tool to help me pull my ideas together and stay organized.

Still, I wonder���how much is too much? My ideas are original, but will I lose my authentic voice? And does it matter, as long as the work is unique?

Staying True to My Voice: AI is a Partner, Not a Replacement

For me, AI is a collaborator, not a creator. It���s a brainstorming partner���it helps me articulate ideas and organize my thoughts, but it doesn���t drive the process. As visionaries, we bring something irreplaceable to the table: our perspective, our experiences, and our deep intuition about what needs to emerge in the world. AI can refine that vision, but it can���t ever replace it.

I use AI to draft new writing, explore phrasing, or try out word choices. Once I have a draft, I infuse it with my voice, tweak the structure, and ensure it reflects 

my core message. This co-creative process allows me to work efficiently while maintaining integrity in my work.

AI is like using a camera to capture a vision���the tool enhances what I see, but the vision remains my own.

The Power of Human Creativity

Visionaries thrive at the edges of the unknown, creating ideas that challenge conventions and open new pathways. These are places AI can���t go because true creativity isn���t algorithmic���it���s messy, unpredictable, and deeply human.

When I use AI, it frees up time and mental energy for deeper, creative work. Instead of fine-tuning phrasing for hours, I can focus on the big picture.

The tool amplifies my voice; it doesn���t substitute it.

Daring to Be Powerful: What Visionaries Teach Us About Fear

I���ve worked with deeply visionary spiritual creatives for the past 25 years. And if there���s one thing I know about these humans, it���s that they���re not here to fit in. They���re not here to repeat what���s already been said. They���re not even here to feel safe.

They���re here to bring something new into the world.

But that doesn���t mean they don���t feel fear.

Many of the visionary creatives I work with are carrying wildly original ideas. They hold a kind of ancient wisdom that wants to come through them���something luminous, something true. But even when they know the truth of their vision deep in their bones, the fear can still rise.

Fear of being seen.
Fear of not being understood.
Fear of getting it wrong.
Fear of being ���too much.���
Fear of being ���not enough.���

Which is why this quote from Audre Lorde always stops me in my tracks:

���When I dare to be powerful���
to use my strength in the service of my vision���
then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.���

This is what I see in my work. Again and again.

When someone aligns with their vision���when they let the image, the calling, the knowing move through them���something shifts. The fear doesn���t vanish, but it���s no longer at the center. What becomes more central is the force of the vision itself. The energy behind it. The deep, pulsing sense that this thing wants to live.

The moment we step into service of something larger���something rooted in truth and integrity���the fear gets smaller.

This is not the same as pushing through or overriding. It���s a reorientation.

Visionary power isn���t about ego. It���s about channeling. It���s about aligning with the intelligence that lives beyond the thinking mind���what I call the intelligent field���and letting it move through us.

I���ve seen people weep when they touch this level of truth. I���ve watched lifelong patterns dissolve in minutes. Because when you feel the strength of your vision coming through you, it becomes crystal clear: this isn���t about me.

This is about life moving forward.
This is about truth finding a voice.
This is about beauty making its way into the world.

So if you���re holding a vision that feels big, strange, or terrifying��� know this:

You don���t have to wait until you���re fearless to act.
You don���t have to wait until you feel ready.
You just have to dare to use your strength in the service of what you know is true.

And in doing that, fear becomes��� not irrelevant, but secondary.
Because now you���re no longer serving fear.
You���re serving the vision.

And that changes everything.

Touching what���s alive

“Artists engage in a process that lets them touch something that’s alive.” – Deep Knowing

In my book Deep Knowing, I discuss how artists move beyond surface reality to connect with something deeper���something living and intelligent. When we create from this place, we���re not just using technique or skill. We���re in relationship with a force that breathes.

This alive presence isn���t abstract���it���s felt. It moves through image, shape, color, rhythm. It surprises us. It teaches us. And most importantly, it transforms us.

