Creativity

The Soul of Creation: The Human Being Behind the Tools

By Anna Biela, Ph.D.

30 / 10 / 2026 / VIEW ROOM

Human beings are creative by nature. Creativity is an inherent part of our existence and one of the ways we express who we are: our thoughts, emotions, imagination, experiences and everything we carry within our hearts and souls. Creation is not simply the act of producing an object or an image. It is the process of transforming an idea, an imagination or an intention into something that can exist beyond our minds and be shared with the world.

Throughout history, human beings have used the tools available to them to bring their ideas into existence. Prehistoric people used sharp stones, pieces of wood, bones, strings and other natural materials to make objects, create images and express themselves. These were the tools available in their time, allowing them to transform imagination into something tangible. Did using those tools make their creations any less meaningful or devoid of soul? Of course not.

As civilisation developed, so did the materials, technologies and possibilities available to human creators. Brushes, paints, paper, photography, printing, film, computers and digital technologies gradually became part of the creative process. Today, artificial intelligence has joined this long history of human innovation. Every era introduces new possibilities, and human beings naturally explore the tools of their time to expand their creative potential and discover new ways of expressing their ideas.

So why should using modern creative tools mean that the resulting artwork is automatically considered devoid of soul?

There is something fundamental that needs to be understood when discussing human creativity and technology: the soul is not something a human being adds to their creation. It is an inherent part of who they are.

The Bible offers a beautiful foundation for understanding this. In Genesis 2:7, we read: “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

The Hebrew word nefesh, often translated as soul or living being, describes life itself and the human being as a living whole. According to this biblical account, the human being becomes a living creature through God’s breath of life. In Christian theology, the soul is understood as the spiritual principle of human life, created by God and essential to our identity. It is not simply a collection of emotions, thoughts or memories. It is an intrinsic dimension of what makes us human.

The Bible also describes humanity as created in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 reminds us of the unique dignity of human existence. Our capacity for reason, imagination, freedom, love and creativity belongs to the richness of our humanity.

Jesus further illustrates the depth of our inner existence in Matthew 22:37: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

These words describe the human being as more than a physical body. We have an inner life encompassing our thoughts, feelings, intentions, relationships and spiritual existence. Our heart, soul and mind are dimensions of our humanity, and creativity can become one of the ways in which we express them.

A human being cannot step outside their own humanity when creating. They do not leave their soul behind when they pick up a paintbrush, operate a camera, use a computer or explore artificial intelligence. They remain the same person, carrying their imagination, experiences, emotions, intentions, intellect and spiritual nature into the creative process.

It is therefore unreasonable to suggest that using a particular technology automatically removes the soul from human creativity. The soul is not an ingredient that can be extracted, switched off or separated from the person simply because they have chosen a different method of artistic expression.

The soul belongs to the creator, not to the tool.

A prehistoric human using a sharp stone to create an image was no less human or creative than an artist using a digital tablet today. The tools have evolved, but the human capacity to imagine, invent and create has always been part of our existence.

The same applies to artificial intelligence. It is a contemporary tool that can assist a human being in translating an idea into a visual, musical or other creative form. Its use does not erase the humanity of the person directing the creative process. The artist brings the original intention, develops the concept, makes decisions, experiments, selects, rejects, transforms and determines what they wish to communicate.

We should distinguish between the tool and the person using it. Technology can generate, process, transform and present material, but the human being brings their own intentions, imagination, choices and meaning to the process. The degree of human involvement may differ between creations, just as it does with other artistic techniques, but the technology itself does not determine whether the person creating has a soul.

Artificial intelligence does not make traditional art obsolete, just as photography did not eliminate painting, and digital photography did not make analogue photography disappear. On the contrary, every new technology opens additional possibilities for artistic expression. It changes how we can materialise our ideas, but it does not take away our innate desire or ability to create.

The artwork does not come into existence through technology alone. Behind a human-directed creative process there can be an idea, an intention, a vision and a person who chooses to bring that vision into the world.

We should therefore avoid judging artistic expression exclusively by the tools an artist chooses to use. We should also consider the concept, the creative process, the message, the intention and the resulting creation.

Creation begins with the human capacity to imagine something that does not yet exist and the desire to bring it into existence. It is an act of transforming imagination into reality, of giving form to thoughts and making the invisible visible.

The soul is not determined by the medium through which an idea becomes reality. It is inherent to the human being.

You cannot remove the soul from human creativity by changing the tools of creation, because the soul is not in the tool. It is inherent to the human being.

Technology changes. Tools evolve. Artistic expression takes on new forms. But the human creative spirit remains.

The tool changes. The human creative spirit remains.