For the last 60 years the worlds and languages of culture and business have been uneasily counterpointed against each other: the arts constantly urged to be more 'businesslike'; industry and commerce told that their future lay in becoming more creative.
Ever since Adorno first used the term 'culture industry' during World War II (polemically, in comparing mass industrial production with the new phenomenon of mass culture), these two worlds have been locked in an uneasy, constantly shifting embrace.
Since Adorno, creativity and the 'creative industries' have gained new prophets. In books like The Rise of the Creative Class and Cities and the Creative Class, the American urban studies theorist Richard Florida controversially identified the 'creative class' as a key engine of urban regeneration.
More recently, in Flight of the Creative Class, his thinking has moved on; instead of limiting the dynamic, regenerative potential of creativity to the activities of just one specific 'creative class', Florida now argues that engaging the creativity of everyone - not just the 30 per cent of people in 'creative class' jobs - is the real key to unleashing economic growth.
Paralleling this emphasis on creativity's role in economic development, recent years have also seen a growing understanding of the importance of innovation in successful business, industry and commerce.
At first, the fact that creativity and innovation have come to occupy such similarly prominent positions across contemporary debate looks helpful, but it has given rise to some treacherous confusions. Creativity is romantically painted as the preserve of the arts and cultural worlds; serendipitous, transitory, even precious but ultimately somewhat unreliable.
By contrast, innovation comes across as creativity's harder-nosed older brother; as if, although innovation must necessarily call upon creativity, it doesn't need all that much of it.
Published
July 2007
Author
Anthony Sargent and Katherine Zeserson
For publication enquiries or to
request a hard copy of a publication,
contact information@nesta.org.uk.
T +44 (0)20 7438 2500
F +44 (0)20 7438 2501
Nesta Operating Company, a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with company number 7706036 and charity number 1144091. Registered as a charity in Scotland number SC042833.
