As other commenters have said, ego is central to creativity and I tend to agree with them. Especially in context of hyper-ambitious ventures. However, I'd say

As other commenters have said, ego is central to creativity and I tend to agree with them. Especially in context of hyper-ambitious ventures. However, I'd say the first step to being creative is not being depressed. While history has numerous examples of tortured artists producing masterpieces, most people (myself included) are much more creative and productive when they're dreaming of their ideas on a whiteboard and not their grey matter. How to mitigate depression is of course another topic entirely. It does however tie neatly into ego via way of self-esteem. Startups are a rough ride, so having a healthy reserve of ego, self-esteem, or whatever you want to call it does come in handy. That isn't to say you must be some egotistical prick, just that being self-delusional to some degree can be advantageous. Personally I prefer belief in extreme conflicting dualities—regarding oneself as dirt while simultaneously believing in your capacity to execute the most crazy of ventures. Big thinking with extremely low expectation, in other words. The former keeps the spark alive, and the latter keeps you going when the ride gets bumpy.