Creative industries, the ‘current climate’ and what knowledge exchange might mean.
February 18th, 2009 |
by Paul Long
Published in
Creative & Cultural Industries | 3 Comments
The last few days, weeks and months have presented us with a long list of doom and gloom as far as the economy goes. What has been happening in Birmingham and the region is making me, for one, feel like I’ve been transported back to the 1980s when the City seemed to have no rationale to exist so rapid was the decline into a ‘post-industrial’ condition. Today’s Birmingham Post reports the loss of 600 jobs at GKN while the situation at Jaguar Land Rover continues to concern us all. Closer to my working community, within University cloisters, discussion of projects is regularly conditioned by the phrase ‘in the current climate’, indicating the belt-tightening affecting us all.
For good reason, economic and employment stories focus on the big picture and big hitters like the car industry, banking and so on. However, after years of investment (economic, intellectual, collective faith, hope etc), in the regeneration of City and region, hinged upon the cultural and creative enterprises, how fare these sectors (as well as our faith and hopes), ‘in the current climate’?
There have been a lot of emphatic claims about the worth of CCI to the economy, levels of employment (some of which has been wildly exaggerated) and its importance to the region. While there are many large-scale employers in the region (some broadcasters, games companies), many individuals work as freelancers, running SMEs etc. Making sense of this sector, work conditions and prospects at the best of times has been characterised by some imprecision, perhaps because of a promotional boosterism (which might have been a productive strategy if you think I’m being critical).
At the ground level, how ARE creative workers and these companies faring? How do they feel they are treated in the local economy that has, by any estimation, thanks to Businesslink etc, proven to be supportive and generous? Given the non-economic rewards involved in CCI work (which is qualitatively different to, say, working in a metal forge), the satisfying, stimulating aspects which support humanity and individualism behind such career choices and commitment – can people keep going?
It may be asking a lot of individuals in such precarious times (and when has running an SME never been so?), to offer insight into their experiences, conditions and relationships but I’m asking. Our job in our research at ‘Interactive Cultures’ has been to engage in ‘knowledge exchange’ and so I think ‘in the current climate’, we need some empirical insight into the knowledge that those on the ground have and are generating as they strive to maintain their livelihoods.
I’d like to take this opportunity therefore to invite testimonies, comments, thoughts, ideas, advice from the CCI sector on the ‘current climate’ and what, if anything we could do about it. Doing something might be a responsibility of Universities like my own, local government, workers themselves – you tell me.
Those who read this blog, please circulate it and this call to cohere information, links, discussion and evaluation of what is happening to creative workers and the broadly defined creative industries in ‘the current climate’. We would genuinely like to hear from you.
February 19th, 2009 at 9:43 am (#)
I think it is very apt and poignant to be asking these questions. The invitation you make should be discussed by the local CCI sector, but I suspect that,as you point out, it is so good at talking itself up (for good commercial reasons) that it doesn’t know how to look realistically at itself and at the current climate. In fact you could argue that the flexibility and portfolio career associated with CCI SMEs effectively means there is no ‘standard’ or ‘normal’ period against which to compare. Slightly larger companies, with say 25 employees might get rid of a few but as a freelancer how to you assess the impact of ‘the current climate’? Is it just your bad marketing? Have you been rubbish at nurturing your networks?
In terms of any empirical studies it would be interesting to find out if there are any shifts from say private sector commissions to public sector work. In marketing the ‘talk’ is all about relationships and dialogue with your customer / audience. This is not new but has just become more critical. Is this the approach we can see from CCI?
Finally, in terms of the content rather than the business – are CCIs reflecting the ‘current climate’? Or are we so far removed from any politicized cultural activity that the CCI don’t see this as an opportunity for creating new works?
February 19th, 2009 at 6:26 pm (#)
We don’t have a current view on how the creative industries are faring as the official estimates trail by a couple of years. The last estimates suggest that growth is slowing yet is still ahead of the economy as a whole. If the economy stays in negative growth the question is will the CIs flat line or continue to show some kind of growth.
Overall stats for unemployment come through very quickly of course and we know that Birmingham is suffering more than other regions. I have no doubt CIs will suffer and that some of those who get left out of the current stats (that is, below VAT threshold or have no PAYE staff) will suffer as well.
A more politicised CI sector would be campaigning now on behalf of sector workers to ask for more focused local support for those who may lose their jobs. But to do that means admitting the sector may decline – that’s a tough thing to admit when you’ve talked it up for so long.
As the recession bites though I think we will see more individuals and companies vocalising their disquiet and doing so outside of group structures and representative bodies. The question of whether we will see the climate reflected in new works is an Arts question, not a CI question though. If we got The Specials and Two-Tone movement out of the early 80′s downturn then I can’t wait to see what we’ll get this time around.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:43 am (#)
Thanks to Dave Harte for unearthing the following link on his blog which explores the issues raised in this post:
Social Media vs the Recession? | Changing the World (and other excuses for not getting a proper job…) – The role of social media in a recession (http://otherexcuses.blogspot.com/2009/01/social-media-vs-recession.html). Really interesting post about the kind of interventions we need to prevent the newly unemployed feeling cut off.