Is creativity something you are born with or something you can learn? It is probably a bit of both nature and nurture: natural talent and inspirational education. For example, a musician can’t improvise until he or she has learnt to master an instrument.
The theme of creativity was prominent in a party we held last week to celebrate what is “GREAT” about Britain. We highlighted many themes about modern Britain: education, business, film etc.
As is often the case, it was the film industry that stole the show. Gareth Ellis-Unwin, the producer of the film “The King’s Speech”, which portrayed the struggles of King George VI to overcome his stammer, displayed the Oscar he won in 2010 for the Best Picture.
He spoke about the UK’s Creative Industries and their contribution to growth. The sector covering TV, film, art, design and architecture employs 1.3 million people in the UK and produces exports worth £17 billion each year.
For example, the film “The King’s Speech” employed over 400 crew and cost £9 million to make. It has already earned £250 million at the Box Office and, once DVD, internet and TV receipts are factored in, looks set to earn in excess of $1 billion.
Gareth attributed this success to two key factors: a tax credit system that offers the film industry in the UK significant financial advantages. And a competent workforce with specialised skills to support quality productions.
Other aspects of the UK’s creativity were also on show at the function: innovative fashion from Stella McCartney, avant garde architecture such as the new Queen Alia airport terminal in Amman, designed by Norman Foster and the fact that 8 out of 11 Formula 1 racing car teams are based in the UK including Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren. “Motorsport Valley” near Oxford employs 41,000 people and earns £9 billion a year, mostly in exports.
That creativity is available for sharing. Indeed, Gareth is bringing his skills to Jordan to make a new film, Kajaki this summer. Not only will the film be shot in Jordan, he will also share his experience of the dynamic environment within which the film industry in the UK is thriving. And working with the Royal Film Commission, he will run master classes during the summer to nurture local creative talent.
Creative talent is already on show in Jordan. In May I attended the premiere of Postman Pat – The Movie, a major film production using top stars to do the voices. That film was produced in Jordan by Amman-based company Rubicon.
The digital sector in Jordan also has huge potential as people in the Middle East look for Arabic language apps, fuelling the growth of Arabic as an Internet language. Companies in the UK are looking for partners in Jordan to fuel this growth.
Other institutions are involved in valuable new initiatives to promote creativity in Jordan. Oasis500 recently launched a Creative Industries Fund and the EU has a Creative Jordan project to support people and institutions who want to develop capacity for innovation.
Producing the intellectual horsepower to fuel creativity requires an education system that encourages young people to question received wisdom and develop capacity for critical thinking. Memorising and regurgitating facts in an unthinking way is the best way to strangle creativity; it is how you use that information that counts.
In today’s highly competitive world, all countries have to play to their strengths. Entrepreneurship and private sector enterprise will be the sources of job growth and future prosperity by bringing new ideas to market. Staying ahead of the game requires support for bright people with good ideas.
A Chinese proverb states: “the loftiest towers rise from deep foundations”. Digging those foundations means encouraging creativity in young people from an early age.
Dear Peter ,
it ´s GREAT to read of what creativity is able to do and to help yourself to make it through the day . Well , it ´s for me not so important whether if you were born with this fantastic virtue or if you ´ve learnt it. If the last fact is true than it ´s surely much harder to achieve it and become creative. For & of course yr. “Eye-Catcher” the movie poster of “King ´s Speech” is the best example. After watching this excellent half-documentary film I only can imagine of how long & difficult it tooked and was ´till King George VI was overcoming his sickness or in yr. words “his stammer”. But most notable to me is the fact , that you need to be creative in this ” highly competivite world ( of today)” in a way which should be above the average. Well , you ´ve already mentioned a lot of such British people from very different job-areas. That ´s why I do think that creativity is also a ground pillar for “typical” intellectuals , technicans , film-producers , fashion-makers or ….Londoner dockland-workers ! ( In fact , I ´ve watched last year with my own eye of how clever they moved an old ship wreck at Victoria-Dock from point A to B. Personally, I wouldn ´t never had the perfect idea of how to handle such a thing). To conclude : I ´m really looking forward to read more ´bout this Creative Jordan project in Amman (?) and if “the loftiest towers are rising from deep foundations ” – than the Chinese are surely right – as long as we do watching carefully & exactly that these towers don ´t becoming ivory – ones.
” In my tower of ivory / a home for knowledge and activity / so I want the answers quickly / but I don ´t have often the energy…”
(Kate Bush, “Sat in your Lap” , May 1981 , UK # 10, FRG # 13 ).
Best wishes , take care of yourself & enjoy yr. Wednesday , liebste Grüßle und oin netter Mittwoch , Ingo-Steven ; Stuttgart