Comments on: Creative industries, the ‘current climate’ and what knowledge exchange might mean. http://interactivecultures.org/creative-cultural-industries/creative-industries-the-%e2%80%98current-climate%e2%80%99-and-what-knowledge-exchange-might-mean research. knowledge transfer. consultancy. Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:25:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Paul Long http://interactivecultures.org/creative-cultural-industries/creative-industries-the-%e2%80%98current-climate%e2%80%99-and-what-knowledge-exchange-might-mean/comment-page-1#comment-151 Paul Long Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:43:00 +0000 http://interactivecultures.org/?p=413#comment-151 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. 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.

]]> By: Dave Harte http://interactivecultures.org/creative-cultural-industries/creative-industries-the-%e2%80%98current-climate%e2%80%99-and-what-knowledge-exchange-might-mean/comment-page-1#comment-139 Dave Harte Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:26:17 +0000 http://interactivecultures.org/?p=413#comment-139 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. 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.

]]> By: Annette Naudin http://interactivecultures.org/creative-cultural-industries/creative-industries-the-%e2%80%98current-climate%e2%80%99-and-what-knowledge-exchange-might-mean/comment-page-1#comment-134 Annette Naudin Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:43:31 +0000 http://interactivecultures.org/?p=413#comment-134 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? 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?

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