Creativity is fascinating. It is the result of mental activity, an action that occurs inside the heads of some special people. That statement may be misleading. If creativity is an idea or action that is new and valuable, then we simply cannot accept one's own account for its existence. Maybe creativity does not happen inside people's heads, but is an interaction between a person's thoughts and the social context they are in. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of Flow, defines flow as working with passion and skill to achieve a purpose or goal. He determined there is a delicate balance between working in the flow and happiness. If you have the passion without the skill and experience one will have anxiety. The amount of anxiety will be determined by one's skill and experiences. If you have passion, skill, and experience, then working in flow gives you happiness and great accomplishment. Through autoethnography, this chapter explores the creative economy and sustainability.
At the heart of the creative economy are the cultural and creative industries that lie at the crossroads of technology, business, arts, and culture. – Unknown
Sudden bursts of creativity have led to the “Age of Discovery”, “Age of Industrialization”, “Age of Knowledge” and now the “Age of Artificial Intelligence”. When one is working in the flow, time does not exist, they disregard their environment and give their surroundings a personal pattern that echoes the rhythm of their thoughts and habits of action. When the environment is their own making, they forget the rest of the world and concentrate on pursuing their muse. Today, centers of learning and commerce have been magnets for ambitious people who want to leave their mark on humanity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996).
A person must be in a position to access the domain in which one plans to work. The information must be distributed equally, and if you want to learn something specific, you need to be in the learning environment created. These learning environments may have greater interactions and tend to lead to more experimentation. Access to the field may not be evenly spaced, meaning centers that facilitate novel ideas are not necessarily the ones where the information is stored or where stimulation is greatest. The ability to fund and act drives a change in the environment.
Creating a meaningful environment in space and time helps you become personally creative. When you do, life is rarely boring, and rarely out of control. Your life reflects you individually. You probably will not be recognized as highly significant or famous, but your life may be one of quality and a life well lived
Supporting families can positively shape creative lives. To build creative lives you must manage your time. By turning off the TV, and games, you focus on your creative environment, and children especially will develop their creative talents. Furthermore, research has determined that as people age, their creative processes increase as long as a positive attitude is maintained. An aging person with a positive attitude is more likely to forgive, not take offense, and have less anxiety. They have found meaning! (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996).
Our brains are not different, but how we think and what we think about are different. How we use our own mental energy creatively, is the most fundamental difference between people. The first step to a more creative life is the cultivation of curiosity and interest. This can be done by: trying to be surprised by something every day. Try to surprise at least one person every day. Write down each day what surprised you and how you surprised others. When something strikes a spark of interest, follow it (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996).
Mostly, to create flow every day, you start by waking up to specific goals. These have to be enjoyable to develop complexity. Develop habits of strength, when creative energy is awakened, keep it and value it. Manage your space and time. Change the way you think about yourself; this is psychic energy and can be positive or negative. A shift from closure to openness, aim for complexity. To realize one’s potential, openness and complexity add a deeper layer of understanding, this allows one to solve complex problems (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996). Sustainability is a complex problem!
TopCreative Economy
Currently, creative economies are described in a variety of ways, depending on the composition and character of businesses, nonprofits, individuals, and venues that exist in any given area. The creative industries and the creative class have broad definitions; however, they contribute directly to jobs, tax generation, and wealth for the local economies they operate within. States have been studying the creative economy by looking at the work of nonprofits and cultural tourism. This may not be totally accurate; however, the creative economy encompasses technology as well (Tardif, 2020).
The majority of the creative economies are based on culture and cultural districts. These have a decentralized nature that can benefit residents of areas often thought to lack economic strength—such as rural areas and the urban core. At the heart of the creative industries are individual artists and micro businesses who are typically well-connected to the communities where they reside. Linking these artists and technology experts with entrepreneurial opportunities both inside and beyond their regions offers many economic development possibilities.