The Creativity Hoax

Politicians, educators and business leaders often tell young people they will need to develop their creative skills to be ready for the new economy. Vast numbers of school leavers enrol in courses in media, communications, creative and performing arts, yet few will ever achieve the creative careers they aspire to. The big cities are filled with performers, designers, producers and writers who cannot make a living from their art/craft. They are told their creative skills are transferable but there is little available work outside retail, service and hospitality jobs. Actors can use their skills selling phone plans, insurance or advertising space from call centres, but usually do so reluctantly. Most people in the ‘creative industries’ work as low-paid employees or freelancers, or as unpaid interns. They put up with exploitation so that they can do what they love. The Creativity Hoax argues that in this individualistic and competitive environment, creative aspirants from poor and minority backgrounds are most vulnerable and precarious. Although governments in the West stress the importance of culture and knowledge in economic renewal, few invest in the support and infrastructure that would allow creative aspirants to make best use of their skills.

Politicians, educators and business leaders often tell young people they will need to develop their creative skills to be ready for the new economy. Vast numbers of school leavers enrol in courses in media, communications, creative and performing arts, yet few will ever achieve the creative careers they aspire to. The big cities are filled with performers, designers, producers and writers who cannot make a living from their art/craft. They are told their creative skills are transferable but there is little available work outside retail, service and hospitality jobs. Actors can use their skills selling phone plans, insurance or advertising space from call centres, but usually do so reluctantly. Most people in the ‘creative industries’ work as low-paid employees or freelancers, or as unpaid interns. They put up with exploitation so that they can do what they love. The Creativity Hoax argues that in this individualistic and competitive environment, creative aspirants from poor and minority backgrounds are most vulnerable and precarious. Although governments in the West stress the importance of culture and knowledge in economic renewal, few invest in the support and infrastructure that would allow creative aspirants to make best use of their skills.

This book seeks to better understand the processes and influences that have driven professionalization in the arts. It develops an analytical framework that examines how processes of professionalization that typically influence and shape work conditions and occupational status are, in the creative sector, augmented by atypical worker efforts and choices to self-structure their protean careers. The book brings together a collection of works that explore the specific trajectories of professionalization in a variety of creative occupations as well as the formative processes that work across many creative occupations. In particular, the scholarship presented focuses on the interaction of three key variables: field growth and institutionalization, mutual benefit organization within fields and occupations, and the intervention of cultural policy to validate and foster professional support structures. In the broader context of expanding globalization, growing awareness of diversity, and tectonic shifts in technology, this volume unveils research-based implications for cultural policy, cultural workers, and cultural organizations. This book will be of interest to researchers, creative professionals, as well as undergraduate and graduate-level students in the fields of arts administration and culture.

A groundbreaking book that explores the theory and practice of leading in the creative workplace Leadership in the Creative Industries is a much-needed guide to the theory and practice of the creative leadership skills that are essential to lead effectively in creative fields. As the growth of creative industries continues to surge and “noncreative” businesses put increasing emphasis on creativity and innovation, this book offers a practical resource that explores how to confidently lead a workforce, creatively. In order to lead creative people it is essential to understand the creative process, creativity, and the range of variables that affect it. This book fills a gap in the literature by exploring the creative leadership practices that are solidly grounded in evidenced-based research. The author includes suggestions for overcoming the challenges associated with leading creative people, and puts to rest many of the current industry misconceptions about leading creatively. This vital resource: Is the first book that highlights the theory and practice of creative leadership skills in the creative industries Includes best practices of leading for creativity, and reveals what encourages creativity and what suppresses it Debunks commonly held myths about leading a creative workforce with evidence-based guidance Contains a wealth of helpful tips, visualizations, callouts from primary research, and anecdotes from recognized thought leaders, to highlight and underscore important principles. Written for academics and students of leadership, those working or aspiring to work in the creative industries, Leadership in the Creative Industries puts the focuses directly on theory and practice of creative leadership in creative fields.

"The mad genius is a favorite cultural stereotype, but despite media caricatures, popular expectations, and the extravagant claims of a few, there's no scientific proof that creative people are crazier than anyone else. Drawing on three decades of research, psychologist Judith Schlesinger tracks the myth from its birth in ancient Greece to modern times, showing how it distorts society's view of our most exceptional minds"--Page 4 of cover.

This book presents research on pathways into creative work. The promise of ‘doing what you love’ continues to attract new entrants to the cultural and creative industries. Is that promise betrayed by the realities of pathways into creative work, or does a creative identification offer new personal and professional possibilities in the precarious contexts of contemporary work and employment? Two decades into the 21st century, aspiring creative workers undertake training and higher education courses in increasing numbers. Some attempt to convert personal enthusiasms and amateur activities into income-earning careers. To manage the uncertainties of self-employment, workers may utilise skills developed in other occupations, even developing timely new forms of collective organisation. The collection explores the experience of creative career entrants in numerous national contexts, including Australia, Belgium, China, Ireland, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, Russia, the US and the UK. Chapters investigate the transitions of new workers and the obstacles they encounter on creative pathways. Chapters 1, 12 and 15 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Creative hubs have become a cornerstone of economic and cultural policy with only the barest amount of discussion or scrutiny. This volume offers the first interrogation of creative hubs, with ground-breaking critical writing from a combination of established scholars and new voices. Looking across multiple sites trans-nationally, and combining theoretical and empirical reflections, it asks: what are creative hubs, why do they matter, and are they making the world a better place? Creative Hubs in Question discusses creative hubs in relation to debates about creative cities, co-working spaces and workers' co-operatives. Featuring case studies from Argentina to the Netherlands, and Nigeria to the UK, the contributions address how hubs are situated in relation to projects of equality and social justice, and whether and in what ways they change the experiences of the creatives who work in them. Drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives including sociology, geography, economics, media and communications, culture and creative industries, critical policy studies, gender studies, race and ethnicity, and urban studies, this collection will be of interest to policy makers, academics, scholars, students and practitioners across these fields.

This open access book explores the experience of working as a craftsperson or designer maker in the contemporary creative economy. The authors utilise evidence from the only major empirical study to explore the skills required and the challenges facing contemporary makers in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Drawing upon 180 interviews with peak organisations, established and emerging makers, and four years of fieldwork across Australia, this book offers a unique insight into the motivations informing those who seek to make an income from their craft or designer maker practice, as well as the challenges and opportunities facing them as they do so at this time of renewed interest internationally in the artisanal and handmade. Offering a rich and deep collection of real-life experiences, this book is aimed both at an academic and practitioner audience.