Creative Industry vs. Creative Economy
Learn about creative industry careers and the creative economy and how your academic journey at Duke could prepare you to succeed in both! Continue reading below to explore and learn more.
What are the Creative Industries?
Definition of the creative industries
The creative industries are all around us. They can be seen in the clothes we wear, the buildings we live and work in, the music we listen to, the books we read, the adverts on our screens, the apps we use and in countless other places. When you take a good look, the creative industries show up everywhere in our daily lives and the world would be a very different place without them!
The creative industries include:
– Music, performing arts, like acting, and visual arts, like painting
– Crafts, such as weaving, furniture-making and jewellery-making
– Film, TV, animation, visual effects, video, radio and photography
– Video games, virtual reality, and extended reality
– Museums, galleries and heritage, such as stately homes and cathedrals
– Publishing and libraries
– Design, including product design, graphic design and fashion
– Architecture
– Advertising and marketing
There are all kinds of jobs within the industries, from weaving and acting through to data analysis and network programming. There’s a need for scientists, artists, people with business skills and those who combine all three. For more information on what kinds of roles there are in the creative industries, see Do you have to be good at art?.
Why work in the creative industries?
The creative industries are important…
They produce art and inventions, solve problems, bring life to communities and document history. Making and experiencing art also makes people happier and healthier. The positives of the creative industries overflow into other industries bringing new ideas, products and ways of working.
The creative industries are exciting…
People who work in the creative industries connect with the world. They often work on different projects with different challenges. The creative industries are also known for using inventive new ways of working and the latest technology.
The creative industries need YOU…
The creative industries are more productive and meaningful when they include people from all different backgrounds, with different skills and personalities, and when they raise up voices that aren’t often heard. No one has the same set of experiences and strengths, and everyone has something different that they can bring to the table.
🚨Bonus Resource🚨 : The Art Career Project is here to help you turn your artistic dreams into career realities. Our goal is to help you go from having an idea about what you want to do, to actually taking the steps towards becoming a successful artist. Explore career profiles to learn about the skills you need to acquire, the education you’ll need (or want), and how to set yourself up for long-term success.
🚨Bonus Resource🚨 : ScreenSkills is the industry-led skills body for the screen industries – film, television (including children’s, unscripted and high-end), VFX, animation and games. Each job profile includes information on how to get in, starting with the relevant A-levels, Highers or vocational qualifications. Find your ideal entry-level role in film, TV, animation, visual effects or games using our job profile matcher.
What is the Creative Economy?
Framing the Creative Economy
by The Policy Circle
The creative economy was first referenced as an independent discipline within economics in the 1960s. In 2001, John Howkins brought the term to life in his book, “The Creative Economy: How People Make Money from Ideas.” The creative economy positions itself at the intersection of economics (contributing to GDP), innovation (fostering growth and competition in traditional activities), social value (stimulating knowledge and talent), and sustainability (relying on the unlimited input of creativity and intellectual capital).
The creative economy contributes just over 6.1% to global gross domestic product (GDP), averaging between 2% and 7% of national GDPs around the world. The most recent data indicate television and the visual arts make up the largest industries of the creative economy in terms of revenue, while visual arts and music are the largest industries in terms of employment.
In the U.S., employment in arts and culture generated $400 billion in wages for over 5 million Americans in 2016. Additionally, economic output in creative economy sectors amounted to $800 billion, which included a $25 billion trade surplus for the export of artistic and cultural goods and services including movies and video games (CityLab). In China alone, creative sectors contributed over $460 billion to the economy, amounting to about 4% of China’s GDP. In the European Union, 2018 estimates say the creative economy supplies 12 million jobs (making it the third largest employer sector) and generates about 500 billion euro (about $550 billion USD) annually, representing 5.3% of the EU’s total GDP.
