The future is now
The future is now . . . a time, a space and a place to release the power of creative ideas, innovation and processes . . . and don’t we need that more than ever before?
The future is now . . . a time, a space and a place to release the power of creative ideas, innovation and processes . . . and don’t we need that more than ever before?
What with bad news every day related to the consequences of how we treat our environment, trenchant political disagreement about how to recover and fuel economic development, massive youth unemployment (and underemployment) worldwide, things look grim.
Look out for the smart-thinkers who are not weighed down by how things are but stimulated by how they could be. These people, artists among them, look outside narrow spheres of influence and interests and engage with big issues using the power of their creativity to make a difference.
The aftermath of the devastating Christchurch earthquakes has shown how quick off the mark and generous the arts community is in a crisis, and how arts people immediately galvanised to kick-start projects that not only lifted the spirits but also made an immediate tangible impact. Look at what GapFiller, christchurchcreative.co.nz, The Court Theatre have achieved.
More recently, Festival for the Future highlighted how young people (many of them ‘creatives’) are producing and delivering innovation for emerging, at times urgent, social and cultural needs. Think Chalkle (life-long learning from 'the community' for 'the community') and PledgeMe (crowdfunding Kiwi creativity).
In their mission to help hospitality businesses make changes that reflect increasing consumer demand for environmentally and socially responsible products and services, Wellington based organisation, Conscious Consumers is stimulating discussion about the true costs of consumer goods. Conscious consumerism isn't limited to hospitality however. Rekindle and Whole House Reuse are exploring how materials from houses demolished as a result of the Christchurch earthquake can be reused in creative projects. In making furniture with waste wood, Rekindle develops employment opportunities and actively enables young people to gain real and transferable work skills.
What all these examples highlight are questions about how to grow connected communities, how to make a tangible difference (even from humble beginnings), how to relate to the mind-boggling rate of change and how creatives can impact our world.
The future is now – the time of the artist / creative – as activist, as meaning-maker, as community builder, as entertainer, as social commentator . . . share what you think the future has in store.