we are ALL creative.
All humans are creative. We all make statements about ourselves each and every day; we make conscious decisions based on what we wear, drive, eat, drink even how we compose our language to shape the way that other people perceive our lives. I would like to suggest that everyone on the planet “designs” their own life and constructs an image that they sell to the world.
We all come from many backgrounds. Some of us are truck drivers, farmers, civil servants, construction workers, writers, sales people, managers, meat cutters, architects, sociologists, industrial designers, and realtors (to name a few). All of us are highly original in the way we compose our lives. If we weren’t this way, humanity would be a really dull species! Because we all learn at an early age that we must “find ourselves” to become fully-functioning adults we all engage in the creative process throughout our lives. We learn to express our emotions through the decisions we designate each and every day.
Artists, designers, and creative types exist in every sector of the world. I have met creative sales people, mechanics, business types, truck drivers, and cooks. These are the people that create the most amazing work and go that extra mile to add their own signature to the things they do. They create work that stimulates, and has a powerful impact on others. These people strive for quality over quantity.
I find it interesting the disconnect there is in our culture between creativity and life in general. In North America creativity is simply not celebrated enough. In fact the common philosophy is one of quanitity over quality. Many of us hate to admit that beneath our well-presented business surface lies the “Art” within that we refuse to connect with. Art is the feedom and unstructured side of our lives. Art is the music we listen to, or the wierd things we say to make others laugh. Art is the life we have put aside to build our businesses, and to be responsible “adults”. Art is the time we spend with our children. Art is the red car in the shade you stop to admire, or a casual conversation with a stranger. Art is the morning walk before work, or an evening fishing in a river. Art is fundamental to our well-being.
Many of us are to busy to be artists. We’ve grown up now, and our career is our focus. We work to pay or debts, and our cities push real artists into low income areas. We think in North America that Art and creativity do not fit the business model, and many believe that ART wastes our well-earned progressive dollar.
I would like to argue that ALL the great cities of the world embrace their creative types, and make ART an integral part of society. These cities realize that Creatives make life in city dynamic, exciting, and add vigor to everyday life. Without Art, Design and creativity; cities would remain status quo with no culture and no “quality of life”. Without creativity, noone would question our man-made boundaries, and none would innovate. My point is, if everyone admitted that they were creative, perhaps they wouldn’t be so scared to pursue new ideas, and see life through the holistic, artistic lens. That is to say if creativity were a skill we all nurtured and embraced; new ideas would no longer be judged on the lowest bidder, or the fastest delivery. Rather, the richest and most artistic ideas would build our cities, enhance our lives, and shape our culture.
In times of great prosperity, the cities of Alberta have great opportunity. Lets hope we don’t waste it…. -JGB
