YS Exclusive: Creativity is currency

MANILA, Philippines - John Hagel, co-chairman of Center for the Edge, Deloitte LLP said that passion leads to profit. However, due to monetary constrictions in the ever-turbulent economy, this passion is quickly being stifled. We live in a world where we are no longer bound by physical resources. The food we eat is genetically modified while the land we live on is covered in skyscrapers. And amid our exhaustion of resources, one stands ignored: human potential.

Last Sept. 15 and 16 saw the second holding of The Economist’s seminar on moving forward in today’s global economy. The interactive event boasted of an impressive and plentiful array of speakers ranging from Ivy League professors to top-grossing authors. Guests and speakers alike were encouraged to take part in current and future projects and urged to tweet live from the event. People from around the globe came to share insight and exchange progressive notions that will undoubtedly change the world in the decades to come.

With the economy in its most dramatic state since the great depression of the ‘20s, it is clear that a shift in thought is essential. What once worked no longer does. While economists and politicians claim to be on top of the situation, it doesn’t seem likely that we’ll see real change until late 2012. “Right as the world is about to end,” joked Scott Cook, founder and chairman of the executive committee, Intuit.

Current college graduates are being unleashed on a world where companies are firing more frequently than they are hiring. One solution would be to steer clear of the workforce for the time being and spend another few years completing post-graduate education in hope of a brighter economy upon later emergence. Another more ambitious solution for society as a whole would be to change the ways in which children and young adults are educated.

Schooling The System

In his book The Element, Ken Robinson suggests that the way our education system works, focusing solely on science, English and mathematics, is not the only way to assess an individual’s intelligence. As individuals, we are not all wired the same. Even Mensa agrees that there are many different types of intelligence ranging from social, linguistics and logic to kinetic and musical. However, the current method by which a teenager’s future is forecast is dependent upon standardized testing such as SATs and ACTs. In present society we are represented by our GPA, which is thought to judge how successful a person will be later in life. The fact needs to be recognized that to define people by such standards is to hinder social progress. If everyone became a scientist, we would eventually reach a stagnant state.

Speaking style: John Maeda, President of the Rhode Island School of Design

The Element looks at a handful of individuals that have dropped out of school to follow their passions and attain monumental success. Most notable is Mick Fleetwood, whose musical work in legendary band Fleetwood Mac has been internationally acclaimed as sheer genius. Of course, this approach is not for all but the unemployment rate of creatives has never fallen bellow five percent versus the unemployment rate of non-creatives, which hovers between nine to 12 percent. Not all of us were born with the ability to work routine nine-to-five jobs and remain free of resentment. Statistics state that at any given time, only 30 percent of Americans are happy or, at the very least, content with their careers. Jim Clifton, executive officer of Gallup, says that Europeans define themselves by what they do outside of work while Americans define themselves by their career. Point to ponder: What do you define yourself by and are you happy about it?

There is an ongoing debate about what motivates people. Is it money or social purpose? As argued by Dan Ariely, professor at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality, it seems as though social purpose reigns supreme over wealth. The general consensus is that, initially, money is only a motivator for those living below the poverty line; once secure and when money is no longer an issue, we begin to seek social purpose. In the US, when one’s salary breaks $75,000 annually, money is no longer seen as an incentive. Of course, it must be stated that there are still some that find money to be their core incentive.

Passionalism

During a brief conversation with Ken Robinson at the seminar, a young man from India brought up the Michael Jackson dance of Filipino inmates as an example of how, like literacy, creativity can be taught. Surprisingly, the Philippines was brought up several times during the course of the two-day seminar. More than any other country in South East Asia, the Philippines seems to be making a global impact. Many companies from the US are currently outsourcing from Manila not just because of its cheap labor but also due to its universal recognition of harboring a resourceful and creative people. The Philippines’ new slogan, “Where I’m from everyone’s a hero” brings forth hope from its well-natured inhabitants who admirably remain lighthearted in times of crisis such as during last year’s Ondoy disaster.

As children, we once imagined a world where social inequality was nonexistent. With innovation being a by-product of the combination of creativity and action, communities that are open and do not discriminate against differences in sexuality, race, gender, or social class are breeding grounds for innovative thinking. As we grow older, many of us lose that creative spark. “Imagination and creativity are the most important gifts humans can evolve with,” says Ken Robinson. What you experienced between the ages of 11 and 14 will stay with you forever. It is your duty to society and to yourself to fulfill that passion, that dream your peers or parents may have crushed due to the confines that society imposed.

Yaron Brooks, president of the Ayn Rand Institute, who was also present at the event, will undoubtedly agree that the world needs more innovative thinkers in order to progress. In a seminar stiff with suits on the Chelsea Pier, attendees gathered to try and figure out how to stay as afloat in this global economy as much as they had stayed afloat on New York‘s Hudson River. As expected, the two days of talks left many questions unanswered and stirred up many thoughts to think about before we rest our heads at night.

“A building has integrity, just as a man and just as seldom! It must be true to its own idea, have its own form, and serve its own purpose!” (Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead)

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For more information on The Economist’s “Ideas Economy” seminar check out http://ideas.economist.com. Or follow twitter.com/theideaseconomy on Twitter.