The Hero’s Journey as a Framework for Cultivating Resilience among Arts Educators in Turbulent Times - Article

Aug 24, 2026

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This essay examines how the hero’s journey framework strengthens resilience in arts educators and students confronting political, social, and institutional pressures. Using autobiographical reflections and contextual analysis, it argues that arts-based practices—storytelling, poetry, and bibliotherapy—operate as resistance and sources of strength under conditions such as funding cuts, censorship, and restrictions on arts and social justice education. Vignettes of school visits and bans on social justice literature show storytelling as defiance. Drawing on resilience scholarship, narrative psychology, and arts integration, the paper highlights hope, agency, collective empowerment, and the transformation of trauma into resilience, while calling for more inclusive, culturally responsive narrative frameworks.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Autobiographical resilience in higher education

Review of Literature

The hero’s journey as universal narrative pattern

Evidence from studies and applications

Visual model of the seven elements

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Creative Therapeutic
[https://ojs.ukscip.com/index.php/ct](https://ojs.ukscip.com/index.php/ct) | | --- | | Article
The Hero’s Journey as a Framework for Cultivating Resilience among Arts Educators in Turbulent Times
Nile Stanley
Department of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA; [nstanley@unf.edu](nstanley@unf.edu) | | Received: 4 April 2025; Revised: 18 May 2025; Accepted: 26 May 2025; Published: 5 June 2025 | | Abstract: This essay explores how the hero’s journey framework can foster resilience among arts educators and students facing political, social, and institutional challenges. Through autobiographical reflections and contextual analysis, it demonstrates how arts‑based practices—such as storytelling, poetry, and bibliotherapy—serve as acts of resistance and sources of strength amid funding cuts, censorship, and policies restricting arts and social justice education. Personal vignettes, including visits to schools and encounters with bans on social justice literature, illustrate storytelling as an act of defiance and resilience. Drawing on literature in resilience, narrative psychology, and arts integration, the essay emphasizes that embracing the hero’s journey nurtures hope, agency, and collective resilience. It highlights how arts practices can transform trauma into resilience, empower marginalized voices, and sustain cultural resistance in turbulent times. The critique of traditional hero narratives reveals how they often reinforce gender, racial, and class stereotypes, underscoring the need for more inclusive, culturally responsive frameworks. Applying the hero’s journey as a pedagogical tool helps educators reframe challenges as transformative stages in their own hero’s narrative, fostering perseverance and collective empowerment. Ultimately, storytelling and arts engagement are vital tools for navigating adversity, inspiring activism, and maintaining cultural resilience in the face of ongoing turbulence.
Keywords: Hero’s Journey; Master Narratives; Arts Educators; Agency; Resilience | 1. Introduction This autobiographical essay reflects on the resilience of an arts educator navigating the challenges in higher education amidst policies threatening academic freedom, social justice, and cultural responsiveness. The landscape of higher education in the United States has been marked by unprecedented turbulence, characterized by severe budget cuts, book bans, and the erosion of academic freedom [1] . University administrators and faculty have faced firing over their advocacy for diversity and inclusion. At the same time, efforts have intensified to defund or dis‑ mantle public arts, the humanities, and social justice programs. These measures reflect a broader political climate threatening the core values of open inquiry and intellectual independence. Such actions not only undermine edu‑ cators’ ability to foster inclusive learning environments but also threaten the cultural and social fabric of academic communities. A climate of repression underscores the urgent need for resilience strategies rooted in storytelling, community organizing, and arts‑based resistance—principles that underpin the transformative potential of the Hero’s Journey [2] framework in cultivating hope and collective agency amidst ongoing adversity. The author’s autobiographical narrative highlights transformative processes in confronting systemic repres‑ sion, censorship, and neoliberal reforms. Personal vignettes, such as a visit to a school and encounters with bans on [https://doi.org/10.54963/ct.v1i1.1578](https://doi.org/10.54963/ct.v1i1.1578) 9 social justice literature, illustrate how storytelling serves as an act of defiance and resilience. Educators’ resilience can ensure that the arts remain vital for inspiring communities and preserving cultural identities. Despite threats, arts education continues to be a venue to develop critical skills in creativity,

FAQs

How does the hero’s journey framework help arts educators build resilience in turbulent times?

It reframes adversity as transformative stages in an educators’ personal narrative, supporting hope and perseverance. The framework also emphasizes collective agency through community-oriented arts-based practices.

What arts-based practices does the essay describe as acts of resistance?

Storytelling, poetry, and bibliotherapy are presented as tools that sustain strength amid censorship and funding cuts. Personal vignettes illustrate these practices as defiance against bans on social justice literature.

What concerns does the essay raise about traditional hero narratives?

It critiques conventional hero stories for reinforcing gender, racial, and class stereotypes. The essay argues for inclusive, culturally responsive frameworks that better support marginalized voices.

Aug 24, 2026

Upload by Jacob