The Rise of the Creatives
This article was taken from a 2013 issue of our Business eMagazine — Your Money eZine. Very relevant today.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) introduced the term‘creative economy’ into the world economic and development agenda as “an emerging concept dealing with the interface between creativity, culture, economics and technology in a contemporary world dominated by images, sounds, texts and symbols.” The aim was to focus on the development of the creative industries for economic gain. These industries include the visual and performing arts, media, ‘functional creations’ such as design and creative services, in addition to heritage sites.
According to the UNCTAD, the creative industries are among the most dynamic sectors in the world economy and provide new opportunities for developing countries, such as Jamaica, to advance. The Creative Economy Report went on to state, “creative industries are at the crossroads of the arts,culture, business and technology. All these activities are intensive in creative skills and can generate income through trade and intellectual property rights.” If this is the case, then ‘creatives’ — right-brain thinkers traditionally found in ‘artsy’ professions are the new workforce. Surely, Jamaica possesses the abundance and depth of talent necessary to take advantage of the opportunities in this emerging sector.
The Future Belongs to the ‘Right-brainers’
The Information Age heralded a shift in the composition of the workforce: the world economy was no longer built by ‘suits’ and ‘yuppies’, but by ‘thinkers’ — technological engineers who created the devices that most of us nd it hard to live without today. In his book A Whole New Mind: Why Right- Brainers Will Rule the Future, bestselling writer Daniel Pink argues that another shift is imminent as industries grow more reliant on right-brainers. He calls this the ‘Conceptual Age,’ where business success and survival will require six ‘senses’ — design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning. See Apple’s Marketing Philosophy.
This insistence on getting the look just right ties in with the philosophy of Mike Markkula, one of the rst investors in Apple, who wrote the company’s Marketing Philosophy. He wrote that people do judge a book by its cover, so the onus is on Apple to present its devices and software in a “creative, professional manner.” It is little wonder that Apple remains so successful.
Pink’s book was written in 2006 and in the ensuing years, it appears his predictions have materialised. The importance of developing and using these ‘senses’ in today’s technology- driven, commercial environment, where devices have come to rule the world and traditional elds such as housing construction are in limbo. Whether in the development of devices or applications for communication, medicine, engineering, construction or any other industry, creativity is required right alongside technical and scienti c knowledge to make them functional, appealing and successful on the market. For example, signi cant creative thought was put into the design, look and feel of the devices we use everyday, from smartphones to tablets, personal computers and the apps on these devices. Every unit of the devices, no matter how small, was intricately fashioned by a creative. The ‘techies’ made it function.
Creativity As a Tool Against the Recession
Most Jamaicans know the proverb “tun yu han’ mek fashion.” The essence of this statement is that in hard times or situations of lack, we have to turn to our creative spirits to nd a solution. That has never been truer than in the current recovering global economy. Many companies, both local and international, have had to employ Pink’s six senses in order to re-energize their brands and reposition themselves in a super-competitive environment. One prime example of this is General Motors, which went from needing a US$50 million government bailout in 2008 to re-emerging as the world’s number one automaker last year. See GM Cuts the Red Tape.
Another eld that has found it imperative to innovate or die is media. This eld has always been driven by creativity as it involves writers, graphic artists and designers, but the sector has also become more technology-driven over the years. This became especially evident with the introduction of the iPad in January 2010. Tablets have changed and pushed traditional media, mostly print, to what many experts believe is the brink of extinction. As more newspapers and magazines continue to bow out or go digital and new electronic magazines are developed, the sector will not only require more technical knowledge from its players, but even more right-brain thinking to capture readers’ attentions long enough to make the efforts worth the advertising dollars.
Mobile devices have also enabled the development of a booming app industry, which is seemingly the domain of young techies with ideas to spare. Several of these developers have even become millionaires. Not to be outdone, a number of local developers have waded into the market with apps such as Tump! and the upcoming SKORA. Several companies have also jumped into the action, such as Scotiabank and Cable and Wireless, whose Jamaica Yellow Pages app has made listing in the telephone book ‘cool’ again.
