Published: 21 Nov 2015
My year started with my appointment as Chair of Creative Scotland and in that time I have been struck by the vitality and drive of Scotland’s artists and cultural organisations, and the contribution to our society that they make. As the year draws to a close it felt right to mark my first year by sharing some personal reflections with you.
Can you imagine a life without books, films, music, theatre, dance, visual art, design and architecture, digital games or any other expression of creativity?
Our country, our society, our communities and our own life experience would be diminished beyond recognition. We would indeed be living in a desolate place.
I firmly hold the view that the arts and creativity generally are not ‘additional’ they are fundamental. They are the glue that holds life together, that, for some of us, makes life bearable and, for most of us, makes life better.
They are what it is to be human.
And, I would suggest, the arts have never been more important to the human experience, to us here in Scotland, than they are now.
Reading books, listening to music, enjoying the theatre, a film or an exhibition, the shared experience of being part of a rapt audience or losing oneself in the crowd at a festival; these experiences help us remove ourselves from the hectic nature of daily life in 2015. They help us to think and to feel and, often, in sharing that experience with others, they enrich us.
Being creative also changes us. It can inspire us to acquire new skills, to contribute to our society in new and different ways. It also helps us think differently, to be flexible, more imaginative; to problem solve and to bring creativity into our working as well as our personal lives. It helps to enrich the lives of others around us.
Creativity can reach out to all parts of society, across all parts of the country, including some of our most marginalised communities and it makes a vital contribution to all stages of our education system, developing skills, imagination, self-expression, and self confidence. It tells the world about a vibrant Scotland, a Scotland one should aspire to live and work in, to invest in and be part of.
The Scottish Government has certainly demonstrated a growing understanding of the value of art and creativity in our society.
Indeed, our Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Fiona Hyslop, has said on many occasions, that art and culture are important in and of themselves. They should not need to justify a return.
The people of Scotland ‘get’ arts and culture; they value it.- Richard Findlay CBE
The people agree. We know, from independent research, that 89% of us living in Scotland believe that we are a creative nation. 67% say that creativity is an important part of their lives and an impressive 88% agree that public funding for the arts is a good thing.
This tells us something about what the arts mean in Scotland. The people of Scotland ‘get’ arts and culture; they value it.
Creativity is also a vital part of Scotland’s economy. More than 71,000 people work in creative fields, contributing to some 14,000 creative organisations and businesses. Collectively they account for a £5.75 billion annual turnover.
Our arts, our films, our creative businesses are also part of Scotland’s international calling card, telling the story of what Scotland is and can be. They send a message to the world that Scotland is a place where creativity and innovation thrive, producing internationally renowned work, sending our home-grown talent out into the world and drawing international talent to come here.
Our contribution to the important tourism industry has been acknowledged and visitor numbers are set to be further boosted by films such as Macbeth starring Michael Fassbender, Sunset Song and international TV productions like Outlander.
Creative Scotland’s job is to support creativity and creators in all their wonderful guises. To provide, as far as possible, stable long term funding for organisations, individuals and projects. I believe this stability matters for our arts and culture to thrive and for our artists to do their best work.
Later this month we will know the result of the UK Government’s comprehensive spending review, which will indicate the likely impact on Scottish Government budgets.
More particularly it will tell us what the effect will be on the culture budget. But at this stage all we can be sure of is uncertainty which can be just as destructive in the creative sector as elsewhere.
That’s why, now more than ever, it’s important that we shout out about the value the arts and the creative community deliver to all our lives. It’s important to assert that Scotland will not be diminished, and that we need to continue making our crucial contribution to the life of the country and its economy.
Creative Scotland currently receives 0.2% (£51m) of the overall Scottish Government budget. In practical terms, that allows us to support 118 regular funded organisations employing around 8000 people, and thousands of projects led by artists, organisations and companies each year in every part of Scotland, benefitting millions of people. Thousands of artists, filmmakers and creative individuals also benefit from our support every year.
We generate added value through strong partnership working with many other public sector bodies, local authorities and trusts and foundations and of course, the National Lottery. All in all, a huge amount is achieved with that budget for the people of Scotland.
Creativity matters to us all and I’m proud to Chair an organisation whose people and their work support creativity in all its forms, in all parts of Scotland and for everyone.
Richard Findlay CBE is the Chair of Creative Scotland, the public body responsible for supporting the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland. Find out more about why creativity matters.
