Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

By Elizabeth Murphy

The creative industries’ ability to innovate new economic opportunities continues to make headlines. Our colleagues at the National Creativity Network (NCN) offer inspiring examples of how the creative sector is driving innovation, job creation, and economic sustainability. Did you know that the State of Massachusetts employs a Creative Economy Director and that Vermont’s Department of Economic, Housing and Community Development has recently announced the establishment of the Office of the Creative Economy?

Over the past two decades, international governments (notably Ireland and the United Kingdom) have recognized the sizeable contribution the creative industries have made to their overall economies and have instituted policies and funding schemes designed to enhance this growing sector. In the United States, the terms “creative economy” and “creative industries” are beginning to take hold and are increasingly recognized as a powerful strategy for economic and community revitalization. As this field continues to develop, we are faced with the challenge of defining the creative industries, but nationally and internationally, this definition remains a moving target. Generally speaking, the sector has been described as a range of economic activities which are concerned with the generation or exploitation of knowledge, intellectual property and information. It is widely accepted that the activities which comprise the creative industries include architecture, design, arts, research & development, publishing, software, computer programming, scientific research, film, tv and radio. However, definitions are, by nature, limiting, and if there’s one thing we’re learning, it’s that the creative industries have an inherent capability to expand in unforeseen and innovative ways.

Recently, we have been invited to serve on the newly-established Creative Economy Coalition – a creative industries working group of the National Creativity Network. We join other thought-leaders around the country dedicated to: linking the creative industries to commerce, education, science, technology, and government; to advocating for the creative industries as an economic stimulus that grows jobs; and to stimulating innovation and imagination throughout our communities.

We are also interested in defining metrics for measuring the impact of the creative economy throughout the nation. Last week, members of the Creative Economy Coalition presented a very engaging NCN webinar on Growing the Creative Economy (Note: this webinar archive will be posted by the end of the week.) and you can also find previous webinars including one where New Jersey’s own Leo Vasquez from Arts Build Communities presented on the topic of Creative Placemaking.

While we all get our heads wrapped around the impact of the creative economy in our own state’s and communities, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (produced jointly with the United Nations Developing Programme) has published extensive research on the global creative economy. Their recent 2010 report provides evidence that the creative industries are among the most dynamic emerging sectors in world trade. The report defines the creative industries as “the crossroads of the arts, culture, business and technology…composing the cycle of creation, production, and distribution of goods and services that use intellectual property as their primary input.”

The rate of growth in world trade of creative goods rose from $7.8 billion in 2002 to $21 billion in 2008 (a growth rate of 14%). And despite the decline in the world economy brought about by the Great Recession, the creative industries have remained relatively robust. The report states, “The emerging creative economy has become a leading component of economic growth, employment, trade and innovation, and social cohesion in most advanced economies…It also shows that the interface among creativity, culture, economics and technology, as expressed in the ability to create and circulate intellectual capital, has the potential to generate income, jobs and export earnings while at the same time contributing to social inclusion, cultural diversity and human development.”

At Creative New Jersey, we are working to bridge the gap between our sectors, fostering connections between commerce, education, culture, government and philanthropy, in order to drive innovation and revitalize our state. We are currently developing a series of Community Creativity Convenings which will bring cross-sector leaders together to explore how creativity and innovation can transform their communities. We are working with a wide variety of partners in Essex, Monmouth, Mercer, Morris and Camden counties which include urban regeneration nonprofits and economic development councils, county arts councils and arts organizations, universities and educational associations, mayoral associations, sustainability and environmental nonprofits, and philanthropic leaders.

Together, county by county, we will begin to transform our Garden State through spirited, ground-breaking discussions which challenge the status-quo and encourage new partnerships and strategies that have the potential for reinvigorating the local and statewide economy while strengthening the fabric of our communities. In the coming weeks, we will announce the schedule for the upcoming Community Creativity Convenings, and we will keep you informed as new convenings are announced.

The power of this transformation lies in the infinite capabilities of each and every New Jerseyan as we meet at the intersection of our sectors. So, join us at the crossroads, and let us know if you are interested in working with Creative New Jersey in hosting a Community Creativity Convening in your town.

Inquiries regarding joining the Creative New Jersey movement and/or hosting a Community Creativity Convening should be sent to Elizabeth Murphy at emurphy[at]creativenj[dot]org.

Creative New Jersey’s leaders and partners are regular contributors to the Dodge blog

By Elizabeth Murphy
Creative New Jersey

Lately it seems like the entire country is talking about creativity, innovation and sustainability. There exists a plethora of news stories, opinion articles, academic papers, and blog posts all touting the importance of embracing creativity, fostering imagination, encouraging innovation, and the need for developing sustainable models.

I want to highlight some recent favorite videos and articles from around the country:

Deadlines Kill Creativity (video via I Am Bored)

“To prove to their deadline-setting clients that creativity takes time, an ad agency visited some children with a task.”

Roger McNamee: Six ways to save the internet (video via TED)

“The next big shift is now, and it’s not what you think: Facebook is the new Windows; Google must be sacrificed. At TEDxSantaCruz, tech investor Roger McNamee presents 6 bold ways to prepare for the next internet.”

Start-Up Nation: The Blueprint for an Innovation Recovery (via The Atlantic)

“The best way to promote innovation is to clear the way for the main agents of innovation: the entrepreneurs who create new businesses.”

The 3 Biggest Barriers To Innovation, And How To Smash Them (via Fast Company Design)

“Luke Williams, a fellow at Frog, argues that coming up with breakthrough innovation isn’t just a matter of being brilliant. Rather, he lays out a systematic method for overcoming the usual barriers that hem in great ideas.”

