Who are these masked men and women?
According to Wikipedia: Cultural Creatives is a term coined by sociologist Paul H. Ray and psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson to describe a large segment in Western society that has recently developed beyond the standard paradigm of Modernists versus Traditionalists or Conservatists.
The concept was presented in their book The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World (2000), where they claim to have found that 50 million adult Americans (slightly over one quarter of the adult population) can now be identified as belonging to this group. They estimated that there were another 80–90 million Cultural Creatives in Europe in 2000.
Dr. Ray and Dr. Anderson divide cultural creatives into two subdivisions:
Core cultural creative
Just under half of the CC population, this segment comprises the more educated, leading-edge thinkers. This group includes many writers, artists, musicians, psychotherapists, feminists, alternative health care providers and other professionals. They combine a serious concern for their inner life with a strong passion for social activism.
Green cultural creative
The more secular and extroverted wing of the cultural creatives. They tend to follow the opinions of the Core group and have a more conventional religious outlook. Their world views are less thought out than the Core group and less intensely held.
Characteristics
Dr. Ray and Dr. Anderson created a questionnaire to identify cultural creatives in Western society. The below characteristics were identified as qualities of a cultural creative. Agreement with 10 or more indicates status as a cultural creative.
- love of nature and deep caring about its destruction
- strong awareness of the planet-wide issues (i.e. global warming, poverty, overpopulation, etc.) and a desire to see more action on them
- willingness to pay higher taxes or spend more money for goods if that money went to improving the environment
- heavy emphasis on the importance of developing and maintaining relationships
- heavy emphasis on the importance of helping others and developing their unique gifts
- volunteer with one or more good causes
- intense interest in spiritual and psychological development
- see spirituality as an important aspect of life but worry about religious fundamentalism
- desire more equity for women in business, life and politics
- concern for the violence and abuse against women and children
- want politics and government to spend more money on education, community programs and the support of a more ecologically sustainable future
- are unhappy with the left and right in politics
- optimism towards the future
- want to be involved in creating a new and better way of life
- are concerned with big business and the means they use to generate profits, including destroying the environment and exploiting poorer countries
- unlikely to overspend or be in heavy debt
- dislike the emphasis of modern cultures on making it and success, on consuming and making money
- like people, places and things that are different or exotic
Values
Dr. Ray and Dr. Anderson assert that "values are the best single predictor of real behavior". The list below outlines the values that dictate a Cultural Creative's behavior:
- Authenticity, actions must be consistent with words and beliefs
- Engaged action and whole process learning; seeing the world as interwoven and connected
- Idealism and activism
- Globalism and ecology
- The importance of women
Core cultural creatives also value altruism, self-actualization, and spirituality.
In business
The 2008 marketing text, Karma Queens, Geek Gods and Innerpreneurs, by Ron Rentel, was the first to identify the cultural creative subculture in entrepreneurship. Rentel named entrepreneurial cultural creatives "innerpreneurs". Innerpreneurs have the defining characteristics of an entrepreneur:
- high need for achievement
- high need for independence
- low need for conformity
- internal locus of control
- love of ambiguity
- propensity for risk-taking
- obsession with opportunity
But in addition to using their business for monetary gain, innerpreneurs use their business to find personal fulfillment (creatively, spiritually, emotionally) and create social change.
In 2008, there has been much discussion in the Western media on the ‘creative economy’ and the importance of the ‘creative class’.
Richard Florida published a series of books on this identified the 'creative class' and their upcoming economic importance.
Bill Gates spoke at the World Economic Forum 2008 on the need for ‘creative capitalism’ as a solution to the world’s problems. They theorize that being creative and inventive will be the key to business success in the 21st century. That a country’s economic success will be determined by its ability to mobilize, attract and retain human creative talent.
Are you a cultural creative? Are you an innerpreneur?
Is that your writing or spiritual market?
It’s time to stop superimposing old paradigms on our products, services and writing and feed the hungry masses with what they’re hungry for – deep spiritual meaning, fresh ideas for the future, and products and services that honor our environment.
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