The Introduction…

Apr 17, 2022 News

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By Zena Henry

Welcome to the Creators’ Coven, a meeting place for the artistic, innovative and esoteric mind; where the value and contributions of innate talents and qualities that shape and sustain the lives we live are discussed.
Creativity in all its forms is within the process of expression and the Self that is revealed through this process. It is that ability to express one’s self that allows for the development of modern societies, and quality lifestyles. This ability to express lends to innovation and living improvements. Culture is often times the force behind this expression of convictions, understandings, norms and attributes held. These contributions may be overlooked and even go unnoticed, not realising the huge mistake that is made by not feeding expression.
To understand why culture and creativity is important to any society we will review as an introduction to this page, a study from the European Commission, Directorate-General for Education and Culture, which speaks of the impact of culture on creativity and how creativity benefits society.
As a developing nation, and not forgetting, an oil producing one, Guyana would do well to encourage its creative industry.
In developing countries like ours, governments rarely see financing the cultural creativity of its people as a direct investment in development. The mentioned report gives a breakdown of the topics, its contributions and benefits. It should make it easier to understand why nurturing one’s creative self is relevant to the success of societies. It should help to understand why governments should invest in its people and why they should be creating environments that promote self-awareness, self-empowerment and self-expression.
Creativity is a powerful catch phrase. In Western societies it epitomises success, the modern, trends for novelty and excitement. Whether linked to individuals, enterprises, cities or regions, creativity establishes immediate empathy, and conveys an image of dynamism. Creativity is a positive word in a society constantly aspiring to innovation and “progress”.
Culture is the general expression of humanity, the expression of its creativity. Culture is linked to meaning, knowledge, talents, industries, civilisation and values. To better understand the influence of culture on creativity, a motor of economic and social innovation, one must ask whether music, visual art, cinema and poetry for instance contribute to creativity as a way to stimulate job creation, economic prosperity, learning and social cohesion. What is the impact of artistic creation on innovation? Why do companies, for instance, want to be associated with culture and art? What is the social function of artistic and cultural creativity?
The report develops the concept of culture-based creativity, stemming from art and cultural productions or activities which nurture innovation, and going beyond artistic achievements or “creative content” feeding broadband networks, computers and consumer electronic equipment.
This culture-based creativity is linked to the ability of people, notably artists, to think imaginatively or metaphorically, to challenge the conventional, and to call on the symbolic and affective to communicate. Culture-based creativity has the capacity to break conventions, the usual way of thinking, to allow the development of a new vision, an idea or a product. The nature of culture-based creativity is closely linked to the nature of artistic contribution as expressed in art or cultural productions. The spontaneous, intuitive, singular and human nature of cultural creation enriches society.
To emerge, culture-based creativity requires: personal abilities – the ability to think laterally or in a non-linear way, to be imaginative – technical skills – often artistic skills or craftsmanship, a social environment, a social context through notably education and learning that encourages and appreciates creativity as well as an economy that invest in culture and culture-based creativity.
The impact and value of culture-based creativity on the economy is illustrated in the development of new products and services (including public services), driving technological innovation, stimulating research, optimising human resources, branding and communicating values, inspiring people to learn and build communities.
Culture-based creativity is an essential feature of a post-industrial economy. Business needs more than an efficient manufacturing process, cost-control and a good technological base to remain competitive. It also requires a strong brand, motivated staff and a management that respects creativity and understands its process. It also needs the development of products and services that meet citizens’ expectations or that create these expectations. Culture-based creativity can be very helpful in this respect. Digital technologies now play a more important role in this intangible economy as they provide new forms of social exchanges and contribute significantly to new expressions of creativity.
Of course, cultural production such as music, publishing and movies makes new technology more relevant to consumers, enables the development of new markets and contributes to digital literacy. However, the successes of free and open source software and services, such as Wikipedia, are also trends that predict an economy in which sharing and exchanging knowledge and skills is not principally based on securing financial gain.
These new forms of exchanges give more importance to social ends and therefore culture-based creativity. Art and culture, in particular music, is often the basis on which social networking takes place (peer-to-peer file sharing). It therefore becomes an imperative for industry to meet and to create new kinds of demand that are not based merely on the functionality of a product but are instead rooted in individual and collective aspiration. In this new paradigm, marketing and services are as important as production. This requires creative skills and thoughts as productivity gains at manufacturing level are no longer sufficient to establish a competitive advantage. Culture-based creativity is a powerful means of overturning norms and conventions with a view to standing out amid intense economic competition. Creative people and artists are key because they develop ideas, metaphors and messages which help to drive social networking and experiences.
Culture-based creativity and social innovation cultural productions, as communication tools charged with subjectivity and emotion, have participated in the expression of social life since the origin of humankind. Culture-based creativity plays a key role in generating social innovation. Art and culture can benefit public service delivery and innovation in a variety of ways: public service broadcasters are an example of this, and many make much of their reputation as ‘trusted media providers; participation in cultural activities can also emphasise a feeling of belonging in society, which also increases trust in the public realm and public services.
Culture can therefore help to bring certain public services closer to their constituents; – some public services have pioneered new methods of collaborative feedback and decision making by means of integrating creative media innovations – online discussion fora, social networking sites and online petitions allow the public to interact more easily with public services. Finally, some public services promote participation and involvement, often of marginalised groups – the development of community media and community arts, more generally, are good examples of this.
Culture contributes to strengthening social ties among communities and thereby nurtures individual as well as organisational self-esteem and ultimately well-being.
Social cohesion can be defined as a set of shared norms and values for society which also encompasses the diversity of people’s different backgrounds and helps to ensure that those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities. It is the ability of cultural activities to help express specific cultures, while also developing strong and positive relationships between people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools, and within neighbourhoods.
Culture can offer new approaches, both in terms of tackling what are sometimes referred to as ‘social problems’, for which current approaches are deemed inadequate. Policy areas in which culture has successfully helped in this respect include urban regeneration, social cohesion, crime prevention, health and the fight against pollution.
To stimulate creativity, society plays an important role in developing and advancing this. A fundamental external factor that influences creativity is education and learning. Education and learning play a fundamental role in shaping a creative environment. Art and culture have the ability to stimulate people’s imagination and creativity in schools, in colleges and universities, and in lifelong learning. Creativity in learning is about fostering “flexibility, openness for the new, the ability to adapt or to see new ways of doing things and the courage to face the unexpected.”

 

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