I see this all the time in my work with metaphor. When people drop beneath the rational mind and enter the imaginal field, something begins to stir. An image appears. A sensation arises. And suddenly, they���re in touch with something that knows more than they do.

That���s the magic of true creativity. It���s not about producing. It���s about being touched.

MetaphorMind Practice Session

A MetaphorMind Practice Session is a space to engage a wholly different way of knowing.

Instead of trying to solve problems through logic or overthinking, these sessions invite us into a quiet, rich field of creative intelligence that lies beyond the mind ��� a space where living metaphoric images emerge to offer precisely the shift we need.

Whether someone sees a square, a veil, a mountain, or a tiny sparrow, the image itself isn���t a symbol to decode. It���s alive. And when we become the image ��� when we let its energetic qualities move through our body ��� something opens. A new state of being reveals itself. We shift.

These sessions aren’t about interpretation or self-improvement. They���re not about figuring out what an image ���means��� or what we ���should do.��� They���re about direct experience ��� and the kind of transformation that happens when we stop trying to control and start allowing.

MetaphorMind is not a technique ��� it���s a doorway. And if this work is calling to you, that doorway may already be opening.

If you’d like to explore it further, drop in on the MetaphorMind lab or book a private session.

The creative power of procrastination: How delays can unlock deep wisdom and intuition

Organizational research has found that procrastinators tend to be more creative than those who don’t procrastinate. The results even show a bell curve: a healthy amount of procrastination facilitates creative insights, while too much or too little can stifle them.

When I was studying at the University of Chicago under the mentorship of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (author of the bestselling book Flow), I learned how creativity thrives in unexpected ways. In the years since completing my PhD, I’ve continued to study how adults learn and process information in everyday life. 

One pattern I’ve consistently observed is this: people who procrastinate in healthy ways are more in alignment with what I call the Deep Creative.

The Deep Creative is the wisdom beneath conscious awareness. It’s pre-verbal and intuitive—what we could call “gut feelings.” It’s where our most profound insights, decisions, and creations originate. 

The Deep Creative can’t be accessed through overthinking or rigid planning. So if you’re the type of person who anxiously checks items off your to-do list, you’re not giving yourself space for ideas to percolate. And you may be wasting your time.

Here’s a simple example…

When I don’t have time to prepare for a talk or presentation, my mind often panics: Yikes! What am I going to do? Then when the moment comes, it flows beautifully. It wasn’t necessary for me to spend time preparing. Or sometimes the interview or talk is canceled by the host at the last minute. 

It would have been a waste of time to prepare.

It’s like there’s a deep wisdom that I just need to follow and trust. 

This isn’t to say that preparation or planning is never necessary. But there are times when a lack of action aligns us with something deeper. 

Steve Jobs famously didn’t create detailed business plans. Instead, he relied on his intuition, navigating Apple’s rapidly changing industry with his gut. In fast-evolving environments, what’s true today may not be true tomorrow, and rigid plans can quickly become obsolete.

I’ve worked with clients who’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on unnecessary training or consultants who steered them away from their gut instincts. Their thinking minds told them they needed these resources, but their intuition knew otherwise.

Our logical minds only know what they know. They’re limited by past experiences and current knowledge.

The Deep Creative is much wiser.

If you’re procrastinating, consider this:

The task you’re avoiding may not need to be done at all.The scope of the task may be about to change.

Rather than pushing yourself to act, pause and listen. Trust your gut. Stay aligned with the intuitive wisdom of the Deep Creative.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to join my upcoming seminar starting this Friday. It’s designed for entrepreneurs and creatives to align with Deep Creative flow and trust their inner wisdom. Click here for details—I’d love to have you join us!

Unlocking creativity: The transformative power of metaphoric imagery and living energy

Years ago, while working with a client, I witnessed something that changed the way I understood creativity. As she spoke about her struggles, an image surfaced: a vibrant, blossoming tree. It wasn’t something she consciously thought of—the metaphoric image came from a deeper place… a place that was alive and brimming with energy. 

