Day 20: The uncreative creative industry [Part 1 of 4]

Music is a cornerstone of culture. For as long as culture has existed, music, or some form of it, has been essential to its development and growth. From a purely survival point of view, Music actually plays no role in our physical needs as humans. Then why does music exist? Music exists because once our basic needs for survival are addressed, our mind begins to look for pleasurable activities which can increase our personal happiness – and for almost all people music meets this need.

As a pianist who has studied classical music in a university setting and now in a conservatory setting, I have found that the majority of people in this industry are uncreative. Wait! Top-rate classical musicians are uncreative? Not to confuse creativity with memory, technicality, musicality, and communication – I would argue that most musicians in the classical music industry are not creative individuals.

Why?

As much as I hate giving definitions for words as an example, just take a look at the definition of creativity:

Creativity: The ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination

If you spend any time in a conservatory for music you will soon find out that creativity is not in the forefront.

Is there proof?

Definitely. The proof is in the current diminishing state of the classical music industry and as it weens and whittles to dust – record labels, conservatories, classical music radio, orchestras and concert halls are all hoping for a “renaissance”. If you blame our diminishing state on current economy you may be partially right, but so what? Why does our industry have to rely so heavily on donations and charity?

The example I like best is looking to one of the fastest growing industries at the moment – technology. The startup technology industry (for software companies and soon to be hardware companies) is in a “Gold rush” era. Entrepreneurs of all different ages and around the world are spending every waking hour trying to solve the problems that people face everyday – hoping to make your life better through their ability to create.

JT