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Creativity isn’t confined to the arts. The arts are a proven means to cultivate creativity, but the creative impulse shows up everywhere in life—and we need it across all disciplines. The city of Lowell is here because someone imagined industry on a larger scale. People moved here because they imagined a better life for themselves than where they started. Creativity is making something new or doing something a new way, whether it is a spontaneous prose true-story novel or a pocket-sized machine that holds thousands of song recordings. When the topic is the economy, creativity keeps popping up as the key ingredient to making America competitive again.  Here’s what Thomas Friedman had to say about it this week in the NYTimes (the bold emphasis is mine)—PM:

Democratic Pollster Stan Greenberg told me that when he does focus groups today this is what he hears: “People think the country is in trouble and that countries like China have a strategy for success and we don’t. They will follow someone who convinces them that they have a plan to make America great again. That is what they want to hear. It cuts across Republicans and Democrats.”

To me, that is a plan that starts by asking: what is America’s core competency and strategic advantage, and how do we nurture it? Answer: It is our ability to attract, develop and unleash creative talent. That means men and women who invent, build and sell more goods and services that make people’s lives more productive, healthy, comfortable, secure and entertained than any other country. [I would add "meaningful" to this list---PM].

Leadership today is about how the U.S. government attracts and educates more of that talent and then enacts the laws, regulations and budgets that empower that talent to take its products and services to scale, sell them around the world — and create good jobs here in the process. Without that, we can’t afford the health care or defense we need.

I grabbed this from the City Manager’s website.  My definition of the creative economy is broader than some other people’s. This survey is aimed particularly at the cultural community because COOL wants to document that sector as thoroughly as possible. But if you consider yourself part of the creative-innovative-imaginative sector, you should take part in the census. We might be surprised by the results. Here’s the news from the City Manager and COOL:—PM

This  fall, The Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL) will launch the City’s first-ever Creative Economy Census. All working artists, creative businesses, cultural organizations, and contributors to the City’s creative industry are invited to make themselves count by filling out a brief survey which will be available online and in paper format from Friday, October 1 – Friday, November 5. To promote visibility of the Census and to encourage community participation, an informational kick-off event will take place at Brew’d Awakening Coffeehaus, 67 Market Street, on Thursday, October 14, from 6:30 – 8 p.m.  

Aimed specifically at Lowell’s growing arts community, the Creative Economy Census will collect data that will enable COOL and the City of Lowell to track the impact of creative sector businesses in the local economy.  Additionally, key outcomes of the project include increasing visibility of Lowell’s arts and culture sector  with regard to economic development and planning, and, generating ideas for workshop and assistance programs that will improve, strengthen, and support local artists and creative entrepreneurs.

“The City of Lowell has experienced a marked growth in its creative and cultural sectors,” said Lowell’s City Manager Bernie Lynch. “The Creative Economy Census will not only help us implement programs to support our arts community, but will also lay the foundation for benchmarking the rise of our creative sector. We’re extremely proud to be launching this groundbreaking effort.”

Another way Census data will benefit the arts community is through the development of a creative industry database which will house contact information for the City’s artists and creative entrepreneurs. By connecting artist-to-artist and artist-to-consumer, the database will help facilitate networking opportunities, inform the creative community of news and opportunities, and connect sellers and service providers with those seeking creative goods or services. An optional “opt in” to the database will be available in both the online and paper-based Census formats. 

The Creative Economy Census will be available online starting Friday, October 1, at the project’s website, www.CountMeInLowell.org. Pick-up and drop-off locations for the paper-based censuses will include local art galleries and select city-wide locations. All locations will be listed on the project website.

For more information, please visit www.CountMeInLowell.org or contact Suzzanne Cromwell at 978-674-1483 or scromwell@lowellma.gov.