That single image unlocked a flood of insight, clarity, and possibility for her.

This moment, like so many others, taught me a profound truth: deep creativity doesn’t originate in the thinking mind. It emerges from a living, dynamic energy that lies beyond intellect. 

I’ve seen it time and again. Clients tap into this field of intelligence, and suddenly, creative visions flow like a river, bringing transformation and new possibilities.

Artists have always understood this. Creativity isn’t just self-expression—it’s a force that connects us to something greater, something alive. It’s through art (creative work of any kind) and metaphoric imagery that we access this intelligence.

As Charles Eisenstein writes in Sacred Economics:

“How beautiful can life be? We hardly dare imagine it.”

But we must dare. Because daring to imagine is the first step to creating a richer, more vibrant world. Real transformation—whether personal or cultural—REQUIRES that we move beyond the rational mind and connect with this creative force.

If our thinking minds alone could solve our challenges, they would have by now. True change demands that we tap into the aliveness of creativity—the force that shapes, heals, and reimagines our world.

So let’s dare to imagine. Let’s invite creativity to lead us. It’s time to create the beauty, transformation, and aliveness we all long for.

Read the full article, “Deep creativity: The force that brings life and change”:

Deep creativity: The force that brings life and change

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Teaching from the heart: Lessons from my time at UC Berkeley

My very first teaching gig was in the Adult and Vocational Ed teacher credentialing program at UC Berkeley. I taught there for two years, before moving on to other things. Those classes were so inspirational for me… my students were working teachers of all ages who taught all over the Bay Area. They taught in hospitals, corporations, high schools, junior highs, and vocational education programs of all varieties. I had someone who taught snowboarding, another taught people how to run a restaurant, another taught in prisons, some worked with seniors, several worked with persons with disabilities. It was amazing.

And because everyone was teaching in such dramatically different settings and with dramatically different kinds of students, the only thing I could do was go deep down into the foundation of teaching and learning… to a place where we could all connect. That place of connection was our love–for our students, our material, and the craft of teaching itself. That deep place was where we could connect and learn from one another.

Those students inspired my book, Getting Messy: A Guide to Taking Risks and Opening the Imagination. I loved going deep into teaching with them, and they loved it too.

One day I led a talking stick circle. It was the last day of class and a man who’d barely spoken a word during the entire course held the stick. There was dead silence in the room as he wept and talked about the difficult lives of students… who were incarcerated.

And I’ll never forget the very first 15 minutes of my very first class. I was scared out of my boots! I started with a short activity that involved repeating our names in a certain sequence so that we would easily remember them. I said, “A community is a place where we know each other’s names.”

I got a standing ovation.

Those classes became the basis of everything I’ve done since. I’ll miss Tolman Hall.

Reflections on Shaun McNiff���s wisdom

���If life energies are not moving creatively, they will become destructive.��� ��� Shaun McNiff

This powerful quote captures a truth I���ve witnessed time and again in my work with visionaries, creatives, and spiritual pioneers. Creativity is not just about making art���it���s the vital force that keeps life energy flowing. When this flow is blocked, it doesn���t disappear. Instead, it turns inward, manifesting as frustration, anxiety, or stagnation.

The Power of Creative Energy Flow

Life energy, much like a river, must move freely. Creativity is the channel that transforms this energy into innovation, beauty, and connection. When creative energy stagnates, it can lead to destructive patterns���both personally and collectively. This is why unlocking creative potential is essential for personal growth and emotional well-being.

Accessing the Creative Flow

Deep creativity doesn���t come from the thinking mind. It arises from a rich, vibrant space I call the “third space,” where insights and transformation naturally emerge. Through metaphoric imagery and scientifically validated right-brain techniques, I help clients break free from the confines of linear thinking and reconnect with this creative energy.

