Has [creativity] become yet another specious item of jargon?
This question, posed by Negus and Pickering’s article creativity and cultural production (International Journal of Cultural Policy volume 6 number 2, 2000) was a key inspiration for my work on creativity. The end point of my creativity research, which was conducted in collaboration with Taryn Bloom, is summarised in Creatvitiy and arts policy, published in the Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society, volume 34, number 2, 2004:
‘Creativity, long associated with the arts, is now a buzzword in other domains—most notably, in management theory and practice, in pop psychology, and in government innovation and creative industries policies. This broader interest in creativity offers arts policymakers and analysts unprecedented opportunities to tap less-impoverished research streams and participate in a higher profile debate. At first, therefore, the creativity hysteria appears beneficial for the arts. In this article, I recommend caution. There is a difference between the notion of creativity predominant in the broader debate and the notion of creativity in art. That difference is a warning that our enthusiasm to exploit the creativity hysteria could interfere with the business of good arts policy. This article should be of special interest to arts analysts, policymakers, and practitioners and also to anyone interested in creativity.’
If you would like to view the full article please contact me.
artspolicies.org Christopher Madden 