Why Creativity and Innovation Are Not Interchangeable (via Creative Communities Conversation blog)

“It has been interesting to me how interchangeable the words ‘creativity’ and ‘innovation’ have become – particularly in the business community. The truth is that while they are clearly connected and intertwined, they are not interchangeable.”

And while we may not agree with all of the viewpoints, one thing is clear to me: when we meet at the intersection of seemingly disparate disciplines, we have the opportunity for our own ideas to clash and combine with others, thereby encouraging an explosion of potentially groundbreaking, new ideas.

A colleague of mine recently reminded me of Frans Johansson’s book The Medici Effect in which the author elaborates on the importance of the “intersection.” Johansson states, “When you step into an intersection of fields, disciplines, or cultures, you can combine existing concepts into a large number of extraordinary new ideas. The name I have given this phenomenon, the Medici Effect, comes from a remarkable burst of creativity in fifteenth-century Italy. The Medici’s were a banking family in Florence who funded creators from a wide range of disciplines. Thanks to this family and a few others like it, sculptors, scientists, poets, philosophers, financiers, painters, and architects converged upon the city of Florence. There they found each other, learned from one another, and broke down barriers between disciplines and cultures. Together they forged a new world based on new ideas—what became known as the Renaissance. As a result, the city became the epicenter of a creative explosion, one of the most innovative eras in history. The effects of the Medici family can be felt even to this day. We, too, can create the Medici Effect.”

Indeed we can, for in New Jersey, we already have a culture of collaboration in existence. Our challenge now is to deepen these relationships while forging new discussions with people in disciplines we’ve not yet had any contact with. Could this be an end-of-year goal? Could we all challenge ourselves to jump into the intersection and reach out to at least one person, in a different field, before the end of 2011? If we step out of our comfort zone and into the intersection, we will ignite the spark of our own creativity and innovation, and in the process, be setting the wheels in motion for exciting and daring new ideas to take hold. And dare I say, perhaps one day, our efforts might become known as “The Jersey Effect”…so join us in this discussion on Facebook and let us know of the new connection you made before 2011 comes to a close!

By Elizabeth Murphy
Creative New Jersey

Creativity.  Innovation.  Sustainability.   For many of us, these words conjure a variety of meanings, but one common denominator underlying these definitions for me is the notion of progress.  The past several decades have encouraged and defined progress as “more,” “bigger,” and “faster.” Even with the advent of the world’s financial crisis, we, as a society, have yet to redefine what successful progress looks like. Yes, individuals and organizations alike have had to respond to our austere economic realities, but we are bombarded with messages that these cut-backs are temporary, and that one day we will return to our former glory.  We hear “the financial market will re-bound” and “the housing market will strengthen” and so on. Yet, I think we can all agree that there’s no going back, and there have been countless articles written on the need to develop new business models.

Albert Einstein (a remarkable New Jerseyan!) once said, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved with the same level of thinking we used to create them.” Collectively, we can embrace creativity, innovation and sustainability, and in the process re-define success so that is it authentic to who and what we are.

Creative New Jersey is championing a new model for New Jersey in order to ensure dynamic communities and a thriving economy. Creative New Jersey is empowering cross-sector partnerships in order to spark a movement dedicated to fostering creativity, innovation, and sustainability in commerce, education, philanthropy, government, and culture.

We Believe:

• Imagination is the foundation of human creativity;
• Creativity is innate in every human being and can be nurtured and developed;
• Innovation brings about transformation and a shift in the worldview towards sustainability.

Could all of us, as proud New Jerseyans, agree to embark upon setting a new path for success?  Can we agree that our systems have failed us but that we have the power to make lasting positive change?  Can we embrace calculated risk-taking as an important factor in re-envisioning ourselves, our organizations, our communities and our state?  If your answer is yes, we at Creative New Jersey would like to hear from you!

Perhaps you are thinking about:

• What creativity means for you and your community?
• What it means to transcend traditional ideas, rules and patterns?
• What it might look like to foster new allegiances or mergers?

If you’re thorough in defining creativity, your own original, innovative ideas will be illuminated. What are they? How does this feel to you? Who and what do you need to launch your new ideas? What cross-sector partnerships might help you to achieve this? What is your BHAG (your Big Hairy Audacious Goal!)?

The power of our progress is tantamount to the quality of our ideas. At Creative New Jersey, we want to help propel your progress by linking you with individuals and organizations that you might not traditionally think of partnering with.  We want to fuel the conversation of how New Jersey can use creativity and innovation to revitalize our state.

Creative New Jersey began this conversation last June when 150 leaders from across the state gathered for a Call to Collaboration.  More than 55 discussions took place on how Creativity and Innovation could revitalize New Jersey, and dozens of cross-sector introductions were born.  Participants accepted a 3-to-3-to-3 challenge to reach out to 3 people they met during the Call to Collaboration; 3 people they would have liked to have meet and 3 people who weren’t at the event but should know about our Creative New Jersey movement. We are continuing to expand the circle and we invite all of you to join us as we build momentum.

1. Go to www.creativenj.org and create an account so you can post information and receive updates on activities and events.  You can also download the Call to Collaboration Book of Proceedings by clicking on the blog tab.
2. Post your ideas about creativity, innovation and sustainability on our website by clicking Words to Action, and read what your colleagues are saying.
3. Join the discussion on our Facebook page and on Twitter.

While our state is faced with a myriad of challenges, we know that there are countless New Jerseyans who are implementing creative, innovative and sustainable changes every day.  Tell us what you are doing.  Tell us how we can help.  Be a part of the conversation!  Join us in replacing “more, bigger, faster” with “creativity, innovation, and sustainability.”

Creative New Jersey’s leaders and partners are regular contributors to the Dodge blog