Why Creativity Matters in Turbulent Times

Stagnation of life energy affects more than individuals���it impacts our world. From societal polarization to environmental challenges, the absence of creative flow can have profound consequences. Tapping into humanity���s innate creative intelligence is essential for solving these complex issues. Unlike artificial intelligence, this deep, spiritual intelligence is uniquely human and vital for our collective future.

Take the Next Step in Your Creative Journey

Where is your energy asking to flow? What creative impulses are waiting to be expressed? Creativity is not just something we do���it���s who we are. By embracing your creative energy, you not only transform yourself but also contribute to a more vibrant and connected world.

When creativity is a lifeline: Reflections on Shaun McNiff���s wisdom

���If life energies are not moving creatively, they will become destructive.��� ��� Shaun McNiff

This powerful quote captures a truth I���ve witnessed time and again in my work with visionaries, creatives, and spiritual pioneers. Creativity is not just about making art���it���s the vital force that keeps life energy flowing. When this flow is blocked, it doesn���t disappear. Instead, it turns inward, manifesting as frustration, anxiety, or stagnation.

The Power of Creative Energy Flow

Life energy, much like a river, must move freely. Creativity is the channel that transforms this energy into innovation, beauty, and connection. When creative energy stagnates, it can lead to destructive patterns���both personally and collectively. This is why unlocking creative potential is essential for personal growth and emotional well-being.

Accessing the Creative Flow

Deep creativity doesn���t come from the thinking mind. It arises from a rich, vibrant space I call the “third space,” where insights and transformation naturally emerge. Through metaphoric imagery and scientifically validated right-brain techniques, I help clients break free from the confines of linear thinking and reconnect with this creative energy.

Why Creativity Matters in Turbulent Times

Stagnation of life energy affects more than individuals���it impacts our world. From societal polarization to environmental challenges, the absence of creative flow can have profound consequences. Tapping into humanity���s innate creative intelligence is essential for solving these complex issues. Unlike artificial intelligence, this deep, spiritual intelligence is uniquely human and vital for our collective future.

Take the Next Step in Your Creative Journey

Where is your energy asking to flow? What creative impulses are waiting to be expressed? Creativity is not just something we do���it���s who we are. By embracing your creative energy, you not only transform yourself but also contribute to a more vibrant and connected world.

When creativity is a lifeline: Reflections on Shaun McNiff’s wisdom

“If life energies are not moving creatively, they will become destructive.” — Shaun McNiff

This powerful quote captures a truth I’ve witnessed time and again in my work with visionaries, creatives, and spiritual pioneers. Creativity is not just about making art—it’s the vital force that keeps life energy flowing. When this flow is blocked, it doesn’t disappear. Instead, it turns inward, manifesting as frustration, anxiety, or stagnation.

The Power of Creative Energy Flow

Life energy, much like a river, must move freely. Creativity is the channel that transforms this energy into innovation, beauty, and connection. When creative energy stagnates, it can lead to destructive patterns—both personally and collectively. This is why unlocking creative potential is essential for personal growth and emotional well-being.

Accessing the Creative Flow

Deep creativity doesn’t come from the thinking mind. It arises from a rich, vibrant space I call the “third space,” where insights and transformation naturally emerge. Through metaphoric imagery and scientifically validated right-brain techniques, I help clients break free from the confines of linear thinking and reconnect with this creative energy.

Why Creativity Matters in Turbulent Times

Stagnation of life energy affects more than individuals—it impacts our world. From societal polarization to environmental challenges, the absence of creative flow can have profound consequences. Tapping into humanity’s innate creative intelligence is essential for solving these complex issues. Unlike artificial intelligence, this deep, spiritual intelligence is uniquely human and vital for our collective future.

Take the Next Step in Your Creative Journey

Where is your energy asking to flow? What creative impulses are waiting to be expressed? Creativity is not just something we do—it’s who we are. By embracing your creative energy, you not only transform yourself but also contribute to a more vibrant and connected world.