While many cities may claim to be ‘creative’, few are recognised as such in the global context of creative activity. Most cities that can reasonably show a significant level of financial activity generated by the core creative industries (as defined above) are also centres for many other industries and are typically large, long established, capital cities. The reasons for this however are usually historical and are rarely the result of strategic initiatives by local administration authorities.
Recent technological advances, especially in relation to broadband1 internet availability are radically changing the world of creative production and consumption, allowing far more mobility than was previously possible. Accelerated advances in digital technology enables production and delivery over distances and time zones that were previously inhibiting the creative Diaspora that can be seen today. Large numbers of creative individuals can work from anywhere on the planet as long as they have access to a high speed internet connection. Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) has made the cost of communicating over long distances virtually disappear. Free video conferencing capabilities are built into most modern laptops. Lower airfares, the deregulation of international air travel and the opening of small regional airports to long distance carriers have all combined to provide a multitude of options to the mobile society of creative people.
Not only has technology allowed creative people greater freedom of choice concerning where they live it has also given them access to global markets on a scale that was previously impossible. Creative work can now be produced almost anywhere in the world and delivered and consumed almost anywhere in the world at the push of a few buttons. As the need for centralised distribution networks disappears for many creative works and consumers download product directly from the internet, the need for centralised support services decreases accordingly.2
Creative people are choosing where they want to live and making those choices based on quality of life, cost of living and access to desired facilities and cultural events. The traditional creative centres of the past, notably New York and London no longer hold the attraction they used to. While they will probably maintain their lure as centres for the gathering of mainly young, culturally hungry, creative migrants, they are no longer able to hold on to maturing creative people as they shift their priorities to those of the family and the future. In Europe, ‘no frills’ airlines, low cost air fares and widespread availability from regional airports has stimulated an exodus from the larger conurbations to more rural environments and across national boundaries.
Another highly significant aspect of the internet is that both creative producers and consumers are even more aware of current global trends in art, design and fashion than ever before. Word of mouth, always so pervasive in the creative industries is now instant and voracious. Trends and ideas are spread around the globe at light speed. Creative activity – the work produced and the way it is produced (the process) – is avidly scrutinised for validity by the global creative community. It is judged, publicised, published and re-published by this community. In order that any creative centre can be acknowledged as such by this community, it must be seen to be relevant to contemporary culture and the values of the creative community.
The internet has opened up the creative world to global markets so the need for an aspiring creative economic centre to be globally culturally relevant and contemporary is paramount. This means that all communications, publications, publicity releases and promotional material produced to back up the claim of creativity must be placed in an international context from the start. Any attempt to downgrade the quality of output from the highest standards of contemporary design will be immediately perceived by the informed creative community as bogus and second rate.
The understanding of this point – the global context within which the creative world exists cannot be stressed too much.
Creativity cannot exist in a vacuum – it feeds off ideas, images and other creative works. It gains inspiration from differences and is stimulated by challenge and debate. The cross pollination of ideas across cultures and ages is essential to the process of creative exploration. Therefore an essential element of a centre for creative activity is a varied and vigorous multi-cultural mix. This is achieved by default in most major cities where the ‘artistic quarter’ is always a centre for multi-ethnic mixes of entertainment, styles, fashions, foods and eccentric characters. Any truly globally relevant centre for creative activity must be able to embrace and encourage such diversity.
1 the definition of broad band in this context is open to interpretation. Many telecoms infrastructure companies claim their services to be broadband when they are in reality delivering low speed ADSL connections via twisted pair copper wiring. Broadband in the cable TV industry is capable of delivering 50 CATV channels over coaxial cable. Connections speeds of 1.5 Mbit/s (also referred to as T1) both up and down stream are the minimum required to utilise the internet for creative business purposes.
2 As an example; a music recording can be made using a portable computer in a studio on the West coast of Ireland, mastered by an engineer on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, manufactured by an ‘on demand CD duplication’ facility in New Jersey, USA using artwork designed in Melbourne, Australia and the resulting product can be sold to a consumer via a worldwide internet distribution service – or an MP3 version can be made available for instant download by the music producer directly. All of this happens entirely via the internet. Music is just one high profile example; the same can and does apply to Film, TV, Books, Photographs, Design services, software development, Electronic Gaming etc.
Next > understanding creativity
* * *